All this and more in today's voting news below...
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AL: New Alabama election system to show statewide results online
http://blog.al.com/live/2010/07/new_alabama_election_system_to.html
It is expected to offer voting results, turnout information and possibly precinct-by-precinct data, all online and updated regularly through the night after polls close.
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100718/OPINION01/7170345/June-8-election-problems-and-solutions See charts
CA: County to purchase better election devices(Riverside County)
County supervisors authorize equipment to avoid future election gaffes
http://www.myvalleynews.com/story/49444/"Sixty-two percent of ballots cast in this election were by mail. That has a whole lot of implications," Supervisor John Benoit said during a 90-minute hearing on an Executive Office report detailing what went wrong during and after that election.
"It takes seven steps (to process) every single vote-by-mail ballot," said Benoit, who represents desert communities on the five-member board..
CO: The never-ending war (Aspen Colorado)
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100719/LETTER/100719846/1020&parentprofile=1061
Keys were left hanging from a ballot box in City Hall that collected more than 800 early voting ballots, the public software test did not work out, most of the tallying was performed by a private company using uncertified systems, voters' ballot data were collected roughly in the order voted without shuffling to preserve anonymity, corrected tally results were announced after the incorrect ones were certified, etc.
CT: Candidates Qualify For Public Financing For Primary
http://www.ctvoterscount.org/?p=3364 With a couple of close calls near the deadline, it seems that all the statewide office candidates that wanted to participate in the program have met fundraising criteria.
GA: GALEO sues state over new voter registration procedures
http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=230839
"We do not believe Georgia has lived up to its legal obligations to protect and to ensure equitable access to all voters, including minority voters. In addition, we believe these proposed changes demonstrate the need to uphold the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in order to protect access to the polls. GALEO intends to work in a bi-partisan fashion to ensure Georgia can look at best-practices policy alternatives to protect voter access," continued Gonzalez.
FL: Riches, elections and free speech
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/article1109206.ece
The problem for candidates who are not independently wealthy is that the game is somewhat rigged. They are held to strict dollar limits from outside contributors while very rich people have a First Amendment right to freely spend their own money.
LA: Ex-police chief sentenced to service
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/98650419.html Maurer admitted that he caused two of his deputies to provide false information on their voter registration forms indicating that they lived in the voting district when they did not, according to a news release from Letten's New Orleans office.
MD: Maryland invalidates indepedent voters
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/other-races/109439-maryland-invalidates-indepedent-voters The state of Maryland has invalidated independent voters, forcing them to choose a political party or "unaffiliated" on their voter registration.
Letters went out last week in all of the state's 24 counties to registered voters, informing them that the "independent" party is no longer recognized under Maryland's state election laws.
ME: Our View: Electing mayor outweighs noncitizen voting
A full debate about the change in leadership is more important than other, less vital issues. http://www.pressherald.com/opinion/electing-mayor-outweighs-noncitizen-voting_2010-07-17.html
ME: Non-Citizen Voting in Portland, ME May Be on November Ballot
http://nonprofitvote.blogspot.com/2010/07/non-citizen-voting-in-portland-me-may.html
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