Article: 'Daily Voting News' For March 13, 2007

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org In written testimony presented to the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives; Ellen Theisen LINK concludes in part: ...

After eight months of study in 2005, the GAO recommended that the EAC immediately take five actions that the GAO considered essential to fulfill the Commission's HAVA mandate. To date, the EAC has accomplished only a portion of one of them. The 2005 report emphasized the need for the EAC to complete "key activities." In recognition of the EAC's on-going failure to do so, the GAO's 2007 report emphasizes the need for state and local governments to "address electronic voting system challenges." It is clear that the responsibilities Congress assigned to the EAC must now, indeed, be taken over by the state and local governments. Reliable elections are the bedrock of representative democracy. Because of the EAC's failure to effectively execute its role, public dissatisfaction with the electoral process grows with each election, and the country is now in an election system crisis. Bills recently introduced into both houses of Congress would establish and fund the EAC permanently, but such provisions defy common sense, and Congress should reject them. Congress should not tolerate the EAC's failure to comply with its mandate. It should immediately appoint well-qualified, competent Commissioners and Executive Director to replace those now in office, or it should refuse to authorize further funding for this agency.

NAtional: House panel to hold 'voting machine forum' LINK

CO: Four Colorado Counties Placed on Election Watch List LINK

CO: Montrose County - Montrose on election watch list LINK

FL: Palm Beach County - Officials predict 25 percent draw to countywide polls; slow early turnout seen LINK

FL: Sarasota County - Mechanical Glitch Ignored In Now Contested Florida Congressional Race LINK

FL: Tampa - 37 votes short of runoff, city hopeful wants inquiry LINK

GA: DeKalb County - Ga. voting machines left in leaky DeKalb County warehouse LINK

MO: Editorial - In our view: Voters should decide on IDs LINK

OH: Cuyahoga County - Voter turnout expected to be too high LINK

OH: Cuyahoga County - Can we count on our votes? Official worried about machines LINK

TX: Lamar County - Machine shortage leads to consolidation LINK

**"Daily Voting News" is meant as a comprehensive listing of reports each day concerning issues related to election and voting news around the country regardless of quality or political slant. Therefore, items listed in "Daily Voting News" may not reflect the opinions of VotersUnite.Org or OpEdNews.Com**