Article: 'Daily Voting News' For November 27 and 28, 2008

I have been asked often about my position on Instant Runoff Voting [also known as Ranked Coice Voting]. My answer is always that I just haven't formed an opinion on the basics of IRV. I do, however, have a problem with the fact that those who are avid supporters of IRV quite often favor IRV over voting system issues. They tend to be willing to turn a blind-eye to the use of voting systems that I would never support because there are no voting systems that actually support IRV that are federally certified. Two west-coast counties, Pierce in WA and San Francisco in CA, used Sequoia systems that were a mix and match of certified parts and tested parts that were never tested and certified to be used together. Officials in Minnesota are now talking about IRV for the future. When asked about a second or third count election officials said they would hand-count those ballots but officials who have done IRV say that would be a "huge nightmare". One of the two west coast counties is even now thinking of going back to the voters to ask that IRV voting no longer be used. We agree with this position but only until there is a system that can actually count the ballots and not be a "huge nightmare".

National: Hand-counting ballots in instant-runoff vote called 'huge nightmare'
click here

FL: Broward County - Banana Republic
America downscales
click here

IN: Recount begins Monday
click here

MI: Marquette County - Update: Minnesota Senate race isn't the only recount this election season
click here

MN: Interim Senator May Be Tapped If Coleman-Franken Race Challenged
click here

MN: Chisago County recount identifies 10 challenged ballots; sent to state
click here

OH: Quotes from federal court ruling on 2004 election
http://www.ohio.com/news/ap?articleID=1171079&c=y

OH: Marion County - Board's official count included 78 more ballots
click here

OR: Voting-machine results backed by recount test
click here

TX: Dallas County - Richardson election judge files complaint, says voters registered improperly
click here

VA: Improving Absentee Voting
click here

WA: Snohomish County - Turnout for historic election breaks county and state records
More than 84 percent of the state's registered voters participated, the best mark since 1936
http://heraldnet.com/article/20081128/NEWS01/711289819

**Articles and commentary included in "Daily Voting News" may not all reflect the opinions of VotersUnite.Org or its allied organizations. The articles are all included for the information of the subscribers of "Daily Voting News" though we realize that the subscribers may not agree with the opinions given in all articles or in the commentary**

*******************************************************************
If you receive Daily Voting News directly from John Gideon and VotersUnite and wish to unsubscribe, please send an email to jgideon@votersunite.org requesting that you be removed from circulation. If you get the email forwarded from someone else you must contact them to be unsubscribed.
*******************************************************************