Article: Voting News: Sarasota officials try to kill election audit. Aspen strikes out at transparency activist. Rove right?

It is a tough week for election transparency and the activists who work so hard for it. Sarasota FL officials try another tactic to kill the charter mandated election audits that citizens asked for: "It is the duty of the County Commission and the county attorney to protect and defend our county charter, not work to defeat it...This is dirty pool and it's against the interest of the Sarasota County voters." ~ Kindra Muntz,founder,Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections, http://www.safevote.org The City of Aspen is going after the election activist who sought to have Aspen ballot images made public....

I will be traveling Friday morning through Sunday evening. If time and my laptop computer cooperates and time permitsI'll send out news on Friday....

All this and more in today's voting news below....

CO: Marks v. Koch: last ten days: City brings out big stick: Aspen Transparency Litigation (city goes after activist who sued to get ballot images released to public)
http://aspenelectionreview.blogspot.com/2010/03/marks-v-koch-last-ten-days-city-brings.html

CO: What's next for Colorado campaign finance law? Possibly more laws
http://politicalactivitylaw.com/?p=8891

FL: Sarasota officials work to kill charter ordered election audits
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/electionreform/message/13258
It also appears that the Sarasota County Attorney's office has been working closely with Kathy Dent's attorney and the Florida Secretary of State's office to insert pre-emption language into the current elections bill before the Florida Senate, SB900, to crush our county charter amendment, since they didn't win at the Florida Supreme..

FL: Voters rights watchdog group upset with official's suggestion
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100324/ARTICLE/3241053/-1/NEWSSITEMAP
SARASOTA COUNTY - A voters rights group says a county attorney tried to circumvent the will of the voters and the state Supreme Court and get locally mandated election audits banned by the Legislature.

FL: Candidate who lost challenges Davie vote
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-03-23/news/fl-davie-election-lawsuit-20100323_1_poll-workers-voting-machines-caryl-casey-hattan

DC: DC Board of Elections Announces Award for Voting Equipment to Election Systems and Software (ES&S)
http://blog.verifiedvoting.org/2010/03/24/439

KY: Former judge-executive placed on probation
http://www.kentucky.com/2010/03/23/1193318/former-perry-judge-executive-is.html

WA: Reed doing well after surgery (SOS)
http://www.theolympian.com/2010/03/23/1182175/secretary-of-state-reed-doing.html

National

Levitt: Karl Rove Is Right About Importance of Local Elections
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/55_108/ma_congressional_relations/44522-1.html
Karl Rove has lately been broadcasting the importance of downballot elections in places with names like Brushy Creek. This is not a lesson in civics. It is a lesson in power. And he's right.

Claims with No Data
Champaign County Clerk at 8:30 am under Elections
http://blog.champaigncountyclerk.com/2010/03/24/claims-with-no-data/
...Not so the voter registration reform folks. There are two problems, both of which point to a serious disinterest in data.

No, NYT, O'Keefe Didn't 'Pose as a Pimp' Either (ACORN)
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7761 Yet more evidence that O'Keefe did not 'represent himself' as the NYTimes and its Public Editor continue to claim

Abraham M. Rutchick, "Deus Ex Machina: The Influence of Polling Place on Voting Behavior" in Political Psychology
http://electionupdates.caltech.edu/?p=3138

" New Transparency Bill Would Bring Redistricting Out of Back Rooms: Statement of J. Gerald Hebert, Executive Director"
http://electionlawblog.org/archives/015557.html

Voting News by Joyce McCloy.
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