Article: 'Daily Voting News' For February 23, 2007

Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, "A state-mandated test of voting machines before the March municipal election went off without a flaw Friday at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, officials said. Elections Supervisor Arthur Anderson tested 2 percent of the 830 machines that will be in use during the March 13 city elections, running mock ballots to make sure the computerized voting systems and touch-screen machines are working." 2 percent? That's not a test, it's a spot check. // In a press release today PFAW said, "An audit report released by the Florida Secretary of State's office regarding Sarasota County's November election debacle came under fire shortly after its release today. "This audit's a whitewash. It is the result of a flawed process overseen by people with a stake in the outcome, and it will not be the last word on this matter," said People For the American Way Foundation President Ralph G. Neas. "Something went terribly wrong in Sarasota County last November-and voters have provided credible evidence that widespread voting machine malfunctions were part of the problem. Unfortunately, this report papers over that evidence."...

NAtional: "The Ballad of Sarasota" captures Voters' Angst LINK

NAtional: E-voting Testers Accredited U.S. Election Assistance Commission approves SysTest and iBeta Quality Assurance to check machines. LINK

NAtional: H.R. 811, the New Holt Bill LINK

AR: Benton County - State says county handling election issues LINK

FL: Palm Beach County - Voting machine test goes off without a hitch in Palm Beach County LINK

FL: Sarasota County - March election could be last for voting machines that led to dispute LINK

FL: Sarasota County - Secretary of State's FL-13 Audit Report Whitewashes Clear Evidence of Voting Machine Problems in Sarasota LINK

FL: Sarasota County - State: No problems with Sarasota voting machines LINK

FL: Sarasota County - Two reports reach same verdict: No voting machine fault LINK

FL: Sarasota County - Audit finds no evidence of voting machine malfunctioning LINK

FL: Sarasota County - OFFICIAL FLORIDA AUDIT ON FL-13 RELEASED: Conflicting Conclusions Revealed Despite State Claim of 'No Evidence to Suggest Official Results in Error' LINK

IL: Chicago - State Supreme Court says two aldermen should not be on ballot LINK

IL: Chicago - Ill. High Court: Ex-felons can't run for city office LINK

KS: Kansas Senate Passes Controversial Voter ID Bill LINK

MN: Township tradition threatened New state law causing officials election headaches LINK

OH: Public Monitor Reports Serious, Possibly Illegal, Security Breaches During Ohio Mid-term Elections LINK

UT: SL TRIB: Cost for Utah Presidential Primary 'Balloons' from $850k to $3.4 MILLION(!) Due to New Electronic Voting Machines 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**