The Voting News for 05/25/2011

• Tennessee: Bill wipes out voter safeguards in Tennessee | The Tennessean
• Wisconsin: Wisconsin Set to Pass Country’s Most Restrictive Voter ID Law | Colorlines
• Editorial, Wisconsin: Our view: Walker signing law we don’t need | LaCrosse Tribune
• New York: Corwin granted court order barring certification of winner | The Buffalo News
• Ohio: Ohio Senate OKs shortened period of early voting | Dayton Daily News
• Ohio: Senate passes Ohio ballot reforms | The Columbus Dispatch
• Ohio: Ohio Senate bill cuts time for voting absentee, early | Toledo Blade
• Texas: Harris County voting machine fire not arson | Chron.com
• Nevada: Appeal notices filed over Nevada special election ruling | San Antonio Express-News
• Nevada: Contradictory ruling in Nevada | Las Vegas Sun
• Editorial, Nevada: Jon Ralston: That’s a fine mess you’ve left, Secretary Heller | Las Vegas Sun
• Editorial, Missouri: David Rosman: Falsely identifying the Missouri voter ID bill | Columbia Missourian
• Editorial, Florida: Tonyaa Weathersbee: Déja Vu — New Florida Law Hinders Voting Rights of Blacks, Poor | New America Media
• Pakistan: Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure transparency and credibility | All Voices
• Bangladesh: Election Commission going for fresh dialogue — will discus introduction of electronic voting to Bangladesh | bdnews24.com

Tennessee: Bill wipes out voter safeguards in Tennessee | The Tennessean

In 2008, the Tennessee General Assembly voted almost unanimously to make elections more secure, dependable and trustworthy by requiring a verifiable paper trail for each vote. The step was long overdue — more than 30 states already have such security measures.

But three years later, secure elections in Tennessee remain at risk, and voters may never know if their votes are counted.

The legislature has passed a bill that… Read More

Wisconsin: Wisconsin Set to Pass Country’s Most Restrictive Voter ID Law | Colorlines

Wisconsin will soon have the what’s arguably the nation’s most restrictive voter ID law. The bill was passed through the the Republican-led Senate late last week and is expected be signed into law by Gov. Scott Walker on Wednesday. Voter rights advocates are worried that the new bill will keep some of the Democratic party’s key constituents away from the polls in 2012. And as more bills sweep across the… Read More

Editorial, Wisconsin: Our view: Walker signing law we don’t need | LaCrosse Tribune

With the stroke of a pen today, Gov. Scott Walker will officially solve a problem that we don’t have. If you listen to Walker and some fellow governors, they’re protecting the integrity of elections and preventing voter fraud.

If you ask most everyone else, it’s a slick way of making it more difficult for people to vote — especially people who are less likely to vote for Walker and his Republican… Read More

New York: Corwin granted court order barring certification of winner | The Buffalo News

Jane L. Corwin this afternoon obtained a court order from State Supreme Court Justice Russell P. Buscaglia barring a certification of a winner in the special 26th Congressional District race pending a show-cause hearing before him later this week. The Buffalo News obtained a copy of the show-cause order Buscaglia signed this morning based on a petition the Republican candidate filed Monday.

Under the judge’s 11-page order, attorneys for Corwin have… Read More

Ohio: Ohio Senate OKs shortened period of early voting | Dayton Daily News

Ohioans would see a shorter early voting period under a proposal Tuesday that cleared the Senate in this traditionally presidential swing state. The Republican-led Senate voted 23–10 along party lines to pass the plan, despite Democrats’ objections that parts of the bill could lead to longer lines and discourage people from participating in elections.

Supporters argue they are addressing inconsistencies in the law and want to help county officials save money… Read More

Ohio: Senate passes Ohio ballot reforms | The Columbus Dispatch

A bill overhauling Ohio election law cleared the Senate today over Democratic objections, and Senate leaders said they did not expect major problems meshing their plan with one passed last week by the House.

Voters would get less time to vote early, online voter registration would be developed and a handful of counties, including Franklin, no longer could send absentee ballot applications to all voters. Senate Bill 148 passed 23–10… Read More

Ohio: Ohio Senate bill cuts time for voting absentee, early | Toledo Blade

Ohioans would have less time to vote absentee and early, and counties would be barred from mass-mailing applications for ballots to registered voters under a bill that cleared the Senate Tuesday.

Senate Bill 148, passed strictly with Republican support, seeks to reduce the number of last-resort provisional ballots cast on Election Day and sets statewide standards for when they will and won’t be counted. The bill would let voters for… Read More

Texas: Harris County voting machine fire not arson | Chron.com

A fire that destroyed 10,000 Harris County voting machines last August was the result of an electrical short, not arson, said Kevin Brolan, acting deputy chief of the Houston Fire Department’s arson division.

The fire, coming as it did just weeks before the start of early voting last fall, gave rise to speculation of arson with a political motive.

“The fire doesn’t respect what time of year it is, who’s running… Read More

Nevada: Appeal notices filed over Nevada special election ruling | San Antonio Express-News

The filling period is about to begin for major political party candidates interested in running in Nevada’s special election for the 2nd Congressional District seat. But filing doesn’t guarantee a spot on the Sept. 13 ballot, because that decision remains with the Nevada Supreme Court. Secretary of State Ross Miller said declarations of candidacy will be accepted beginning Wednesday through June 30.

Miller and the Democratic Party filed notices Tuesday with the… Read More

Nevada: Contradictory ruling in Nevada | Las Vegas Sun

Republican Rep. Dean Heller’s appointment to the U.S. Senate this month created a novel situation — Nevada has never had to replace a member of the House of Representatives in the middle of a term. As a result, a controversy quickly developed over how to replace Heller because Nevada law doesn’t specifically state how a special election for the House should be conducted.

Because there is no primary in a… Read More

Editorial, Nevada: Jon Ralston: That’s a fine mess you’ve left, Secretary Heller | Las Vegas Sun

If only Secretary of State Dean Heller had written regulations for a House special election, we wouldn’t have such controversy over filling Sen. Dean Heller’s seat.

But Heller did not, as a 2003 law instructed, write any rules, so now we have chaos, thanks to a Carson City judge’s stunning decision last week that overturned the guidelines proposed by Heller’s successor, Ross Miller. And reading through the 97-page transcript of… Read More

Editorial, Missouri: David Rosman: Falsely identifying the Missouri voter ID bill | Columbia Missourian

A close friend of mine is one of the great advocates for disability rights in Columbia — perhaps all of Boone County. She recently started a discussion on Facebook concerning Missouri’s Senate Bill 3, the voter identification bill, which now sits on the governor’s desk for signature or veto.

My friend wrote that she may have to sue the state of Missouri because the bill could disenfranchise up to 300,000… Read More

Editorial, Florida: Tonyaa Weathersbee: Déja Vu — New Florida Law Hinders Voting Rights of Blacks, Poor | New America Media

Back in 2006, when the 1965 Voting Rights Act was up for renewal, a number of Republican lawmakers protested that its time had passed; that the states and municipalities that once worked to keep blacks away from the polls and locked into second-class citizenry had learned their lesson.

But it’s a lesson in which Florida Gov. Rick Scott and his GOP brethren are sorely in need of remediation.

Recently, Scott… Read More

Pakistan: Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure transparency and credibility | All Voices

Immediate steps are required on part of Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure transparency and credibility of the future elections in Pakistan.

A Delegation headed by Mr. Samson Salamat, Director of Centre for Human Rights Education, a human rights organization observing a “Decade for Democracy in Pakistan” called on the Provincial Election Commissioner Mr. Akhtar Hussain Sabir and discussed immediate steps required on part of Election Commission to ensure the… Read More

Bangladesh: Election Commission going for fresh dialogue — will discus introduction of electronic voting to Bangladesh | bdnews24.com

The Election Commission is going to sit with registered political parties once again to discuss changes to the rules on the commissioner’s appointment and to the electoral laws. The commission plans to kick off the dialogue from June 7, election commissioner M Sakhawat Hossain told bdnews24.com… on Tuesday.

Reforms to the law on delimitation of electoral areas and introduction of electronic voting will also be discussed among… Read More

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