Category

Uncategorized

Uncategorized

(US-WV) How 3 changes will affect election transparency

Buried in an article about filing deadlines we find three hints for what's to come in 2014 for West Virginia: 1) Taking a step back from transparent vote counts, removing paper ballot options;2) Increasing use of combined vote centers, which reduce ballot privacy;3) Increasing use of electronic poll books in place of physical poll books. "Paper ballots will no longer…
Bev Harris
January 14, 2014
Uncategorized

(US-UT) Voter Lists: Legislation proposes to ban public transparency for voter lists

An important news item by in the Salt Lake Tribune reports on Utah State Sen. Karen Mayne's attempt to stop publication of voter information. The reporter should have covered both sides of the issue, because the proposed legislation removes a crucial transparency component for Utah elections. The article, titled "Bill aims to stop publication of voter information", reports that: -…
Bev Harris
January 11, 2014
Uncategorized

2014 Election Risk Analysis: Wyoming

Next major election: Tuesday Aug. 19 Primary election RISK RATINGS Integrity Index: Rated 49th out of 50 states by the Better Government Association, with 50 the lowest rating. Election Risk Analysis: Significant, rated 5 out of 10, with 10 being highest risk. Special areas of concern: Wyoming is one of three states which acts as a corporate secrecy haven, rivaling…
Bev Harris
January 1, 2014
Uncategorized

Online voting continues to be (not) a great idea

Internet voting can't work alongside secrecy of the ballot. But online voting for legislators -- because their ballot should never be secret from the public -- would at least be transparent. In the US, a resolution was introduced in June 2013 (H.Res.287) for a measure that would let members vote remotely on noncontroversial bills. According to reporter Bryan Steele of…
Bev Harris
December 17, 2013
Uncategorized

Chain of Custody for Recounts

- In the current Virginia recount, voting machine chain of custody deserves a closer look. A handful of men control chain of custody for crucial portions of the recount process, which in Virginia is conducted entirely by re-running the ballots through voting computers, with votes counted out of public view. Oh yes, observers may be able to watch activity, such…
Bev Harris
December 17, 2013
Uncategorized

India: Voting machine probe sought

- Electronic voting machines have come under scrutiny in two Indian states for alleged irregularities. Officials for a historically dominant political party, the Congress Party, have filed a complaint with the Election Commission calling for an independent forensic evaluation of voting machine programming. The state president of another political party has called for a ban on electronic voting machines, where…
Bev Harris
December 14, 2013
Uncategorized

Elections in Hungary

LAST UPDATED - Next elections will be Parliamentary elections scheduled for Spring 2014. It will be the first election under the new Hungarian Constitution. RATINGS - Freedom: Rated 1 on a scale of 1-6, with 1 being most free. Overall civil liberties and political freedoms trended downward in 2010, due to passage of a controversial new constitution, with continuing advocacy…
Bev Harris
December 14, 2013
Uncategorized

Election Transparency

If democracy is a painting created by its own audience, democracy without transparency is that audience blindfolded -- trusting and hoping and not really knowing if they are having democracy at all.
Bev Harris
December 1, 2013
Uncategorized

Elections in the United States

LAST UPDATED – The next general election in the US is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4 2014. Throughout 2014 leading up to the general election, primary elections will be held in each state, with considerable variation in dates. Greatest risk areas: Centralization of vote reporting and voting machine programming, with over 99 percent of all votes counted out of public…
Bev Harris
November 29, 2013