Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Board Announces New Timeline for Digital Vote-by-Mail Project for Overseas Voters | Business Wire

Board Announces New Timeline for Digital Vote-by-Mail Project for Overseas Voters | Business Wire:

“Digital Vote-by-Mail” - a software application that will allow overseas voters to receive their blank ballot digitally and, at their option, digitally return their marked ballot using a more secure method than e-mail or fax - will be tested in a mock election environment during the second half of September. --->>>

Gujarat: E-voting? Good idea, but it'll cost the earth! - India - DNA

E-voting? Good idea, but it'll cost the earth! - India - DNA:

Sometimes super ideas, which sound good to the ears, might not be as effective and successful as they seem to be.

Introducing E-voting in local body elections, an ambitious project of the state election commission, has all the possibilities of becoming a white elephant for the government.

--->>>

Gujarat: Why the lukewarm response to e-voting in Gujarat? - India - DNA

Why the lukewarm response to e-voting in Gujarat? - India - DNA:

Analyzing the many reasons for the very poor response to the e-voting registration, despite the deadline for the same being extended twice, sources in the state secretariat said that it is both political and administrative. --->>>

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Australia: GetUp! Wins Court Case

GetUp! Wins Court Case :

Australians will be able to enrol online after the Federal Court ruled in favour of GetUp!'s case against the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). GetUp! had taken the AEC to the court, challenging electoral laws that prevented voters from enrolling online. Previously, the High Court also ruled the Howard government's changes that closed the electoral rolls on the day writs were issued were unconstitutional.

As a result, about 100,000 additional people were entitled to vote last Saturday. --->>>

Military Absentee Voting Pilot Program Downed By Expensive Payout

Military Absentee Voting Pilot Program Downed By Expensive Payout:

Military voters from at least six states will be unable to participate fully in a Defense Department pilot program -- substantially reducing their opportunity to vote in November -- because a private election software company is dragging its feet and demanding exorbitant fees to supply states with their own voting data, some state officials participating in the program tell FoxNews.com. --->>>

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Australia: Long days ahead when every vote counts

Long days ahead when every vote counts:

IN AN era of instant online gratification, it is tempting to ask ''Why are we waiting?'' for the votes to be counted from Saturday's election. ...

... The simple answer is because the Commonwealth Electoral Act requires every House of Representatives vote to be counted manually and allows voters who can't make it to a polling place on election day to cast ''declaration votes''.

According to the Australian Electoral Commission's spokesman, Phil Diak, there have been about 13 million votes cast in this election and roughly 2 million of these are so-called ''declaration'' votes. --->>>

Sunday, August 22, 2010

PR-CANADA.net - Vote iQ Revolutionizes the Way Citizens and Politicians Communicate

sPR-CANADA.net - Vote iQ Revolutionizes the Way Citizens and Politicians Communicate:

Vote iQ, America's first major social networking site built for politics, today announced that it is making its platform available for free to all politicians and groups. Any politician or advocacy group can now set up a free page on Vote iQ, giving them the ability to leverage the amazing power of social media to draw followers and promote their cause. Vote iQ is already free for voters. --->>>

Friday, August 20, 2010

Conduct mock e-voting exercise before actual poll: HC directs govt - Ahmedabad - City - The Times of India

Conduct mock e-voting exercise before actual poll: HC directs govt - Ahmedabad - City - The Times of India:

AHMEDABAD: In connection with introduction of e-voting or online voting system during coming civic body elections, Gujarat High Court has advised the state government to go for a trial mock election before actual election to ensure that the process of online voting is 100 per cent full-proof. --->>>

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Civic polls: e-voting fails to register with voters - Surat - City - The Times of India

Civic polls: e-voting fails to register with voters - Surat - City - The Times of India:

VADODARA/SURAT/ RAJKOT/AHMEDABAD: In just two months, Gujarat will be all set for the nation's first e-voting option in the upcoming civic elections across six municipal corporations in the state. But, ironically the number of voters who would be interested in the process is dismally low.

A cumbersome registration process, low awareness levels of the voting facility and absence of toll free help desk services have been pointed out as the main reason for the low level of interest. --->>>

Swiss abroad from cantons Fribourg, St Gallen and Solothurn to vote electronically from September. - swissinfo

Swiss abroad from cantons Fribourg, St Gallen and Solothurn to vote electronically from September. - swissinfo:

More and more cantons are making it possible for Swiss expatriates to vote electronically. In September, expats registered in St Gallen, Fribourg and Solothurn can do so.

The occasion will be a referendum on changes to Switzerland’s unemployment insurance law.

Several cantons have taken advantage of a change in the law that came into force on January 1, 2008 which obliges cantons to introduce e-voting for Swiss living abroad. --->>>

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Wandsworth Council introduces voter text service (From Wandsworth Guardian)

Wandsworth Council introduces voter text service (From Wandsworth Guardian):

Eligible voters can send the town hall a text message to guarantee themselves a vote in any elections or referenda held next year. --->>>

Alabama expands options for military, overseas voters to comply with new law | montgomeryadvertiser.com | Montgomery Advertiser

Alabama expands options for military, overseas voters to comply with new law | montgomeryadvertiser.com | Montgomery Advertiser:

The state is moving forward with ex­panded voting options for military and over­seas voters to comply with a new federal law.

Secretary of State Beth Chapman an­nounced a contract with Scytl USA that will allow for the electronic transmission of ab­sentee ballots to military and overseas vot­ers. The ballot request and completed bal­lots still have to be sent through the U.S. Postal Service. --->>>

Friday, August 13, 2010

Australia: GetUp! has another court victory

GetUp! has another court victory:

Australians will be able to enrol online in future elections after the activist group GetUp won a landmark case in the Federal Court.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) was taken to court by GetUp, which challenged electoral laws preventing voters from enrolling online. --->>>

Also see video interview: GetUp! wins again in online vote case
ABC Online: GetUp! wins case for online voter registration

Thursday, August 12, 2010

BOWE BELL + HOWELL Processes Vote by Mail Envelopes With Parascript's Technology

BOWE BELL + HOWELL Processes Vote by Mail Envelopes With Parascript's Technology During... -- BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ --:

Parascript, LLC, the image analysis and pattern recognition technology provider, today announced that its signature verification technology was used during the 2010 primary elections to process incoming Vote by Mail (VBM) envelopes in two counties in California. Between the two counties, over 100,000 envelopes were handled on industry-leading Criterion sorting systems from BOWE BELL + HOWELL (BBH) that utilize Parascript's SignatureXpert software for signature verification. This greatly reduced the manual effort required for processing these envelopes.

The vote-by-mail solution from BBH was first used in 2007 and has been used by BBH clients in every election since 2007, including the 2008 presidential election. --->>>

Barcode scanners improve voting convenience in Missouri county - Press Release Distribution - PR Agency

Barcode scanners improve voting convenience in Missouri county | Media-Newswire.com - Press Release Distribution - PR Agency:

In Missouri, a new electronic voting system compromised of laptops and barcode scanners helped make voting during Tuesday’s primary elections easier and more efficient, the Missourian reports. --->>>

Electronic voting a win for disability groups - northumberlandnews.com / indynews.ca

Electronic voting a win for disability groups:

Disability groups are praising the lack of barriers in this year's all-electronic election.

'Committees across the province have been watching this very closely,' said Don Ubell, past chairman of the Cobourg Access Committee, of electronic voting.

'What it means for the handicapped community is that you solved the blind problem, you solved the problem that I couldn't get in to the polling station, you've solved all those barriers.'

Mr. Ubell was addressing Stephen Beamish, vice-president of Intelivote Systems Inc, during a presentation on electronic voting in the Cobourg council chambers on Monday, Aug. 9. Intelivote provided electronic voting capabilities for the town in 2006, which were offered along with a paper ballot option, and will once again be offering their services for the upcoming municipal election, which will offer only electronic voting via internet or telephone. --->>>

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Press Release: Crowdsourcing company hosts 2010 Australian Election on Facebook

Press Release: Crowdsourcing company hosts 2010 Australian Election on Facebook: "Design crowdsourcing company DesignCrowd have just launched The Australian Election 2010 on Facebook - a crowdsourcing application on Facebook that allows people to nominate and vote any Australian as Australia's 'Honorary Prime Minister on Facebook'. --->>>

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Independent Party sees few voters cast ballots in Oregon primary | statesmanjournal.com | Statesman Journal

Independent Party sees few voters cast ballots in Oregon primary | statesmanjournal.com | Statesman Journal:
The results are in from Oregon’s first online primary election: Fewer than 2,300 of the 57,000 members of the Independent Party voted. That’s turnout of 4 percent, far less than the two major parties get in their primaries.
Independent Party leaders said Friday that’s also far more people than usually participate in conventions for other minor parties. --->>>

Also see:
Oregon Independent Party Releases Results of its Private Primary
Independent Party primary offered interesting look at online elections

PR-USA.net - NLRB Sets Date for Biggest Union Election in 70 Years

PR-USA.net - NLRB Sets Date for Biggest Union Election in 70 Years:

The National Labor Relations Board has scheduled a government-protected mail ballot election beginning Sept. 13 for nearly 44,000 Kaiser Permanente workers to join the National Union of Healthcare Workers and kick out the incumbent union SEIU. --->>>