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The Day, Susan Bysiewicz, and we agree: No IRV for New London

By Luther Weeks on July 25, 2010

The Day points to the complexity of issues for voters with several charter changes combined, especially Instant Runoff Voting (IRV), while referencing the Secretary of the State’s objections that IRV cannot be counted by our optical scanners and that IRV is currently illegal in Connecticut.

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No-Excuse Absentee Voting – Unintended Consequences

By Luther Weeks on July 24, 2010

As the Connecticut legislature, Secretary of the State candidates, and our current Secretary of the State contemplate following Florida’s lead in expanding mail-in voting, including considering no-excuse absentee voting, we have this cautionary tale from Florida.
This is another fast-food-like voting issue. We like no excuse absentee voting, just like we enjoy fast, fatty food – the problem is that they both have unintended consequences. Yet, most voters and many eaters are not aware of the known risks.

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What do [Connecticut] voters think?

By Luther Weeks on July 22, 2010

A new Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project Report provides insight into the opinions of voters on several voting reform issues. We comment on Connecticut specific results and editorialize on voting integrity implications of the survey. We recommend the survey and commentary be contemplated by activists, legislators, and future Secretaries of the State.

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Who are you going to believe? Scientists or Vendors?

By Luther Weeks on July 21, 2010

“Enter online voting vendors looking to break into the market on the backs of these two groups. They ride in to save the day with big promises and high-tech solutions. Security becomes little more than sale pitch, like shiny chrome or electronic gadgetry in a new car. ‘You want security – we got security.’…Vendors need to stand in the corner with bankers and oil companies. Just whose elections are these anyway?”

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Will Gov Patrick assign MA votes to states with touch screens and voter suppression?

By Luther Weeks on July 20, 2010

Perhaps Governor Patrick will consider the arguments of Democrats like Connecticut Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz who opposes the Agreement and Minneosota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie who objects for the difficulty in counting the popular vote. We are not in principle against a national popular vote, but as a prerequisite we would require sufficient uniform national voting franchise and integrity laws, enforceable and enforced.

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Candidates Qualify For Public Financing For Primary

By Luther Weeks on July 17, 2010

With a couple of close calls near the deadline, it seems that all the statewide office candidates that wanted to participate in the program have met fundraising criteria.

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Two Courts Rule For And Against Citizens Election Program

By Luther Weeks on July 13, 2010

Disagreeing with the lower court on leveling the playing field for 3rd party candidates. Lifting the ban on lobbyist contributions, while leaving the ban in place for state contractors and apparently also ruled against providing supplemental grants to candidates faced with high spending opponents.

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Internet Voting Called Unfair, Not Observable, and Not Transparent

By Luther Weeks on July 9, 2010

“Voting methods that utilize web-based technologies and telephone-based balloting do not allow the necessary levels of observability and transparency that exist within the current election process.”

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What Do YOU [still] Want?

By Luther Weeks on July 8, 2010

You are committed to the proposition that Democracy survive and flourish. We have serious work to do. It can happen in Connecticut. Voting Integrity, like the Constitution, can start here in the Constitution State and spread to the Nation. “Anything worth doing is worth failing at, and failing at, and failing at…until you succeed”

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New York: Leveling the playing field for mail-in voting?

By Luther Weeks on July 6, 2010

We suggest that anyone concerned with the disenfranchisement from New York’s ill programmed voting machines should also be concerned and warn the public of the even greater risks they take when they mail in their votes.

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