CT

Basic and Bold Steps To Improve Connecticut Elections

By Luther Weeks on November 17, 2012

We offer the following short list of items for improvement without breaking the bank. Basic steps that cost little, should almost be assumed. Bold steps that could transform the system, and transcend knee-jerk half steps.

Posted in CT, Our Editorials | Leave a response

Looking forward to the Good, the Bad, or the Ugly in election reform?

By Luther Weeks on November 10, 2012

There were many problems! Will we learn anything? Will be do anything? Will we help or aggravate the situation? As they say some you win, some you lose, and some are rained out. (At least Sandy did not rain this one out, but it could have been different. Next time it could be different…for better or for worse.)

Imagine this election as a National Popular Vote Agreement election. Then lots more people would be worried about NJ, both pushing for more to vote by any means possible, charging officials with not complying, and others charging all sorts of irregularities.

Posted in CT, National | Leave a response

What We Worry? What Could Go Wrong On Election Day?

By Luther Weeks on November 3, 2012

America’s elections are run entirely on the honor system. What could possibly go wrong?

Posted in CT, Electronic Vulnerability, Internet Voting, Mail/Absentee Voting, National, National Popular Vote, Post-Election Audits, Recounts/Recanvasses | Leave a response

A Tale in two Courant Editorials

By Luther Weeks on October 15, 2012

Where we disagree with the Courant, is that we believe ballots deserve the same level of protection as money and supplies, that the need for verification applies equally to private employees, public employees, and public officials. We are not so sure of trust part of ‘trust but verify’, we would ‘verify sufficiently to deter and trust’.

Posted in Chain of Custody, CT, CT Law | 2 Responses

Big Bird and Charlie Rose know what the CT Legislature does not!

By Luther Weeks on October 6, 2012

See Charlie Rose interview Dr. Barbara Simons, co-auther of Broken Ballots. <view >

Big Bird and Charlie Rose now know that Internet voting, email voting, Virgina elections, and inadequately audited elections – do not merit our trust.

Posted in Electronic Vulnerability, Internet Voting, Legislature2012, National | Leave a response

Registrars trade complaints, official and unofficial

By Luther Weeks on October 4, 2012

Is it voter suppression? Laziness? or Trumped up conflict? In any case, it does not serve voters and democracy.

It is hard to argue for the current system when these conflicts breakout, even harder to argue for the election of a single partisan registrar in each municipality.

Posted in CT, Skulduggery and Errors | 1 Response

Issues with NPV vs. a strategy of overwhelm

By Luther Weeks on September 27, 2012

Around this time in the presidential election cycle we see a variety of articles touting benefits of the National Popular Vote Agreement vs. the Electoral College for determining the president. One of the latest is a piece in the Stamford Patch pointing to Rep Fox’s support of the Agreement, largely quoting Ryan O’Donnell, a lobbyist for NationalPopularVote.org.

I suggest you read the Patch article along with the comments to get a taste of NPV.org’s arguments, relevant, irrelevant, and questionable and their apparent strategy of overwhelm. Often when one of these articles appears, I post a comment to articulate what they are not telling you, the risk of the National Popular Vote Agreement. Much like DDT the issue is not the touted benefits, even if overblown. The issue is the potential harmful consequences.

Posted in CT, National | Leave a response

USA Today: Electronic voting – The Real Threat

By Luther Weeks on September 22, 2012

Fortunately our Legislature has not wasted time on raising Connecticut’s adequate voter I.D. law to the level of voter suppression. Unfortunately, the Legislature has continued to ignore science, experience, and the Constitutional requirement for preserving the secret vote.

Posted in CT, Internet Voting, National, Other Editorials | Leave a response

Candiate qualifies to run on three lines for registrar – Case made for third registrar in Hartford

By Luther Weeks on September 17, 2012

Connecticut has 169 towns with a Democratic and a Republican registrar. If anyone else runs and comes in 1st or 2nd then there are three (or even four registrars). Currently Hartford has three registrars. For several years we have been articulating the reasons this makes sense, how it can be done without additional cost, and the potential cure of “Doing for Elections what we have done for Probate”.

Two recent news items are relevant. A defense of three registrars in Hartford by Ed Vargas. And candidate Doug Lary running on three 3rd party lines for registrar Windham/Willimantic.

Posted in CT | 2 Responses

Supreme Court to decide ballot layout and sovereign immunity

By Luther Weeks on September 10, 2012

I am not a lawyer, however: The law reads like the Secretary of the State is correct in interpreting the law. But it will be a tough precedent if the court accepts the sovereign immunity argument – I would think that would make it harder to sue over any election issue, including when the Secretary has declared an election winner. UPDATED

Posted in CT, CT Law | 1 Response

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