February 16th, 2009
The Pennsylvania Voters Choice Act has now been introduced. It is SB 252 and has nine Senators as sponsors. They include seven Republicans (Mike Folmer, Pat Browne, Mary Jo White, Lisa Baker, Jeffrey Piccola, Rob Wonderling, and Jane Earll) and two Democrats (Jim Ferlo and Lisa Boscola).
Minor parties would be on the November ballot automatically, and would nominate by convention, if they had registration membership of at least .05% of the state total. Independent candidates would need 2,000 signatures for statewide office, and smaller requirements for district office.
As of February 16, the bill is not yet posted to the state webpage. The webpage only has Senate bills up through SB 195, but it should soon catch up.
If the bill were in effect now, the Constitution, Green, and Libertarian Parties would be ballot-qualified.
http://www.ballot-access.org/
Monday, February 16, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Liberty and Justice meeting
ALL ARE WELCOME
February 6th @ 6:30 pm
Butler County
545 Pittsburgh Road
Butler, PA 16002
We will be holding the monthly meeting for Liberty and Justice Association Inc.
For information contact:
Hagan Smith - hagan@ljai.info
February 6th @ 6:30 pm
Butler County
545 Pittsburgh Road
Butler, PA 16002
We will be holding the monthly meeting for Liberty and Justice Association Inc.
For information contact:
Hagan Smith - hagan@ljai.info
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
State Committee Meeting
There will be a state committee meeting on FEB. 21st. at The Hotel Carlisle(1-717-243-1717). The Executive meeting will be from 10am-noon, state committee meeting 1pm-4pm and the dinner is from 5pm-8pm.
To order tickets call Danielle Warren at 1-717-390-1993. Tickets are $40 per person and $70 per couple(dinner is included).
To order tickets call Danielle Warren at 1-717-390-1993. Tickets are $40 per person and $70 per couple(dinner is included).
Pennsylvania Ballot Access Bill Has 7 Sponsors in Senate
January 20th, 2009
The Pennsylvania “Voters Choice Act”, which improves ballot access for minor parties and independent candidates, has not yet been introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature. However, the Senate sponsor of the proposed bill, Senator Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon) has already identified six other Senators who have said they will co-sponsor the bill. They include one Democrat and five Republicans.
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/01/20/pennsylvania-ballot-access-bill-has-7-sponsors-in-senate/
The Pennsylvania “Voters Choice Act”, which improves ballot access for minor parties and independent candidates, has not yet been introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature. However, the Senate sponsor of the proposed bill, Senator Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon) has already identified six other Senators who have said they will co-sponsor the bill. They include one Democrat and five Republicans.
http://www.ballot-access.org/2009/01/20/pennsylvania-ballot-access-bill-has-7-sponsors-in-senate/
Friday, December 26, 2008
Wilkinsburg voting dispute raises questions about ballot verification
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
By Deborah M. Todd, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Voting discrepancies at one Wilkinsburg polling place are being used by voters' rights organizations to argue that the state needs a better system of ballot verification.
Richard King, of VotePA, wrote a letter to the Allegheny County Elections Bureau last month requesting an investigation into Wilkinsburg's Ward 1, District 6 election returns after he learned the number of votes cast in that district exceeded the number of voters who signed in to access the machines by 10 votes.
Mr. King said he reviewed the total tapes from the district himself and found that 591 voters signed in and 601 votes were cast.
Mark Wolosik, elections bureau division manager, cited machine malfunctions and human error as the likely reasons for the discrepancy.
He said the local board of elections did not follow proper procedure in activating voting machines that were compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and some board members admitted they may have erred in recording the names of voters.
Mr. King said the problem of "phantom ballots" is not uncommon with the new voter verified machines and voters should be able to verify their own votes with a paper copy of the ballot they cast.
"If you ask the division of elections how prevalent discrepancies are between ballots cast and voters voting on the machine, you won't be able to get an answer because they said they don't keep that record," he said.
Celeste Taylor, of the Black Political Empowerment Project and PA Voice, said the county should do a better job of training election workers to avoid errors, particularly in regard to ADA-compliant machines.
"They didn't train them properly," she said. "The Help America Vote Act was set in 2002 to do just that.
"In 2004, there were a lot of blind voters that were disenfranchised. Also, when they go to vote and are treated like second-class citizens, we know what that's like."
Mr. Wolosik said no voters were turned away due to machine malfunctions. He also said the total number of votes cast for the precinct does not exceed the number of people admitted to voting machines, so there was no error in the actual number of votes tabulated, even if there was an error in the number of voters recorded by poll workers.
Ms. Taylor, who is a lead plaintiff on a lawsuit challenging the state's use of ES&S IVotronic and M650 central count scanners to record votes, said the machine error wasn't so much the issue as was providing transparency to voters.
"It doesn't matter if it's not the machine," she said. "Our goal at the end of the day is to make sure voters aren't disenfranchised."
Deborah M. Todd can be reached at dtodd@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1652.
First published on December 24, 2008 at 5:59 am
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08359/937272-56.stm
By Deborah M. Todd, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Voting discrepancies at one Wilkinsburg polling place are being used by voters' rights organizations to argue that the state needs a better system of ballot verification.
Richard King, of VotePA, wrote a letter to the Allegheny County Elections Bureau last month requesting an investigation into Wilkinsburg's Ward 1, District 6 election returns after he learned the number of votes cast in that district exceeded the number of voters who signed in to access the machines by 10 votes.
Mr. King said he reviewed the total tapes from the district himself and found that 591 voters signed in and 601 votes were cast.
Mark Wolosik, elections bureau division manager, cited machine malfunctions and human error as the likely reasons for the discrepancy.
He said the local board of elections did not follow proper procedure in activating voting machines that were compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and some board members admitted they may have erred in recording the names of voters.
Mr. King said the problem of "phantom ballots" is not uncommon with the new voter verified machines and voters should be able to verify their own votes with a paper copy of the ballot they cast.
"If you ask the division of elections how prevalent discrepancies are between ballots cast and voters voting on the machine, you won't be able to get an answer because they said they don't keep that record," he said.
Celeste Taylor, of the Black Political Empowerment Project and PA Voice, said the county should do a better job of training election workers to avoid errors, particularly in regard to ADA-compliant machines.
"They didn't train them properly," she said. "The Help America Vote Act was set in 2002 to do just that.
"In 2004, there were a lot of blind voters that were disenfranchised. Also, when they go to vote and are treated like second-class citizens, we know what that's like."
Mr. Wolosik said no voters were turned away due to machine malfunctions. He also said the total number of votes cast for the precinct does not exceed the number of people admitted to voting machines, so there was no error in the actual number of votes tabulated, even if there was an error in the number of voters recorded by poll workers.
Ms. Taylor, who is a lead plaintiff on a lawsuit challenging the state's use of ES&S IVotronic and M650 central count scanners to record votes, said the machine error wasn't so much the issue as was providing transparency to voters.
"It doesn't matter if it's not the machine," she said. "Our goal at the end of the day is to make sure voters aren't disenfranchised."
Deborah M. Todd can be reached at dtodd@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1652.
First published on December 24, 2008 at 5:59 am
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08359/937272-56.stm
Monday, December 22, 2008
Constitution Study Lessons
What: Constitution Study Lessons starting January 16, 2009. EVERY THIRD FRIDAY
When: January 16, 2009 7:00 PM
Where: Copy the link below to find out!
Meetup Description: Constitution Study Lessons starting January 16, 2009. EVERY THIRD FRIDAY OF THE MONTH at 7:00 p.m. at 305 Center Avenue, West View, PA 15229. Presented in a series of DVDs taught by Dr. Earl Taylor. Dr. Taylor’s study courses appeal to a wide range of participants, from high school students to state legislators. The materials used in the presentation are from the National Center for Constitutional Studies. It teaches the U.S. Constitution in the tradition of America’s Founding Fathers. NCCS has taught thousands of families throughout America the original principles and ideas drafted by our Founding Fathers. The lessons acknowledge that American and the Constitution were established by the hand of God, and thus advocate morality and religious principles as the essential foundation of human happiness and freedom. To get a copy of the flier for this Constitution Study Lesson go to FILES and click onto CONSTITUTION STUDY LESSONS. For more information call Jim Barr at 412-931-5286
Learn more here:
http://www.meetup.com/ronpaul-97/calendar/9375296/
When: January 16, 2009 7:00 PM
Where: Copy the link below to find out!
Meetup Description: Constitution Study Lessons starting January 16, 2009. EVERY THIRD FRIDAY OF THE MONTH at 7:00 p.m. at 305 Center Avenue, West View, PA 15229. Presented in a series of DVDs taught by Dr. Earl Taylor. Dr. Taylor’s study courses appeal to a wide range of participants, from high school students to state legislators. The materials used in the presentation are from the National Center for Constitutional Studies. It teaches the U.S. Constitution in the tradition of America’s Founding Fathers. NCCS has taught thousands of families throughout America the original principles and ideas drafted by our Founding Fathers. The lessons acknowledge that American and the Constitution were established by the hand of God, and thus advocate morality and religious principles as the essential foundation of human happiness and freedom. To get a copy of the flier for this Constitution Study Lesson go to FILES and click onto CONSTITUTION STUDY LESSONS. For more information call Jim Barr at 412-931-5286
Learn more here:
http://www.meetup.com/ronpaul-97/calendar/9375296/
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