Judge nixes stop on voting machine funds
Northampton County one of three seeking new equipment.
By Joe Nixon | Of The Morning Call
February 9, 2008
A Commonwealth Court judge Friday dismissed a request to prevent about $4 million in state money from being used to reimburse three counties -- including Northampton -- for the cost of new electronic voting systems.

A group of voters from across the state, already plaintiffs in a 2006 suit against the Pennsylvania Department of State over the reliability and accuracy of direct recording electronic voting machines, sought the injunction late last month. The injunction request, essentially an extension of the original pending suit, sought to prevent Northampton, Lackawanna and Wayne counties from spending state money on new machines already being questioned.

The plaintiffs had argued that if they won in court in the original suit, the machines would have to be scrapped. The injunction request didn't seek to prevent the use of machines already certified and purchased. Senior Judge Keith B. Quigley Friday granted a motion from the state to quash the injunction petition.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b4_3vote-2.6266214feb09,0,7450291.story

http://www.topix.net/forum/source/the-morning-call/TGE7AIHLAVVCGQKAI

Friday, Feb. 08, 2008
CENTRE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Creation of voting machine task force lacks support
Rogers: Panel representation not broad enough to be fair
Anne Danahy

http://www.centredaily.com/news/local/story/389431.html

Paper ballots gain support
By JENNA PORTNOY
The Intelligencer
Clinton or Obama? Romney or McCain?

These choices won’t matter if the votes don’t count on Election Day.

That’s why dozens of voting activists, residents and municipal officials urged Bucks County commissioners Wednesday to back a federal bill that would reimburse counties for the cost of replacing electronic voting machines with a paper ballot voting system.

“The problem is no machine should stand in the way of a voter’s intended vote being counted,” said Madeline Rawley, an outspoken member of the Coalition for Voting Integrity. “Show some leadership, and say this is what you want. You want to protect your voters.”

Democratic Congressman Pat Murphy is a co-sponsor of the bill, which New Jersey Congressman Rush Holt introduced last month.

But Republican Commissioners Jim Cawley and Charley Martin said they would not support the measure because they weren’t sure it really would reimburse counties for the cost of switching machines based on comments made by chief operating officer David Sanko.

Sanko said a Murphy staffer told him the bill, which would authorize $500 million for the switch, is not likely to pass and that the funding would not cover all costs. Murphy spokesman Adam Abrams disputes those statements.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-02072008-1483901.html

Links via electionline

http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/electionline.aspx