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Florida County Makes Statewide E-Voting Switch
by Michael Martinez
One of Florida's most heavily populated counties -- notorious for its past election controversies -- this week moved forward with a plan to migrate to a statewide paper-based voting system.
The Palm Beach County Commission voted this week to accept nearly $5 million in state funds to move from touch-screen voting machines to optical scan devices. County election officials previously suggested that a new state law requiring the adoption of paper-based machines would be too expensive and threatened to opt out of the statewide mandate.
County Election Supervisor Arthur Anderson initially estimated that it would cost close to $6 million for the county to satisfy the new law, which forced some county officials to begin studying the legal consequences of noncompliance. Anderson reduced his estimate twice after he acknowledged that his first figures were inaccurate.
County commissioners have requested a demonstration of the new optical-scan devices before they commit more money to the switch. A demonstration has been scheduled to take place on July 11.
Gov. Charlie Crist pushed to move the Sunshine State back to a paper-based voting system after a dispute about touch-screen machines erupted last fall in the congressional election in the state's 13th district -- a race that was decided by 369 votes. Paper ballots in Palm Beach and other counties were at the center of the electoral controversy in Florida during the 2000 presidential election, which eventually was settled by the U.S. Supreme Court.
E-voting glitches in other states last year also led to moves away from electronic systems. The Denver Post reported this week that the Denver Election Commission voted unanimously to authorize a mail-in voting system for elections this year.
A combination of human errors and technical difficulties caused unusually long lines at polling places in Denver last fall. In the wake of last year's contests, the city voted to scrap its election commission altogether and replace it with a clerk and recorder.
The commission's last meeting was this week. Stephanie O'Malley is scheduled to be sworn in as the city's clerk and recorder next month, at which time she will absorb the election commission's authority.
Mayors Pledge To Crack Down On Piracy and Counterfeiting
A group of mayors this week signed off on a plan to crack down on intellectual property theft.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors authorized a resolution at its annual meeting in Los Angeles directing its members to take steps to combat piracy and urging lawmakers at all levels of government to be more vigilant about the issue.
The resolution pushes mayors to make the "enforcement of all relevant laws against the illegal manufacturing and distribution of pirated movies, music, software and other intellectual property" a municipal priority. It also calls on mayors to adopt acceptable use policies for city-owned computer networks designed to block illegal file sharing programs and other applications that facilitate piracy.
The recording industry applauded the mayors for their initiative on the issue. In a statement, Recording Industry Association of America Chairman and CEO Mitch Bainwol said the resolution will prompt municipal officials to take action against criminal activity that is putting a heavy burden on the U.S. economy.
"The adoption of this resolution serves as a reminder that the theft of copyrighted works affects the smallest of towns and the largest of cities," Bainwol said. "Piracy costs cities significant tax revenue that could be used for municipal priorities and results in lost jobs and wages for U.S. workers."
Maryland Governor Directs Cash To Rural Broadband Project
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley this week announced plans to direct $2 million to the construction of high-speed Internet infrastructure in rural areas.
The money will facilitate the continuation of an initiative to bring broadband from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Salisbury on the states's Eastern Shore. The funds will come from the fiscal 2009 budget for the state's economic development assistance fund.
The Maryland Broadband Cooperative was tasked with leading the project after former Gov. Robert Ehrlich, who lost his bid for re-election in 2006 to O'Malley, authorized a measure to extend fiber-optic lines to counties on the Eastern Shore and state's southern region. The initiative calls for an Internet "point of presence" to be built in each of the counties.
In a statement, O'Malley, a Democrat, said the new cash will help to ensure that the rural broadband initiative continues on schedule.
"Broadband access will improve the lives of all Marylanders on the Eastern Shore and in southern Maryland, and give our rural businesses the tools they need to compete in a global marketplace," he said.
Washington Officially Joins Streamlined Sales Tax Pact
The governing board of a state streamlined sales tax pact this week officially accepted Washington as a new member.
Washington joins about two dozen other states that have agreed to streamline the collection and distribution of taxes on Internet and remote sales.
Lawmakers in Washington earlier this year authorized legislation to bring the state's tax policies in line with those of the other states that have volunteered to enter the Streamlined Sales Tax Project. The authors of the bill claim it will boost revenues by facilitating the collection of taxes on Internet commerce.
In a telephone interview, SSTP Executive Director Scott Peterson said Washington's petition to join the agreement was carefully considered. The governing board has rejected the petitions of other states in the past, including Wyoming, forcing lawmakers in those places to revise their tax plans before resubmitting their applications.
Computer Company Sues Chicago School System
An Illinois-based computer company has accused the Chicago public school system of rescinding a multimillion contract because the firm refused to hire the brother of a city school official.
The Chicago Tribune reported this week that Advanced Computer Technical Group sued the school system claiming that it was denied a $30 million contract because it decided against hiring the brother of a school official as an engineer. According to the complaint, the official solicited the company in 2005 about hiring his brother.
The firm had been tasked with providing computer services to more than 100 schools on the city's North Side. CEO Steven Matthews said his company's contract with the city was terminated in February 2006.
A school system spokesman told the Tribune that the allegations are false.
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