A Special Two-Hour VOICE OF THE VOTERS with Brad Friedman, Paddy Shaffer and others

 

Around the Country and in the Counties - Reports on
Election 2008
A SPECIAL TWO-HOUR VOICE OF THE VOTERS
Tonight Starting at 7pm!
Special Guest Co-Host: Jim Strait
Special Guests:
Bucks County Commissioner, Diane Marseglia
Alysoun McLaughlin of the National Association of Counties
AND YOU!
on Voice of the VotersWednesday, January 30, 7 pm ET
Heard on 1360 AM and on the InternetCall In to Add Your Questions & Comments
856-227-1360 or 856 232 7078

Part I: Starting at 7pm, We'll Take a Trip Around the County to Hear Reports from Key States and Voting Integrity Advocates

First Brad Friedman of the dynamic website, Bradblog.com, will present an overview of the country's elections/voting systems: what are the chalellenges? Where are the hotspots? What issues most need to be addressed. Will we? Can we? Brad will share his outlook for the November 2008 elections.

Then we'll open a discussion with leading voting integrity advocates as we take a trip around the country to visit Florida, Ohio, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, Colorado and more.

Call in to give your own report on the status of your state's elections and voting issues. What's working? What isn't? What challenges are being addressed? What are the expectations for the November 2008 elections? We want to hear what's happening in your state. Questions also encouraged!

 

First Brad Friedman of the dynamic website, Bradblog.com, will present an overview of the country's elections/voting systems: what are the chalellenges? Where are the hotspots? What issues most need to be addressed. Will we? Can we? Brad will share his outlook for the November 2008 elections.

Then we'll open a discussion with leading voting integrity advocates as we take a trip around the country to visit Florida, Ohio, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, Colorado and more. Call in to give your own report on the status of your state's elections and voting issues. What's working? What isn't? What challenges are being addressed? What are the expectations for the November 2008 elections? We want to hear what's happening in your state. Questions also encouraged!

Part 2: Starting at 8pm, The Counties

Alysoun McLaughlin, Associate Legislative Director of the National Association of Counties - the Voice of America's Counties. (NaCo) will discuss the diversity of challenges facing counties around the nation as we seek to improve our elections process. She will address some of the differences that have developed among elections officials, county governments and voting integrity advocates. "We're in a place of change. The system was designed around election officials, cnadidates and parties," says Ms. McLaughlin. "Now as more and more citizens want to become more involved, how do we integrate? How do we build bridges? How do we deal with hot buttons of technology?"

Ms McLaughlin will also review NaCo's position on HR 5036, The Emergency Assistance for Secure Elections Act of 2008 and will also discuss problems created for the counties, especially for the smaller ones, by voluntary guidelines issued by the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission.

In all the talk and attention on Florida, Ohio and California, Pennsylvania has become the forgotten state. The silence on the issue in the media and from state leaders is deafening. Yet, in 2008, Pennsylvania may be the most critical battleground state, becoming the Florida/Ohio of 2008. Predominantly a paperless state, dependent on DRE (direct record electronic) machines, there is no way to recount results independent of the machines. We are facing a faith-based election in Pennsylvania in 2008.

Bucks County Commissioner Diane Marseglia will share her ideas on improving citizen involvement in county government and improving the flow of information between the citizenry and their government. She will discuss election systems weaknesses in Bucks County as well the possible impact of the 2008 Pennsylvania elections on the country. Commissioner Marseglia will address problems around using paperless DREs and her own position on what remedies are needed in time for 2008.

She will also review her standing on HR 5036 and address whether there is enough time in her county to change systems.

Calls to Ms. McLaughlin and Commissioner Marseglia will be welcome.

As always, the incomparable John Gideon of Voters Unite will be on hand to share up-to-the-minute voting news and analysis you won't hear anywhere else.

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Voice of the Voters, hosted by Mary Ann Gould, is an hour devoted to voting rights and election reform. Ultimately it is an exploration of Representative Democracy itself and the responsibilities of citizens and their elected representatives. It airs every Wednesday night at 8:00 PM ET on 1360 AM and on the Internet. (http://wnjc.duxpond.com/)

Dial-up Internet users: Please turn off all other programs in order to receive clearest broadcast.

Listeners can call in questions live at 856-227-1360 and submit questions in advance at the Voice of the Voters website.

Archived Voice of the Voters shows are available here.

Bio for Alysoun McLaughlin

Alysoun McLaughlin is a lobbyist with a decade of experience representing state and local governments on Capitol Hill. As Associate Legislative Director with the National Association of Counties, she organizes lobbying efforts by county officials to oppose unfunded mandates and strives to foster coordination among federal, state, and local governments in addressing a broad range of policy challenges facing the nation. Alysoun is a leading national advocate for the county officials who are responsible for administering most elections for federal, state and local office. She is also a pollworker in Montgomery County, Maryland, and a member of the Board of Advisors for the Pollworker Institute.

Coalition for Voting Integrity

Ohio Secretary of State to Talk Live With Citizens on Radio and the Internet & Important News from S.C.

A Vital Dialogue with Citizens
Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer L. Brunner, to participate in live discussion via radio and the Internet with citizens about serious election issues/problems

Call In & Add Your Questions & Comments

Plus A Separate SC News Announcement

on "Voice of the Voters!"
Wednesday, January 23, 8 pm ET
Heard on 1360 AM Greater Philadelphia & and on the Internet www.voiceofthevoters.org or http://wnjc.duxpond.com/

In the best tradition of American representative democracy, Ohio's Secretary of State, Jennifer L. Brunner, will hold an on-air Radio and Internet Dialogue with Citizens of Ohio and throughout the United States to address the issues surrounding voting problems and possible ways to make some improvements in time for the November 2008 elections in Ohio and thus in turn for the Nation..
Madame Secretary will open with an update on the status of Ohio Election Issues and expected next steps followed by a Dialogue with Citizens.
This program is being presented as an example of how OUR representatives may listen and work with citizens, creating a true dialogue/partnership that supports a vibrant and good working representative democracy.
The 2008 election is proving to be one of major concern over the security, reliability and verifiability of our votes. Many fear that the problems continually found in electronic voting machines and the secrecy of the programming as well as other issues relating to registration and voter ID will lead to a major meltdown in November. Some even believe that 2008 could prove far worse than 2000 and 2004. This story is finally becoming front page news as more people become aware of the looming issues that must be addressed. Can they be? Will they be? What will the short term and long term solutions look like?
Ohio has already identified major problems in electronic voting machines and processes through the EVEREST study, instituted by Secretary Brunner, the findings of which were far worse than expected. (details here: http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/info/everest.aspx )
The vote belongs to the people! This week's "Voice of the Voters!" is an opportunity for the people of Ohio and the rest of the United States to hear from the Secretary of State Brunner directly and to express their questions and concerns to her.
Then Mark Adams, lawyer and voing rights activist, will be making a very important news announcement on actions concerning South Carolina elections.
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Listeners can call in at 856-227-1360 or 856 232 7078 or send in questions via the Voice of the Voters website at http://mysite.verizon.net/resq4lzq/cvi/id252.html. All questions must be received before 4pmET on Wednesday.
Questions from all over the country are welcome. We especially want to hear from Ohio citizens.
As always, the incomparable John Gideon of Voters Unite will be on hand to share up-to-the-minute voting news and analysis you won't hear anywhere else.
****************************************************
Voice of the Voters, hosted by Mary Ann Gould, is an hour devoted to voting rights and election reform. Ultimately it is an exploration of Representative Democracy itself and the responsibilities of citizens and their elected representatives. It airs every Wednesday night at 8:00 PM ET on 1360 AM and on the Internet. (http://wnjc.duxpond.com/)
Dial-up Internet users: Please turn off all other programs in order to receive clearest broadcast.
Listeners can call in questions live at 856-227-1360 or 856 232 7078 and submit questions in advance at the Voice of the Voters website.
Archived Voice of the Voters shows are available here.
www.voiceofthevoters.org
****************************************************
Bio: Secretary Jennifer L. Brunner
Jennifer Brunner served as a Judge of the Franklin County Common Pleas Court for more than four years. She was elected to an unexpired term in 2000, edging out a governor's appointee, and was reelected to a 6-year term in 2002. Brunner resigned on September 1, 2005, in order to run for Ohio Secretary of State.
Working with leaders in the criminal justice and treatment communities of Columbus, Brunner formed and presided over Franklin County's first adult felony drug court. The drug court is a specialized docket that Brunner operated in addition to her regular docket that promotes accountability by offenders to maintain drug and crime-free lives. Franklin County's drug court is used by the Supreme Court of Ohio as a model for other county courts that want to start drug and mental health courts.
While a judge, Jennifer Brunner adopted the practice of permitting jurors in criminal and civil trials to take notes and ask questions, a practice aimed at improving trial outcomes and juror satisfaction. The procedures she used and developed were appealed in the case of State v. Fisher, a case tried in Brunner's court in 2001. The Ohio Supreme Court affirmed the practice and the procedures used by Jennifer Brunner. The high court thereafter operated a pilot project allowing questioning by jurors and has adopted rules for questioning by jurors in trial courts throughout the state.
Jennifer Brunner's interest in public service dates back to her days as a committee secretary and legislative aide in the Ohio Senate, as Legislative Counsel for former Secretary of State Sherrod Brown, now a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-13, Ohio), and as members of the Franklin County Board of Elections and the Ohio Student Loan Commission.
After serving in Secretary of State Sherrod Brown's first administration as a deputy director and legislative counsel to the Ohio legislature, Jennifer Brunner developed a statewide law practice in election law. Working with her husband, she grew a law firm from two people to thirty people, and in her work assisted local, statewide and presidential candidates, legislative caucuses, labor unions, businesses, associations and other organizations in complying with often-complicated election laws and in successfully accessing Ohio's election system. While a judge, Brunner served as a board member for the Ohio Community Corrections Organization, representing common pleas judges from throughout the state. She continues to serve as a board member for the Mental Health Association of Franklin County.
Jennifer and her husband, Rick, have three adult children and live in Columbus, Ohio.
Coalition for Voting Integrity

Interview with Jennifer Brunner/OEJC, Brad Blog And Voice of the Voters Audio

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5463
BLOGGED BY Brad Friedman ON 12/20/2007 1:18PM
Exclusive: BRAD BLOG's In-Depth, Post-EVEREST Interview with Ohio's Secretary of State
Jennifer Brunner Responds to Kudos, Criticism Following State's Massive and Disturbing E-Voting Assessment
'The last thing I want for my state, is to be looked at as a pariah, like it was for 2004'
-- By Brad Friedman, The BRAD BLOG

Voice Of The Voters
Dec. 19: Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Dan Lopresti of Lehigh U. discuss the Evaluation & Validation of Election-Related Equipment, Standards & Testing (EVEREST) report, a review of voting systems used in Ohio and throughout the country, which found “critical security failures.” Paddy Shaffer and Marian Lupo of the Ohio Election Justice Campaign. John Gideon with a voting news update. Audio. Podcast.

Strait Talks: “Secretary Brunner was candid when she stated, 'I had hoped to see some bright spots, it was extremely disappointing that none of the systems functioned well.'” [continued]