Author: The Freedom Watch Staff

This author has written 11091 articles

Instagrammed ballots may bring stiff penalties

"Before you snap a shot of your vote, you might want to check your state laws. As the Citizen Media Law Project points out as part of their guide to documenting the 2012 election, showing your marked ballot to other people is actually illegal in many states. Laws against displaying your ballot are motivated by concerns about vote buying, since voters being bribed might need to be prove they voted a certain way. While laws vary from state to state, the penalties for showing your ballot can be stiff. Maine repealed its ban on voters showing their own ballots in 2011." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInstagrammed ballots may bring stiff penalties

Three More Cities Vote to Ban Red Light Cameras

"Voters in League City, Texas spoke loudest against the use of red light cameras. At the end of the evening, 77 percent of the electorate sent a message to the city council that they wanted the automated ticketing machines removed. The message was reinforced with photo enforcement foes pulling off a clean sweep against incumbent city council members. Heidi Thiess defeated the number-one camera supporter, Councilman Mick Phalen, and Geri Bentley ousted Councilman Phyllis Sanborn who had voted to approve the camera contract. Todd Kinsey opposes cameras and won an open council seat." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThree More Cities Vote to Ban Red Light Cameras

Ohio judge rejects lawsuit against voting machine software

"An U.S. District Court judge has rejected a suit alleging that Ohio voting machines were using dangerously vulnerable software that would allow votes to be blocked or altered. Judge Gregory Frost ruled that election activist and Green Party Congressional candidate Bob Fitrakis provided 'zero' evidence for his claims, offering instead only conjecture as to how and why the machines could fail. The judge sided with the state, which argued that discarding the ES&S system and finding and implementing a new system would cause confusion and delays within an already potentially overloaded voting infrastructure." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOhio judge rejects lawsuit against voting machine software

PA voting machine ‘taken out of service’ for flipping votes to Romney

“A Pennsylvania electronic voting machine was taken out of service after being captured on video changing a vote for President Obama into one for Mitt Romney, NBC News has confirmed. Republicans have also said machines have turned Romney votes into … Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPA voting machine ‘taken out of service’ for flipping votes to Romney

Oregon election worker fired for altering ballots to Republican straight ticket

"An election worker in Oregon is facing a criminal investigation for allegedly altering multiple ballots to benefit Republican candidates. Clackamas County spokesperson Tim Heider said that 55-year-old Deanna Swenson had been 'relieved of duty immediately after the alleged ballot tampering was discovered.' Swenson, who was registered as a Republican, was accused of filling in a Republican straight ticket on ballots where voters did not specify a choice. Contacted by Willamette Week, Swenson tearfully insisted that it was 'only the two' ballots that had been altered." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOregon election worker fired for altering ballots to Republican straight ticket

2012 Election Spending Will Reach $6 Billion, Center for Responsive Politics Predicts

"The 2012 election will not only be the most expensive election in U.S. history, the cost will tower over the next most expensive election by more than $700 million. Earlier this year, the Center for Responsive Politics estimated that the 2012 election would cost $5.8 billion -- an estimate that already made it the most expensive in history -- but with less than a week to go before the election, CRP is revising the estimate upwards. According to CRP’s new analysis of Federal Election Commission data, this election will likely cost $6 billion." Continue reading →

Continue Reading2012 Election Spending Will Reach $6 Billion, Center for Responsive Politics Predicts

The Winner of the Election: George W. Bush

"Both Obama and Romney have adopted the worst elements of the Bush agenda: perpetual and preventative wars, punitive trade sanctions, violations of traditional civil liberties, warrantless surveillance, extrajudicial detentions, regressive credit expansion, the revolving door between the White House and Wall Street, increases in domestic spending in the name of free enterprise, cronyism and national regimentation in the name of social welfare, regulatory expansion, deficit-based anti-recession measures, bailouts of banks and other major corporations, and colluding with special interests over major decisions behind closed doors." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Winner of the Election: George W. Bush

New York Fed Cancels Tours of Its Gold Vaults

"Germans are making noises about wanting to audit the gold that is supposedly held for the German government by the New York Federal Reserve Bank in lower Manhattan. The Fed had been giving regular tours of the vault. The New York Fed is in evacuation Zone C in downtown Manhattan. It wasn't flooded. Zone C residents are told to expect storm-surge flooding only from major, category 3 or 4 hurricanes that hit the New York harbor. Yet, the Fed is cancelling tours of its vaults indefinitely 'due to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew York Fed Cancels Tours of Its Gold Vaults