Carter says Hamas may recognize Israel if Palestinians approve peace deal; Lugo ousts Paraguay's Colorado party after 61 years in power...

21 April :: Carter says Hamas leaders may be willing to recognize Israel's right to exist, in exchange for lasting peace, even if negotiated by rival Fatah group, so long as accord is submitted to Palestinian people in referendum; CNN cites Carter saying at the start of his trip: "I'm not a negotiator, I'm just trying to understand different opinions and communicate, provide communications between people that won't communicate with each other"... Paraguay opposition leader, Fernando Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop, won 40.9% of the vote, against ruling Colorado party candidate Blanca Ovelar's 30.7%; the win means a change in party for the first time in 61 years; some observers predict a volatile power struggle may ensue, though under Paraguay law, the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of margin of victory... Obama goes on the offensive in Pennsylvania, characterizing Clinton as a "compromised Washington insider"; Clinton fires back that Obama's attacks are effort to cover for last week's controversial ABC debate, in which a barrage of personal questions put the frontrunner on the defensive; Obama has been outspending Clinton 2-to-1 in ads in PA, and has narrowed her lead from 16% to between 4% and 6% in just a few weeks; NYT reports "Mr. Obama was using his fund-raising advantage to pay for a multimillion-dollar campaign that included sophisticated demographic targeting to find supporters in smaller cities" but is "also relying on old-fashioned tools, including sending supporters door-to-door, renting sound trucks to drive through urban neighborhoods and having volunteers serve as “town criers” to pass out literature on city buses"; Hillary and Bill Clinton have appeared across the state, trying to ensure Obama doesn't gain in the delegate race... NYT reporting that "In Japan and South Korea, some manufacturers for the first time have begun buying genetically engineered corn for use in soft drinks, snacks and other foods"; mounting international food shortages, coupled with soaring prices are causing what could be a fundamental shift in food production methods, with as yet unforeseeable consequences; some critics believe genetically modified foods could cause negative genetic and health-related impact in the human population...

UN warns worldwide food crisis imminent, if action not taken fast; Carter meets Hamas exiles in Damascus, talks of peace...

19 April :: "The global food crisis became official yesterday [15 April] when the UN called for urgent intergovernmental action and farming reforms to tackle the soaring prices that are plunging millions of people into potentially deadly poverty", reports UK's Independent; reports of riots from southeast Asia to the Caribbean, along with multiple border crises in the Horn of Africa, are leading to speculation that food scarcity may now be close to provoking regional conflicts... To the dismay of US, Israeli leaders, fmr. US pres. and Nobel peace laureate Jimmy Carter, has met for a 2nd time with two Hamas leaders in exile in Damascus, Syria; he says the group may be willing to talk peace with Israel; according to the AP, "On Saturday, Marzouk said Carter and Mashaal discussed a possible prisoner exchange with Israel, as well as how to lift a siege imposed by the Jewish state on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Carter, who brokered the 1978 Israeli-Egyptian peace, is trying to secure the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit"... FoxBusiness reports "Today John McCain, the ninth richest member of Congress, again showed the American people that his call for openness and accountability in government applies to everyone but himself. By only releasing two years of returns, he is the first nominee of either party since Ronald Reagan in 1980 to disclose that little information. And by failing to release his wife Cindy McCain's return, serious questions remain unanswered about how John McCain's position as a U.S. Senator may have benefited John and Cindy McCain's business ventures"; DNC Chairman Howard Dean said McCain's limited disclosure "continues a troubling pattern of thinking the rules don't apply to him"; Sen. Obama and his wife have released 8 years of returns, and Sen. Clinton and fmr. Pres. Clinton's returns dating back to 1977 are on public record, according to the same FoxBusiness report... Russian pres. Vladimir Putin denies rumors he secretly divorced his wife of 24 years for a star gymnast, 24-year-old Alina Kabayeva, whom his party named to sit in Parliament; the newspaper that printed the story has had its right to publish "suspended", officially for "financial" reasons...

Tsvangirai-Mbeki talks leave MDC with hope for Zimbabwe election outcome; Cuba lifts restrictions on buying consumer electronics, hotel stays...

11 April :: Tsvangirai "optimistic" after meeting with South Africa pres. Thabo Mbeki; opposition, some int'l observers accuse regime of intimidation tactics, including arrests, paramilitary sweeps, confiscation of property; ruling Zanu (PF) party has ceded to perception it could not have won majority, is pressing MDC to accept runoff vote... Cubans now able to buy cell phones, computers, or DVD players, or stay at hotels previously reserved for international tourists; while critics say the new rules are merely superficial changes, the gov't of Raúl Castro, which has announced no intentions of seeing through any deep political transition, says it hopes the new freedoms will allow for more pervasive economic reform over time; for most Cubans, the newly available items are stratospherically expensive, but access may be the most important change... Difference deepen within top ranks at Pentagon regarding Iraq troop reductions; Pres. Bush has committed large numbers of troops to Afghanistan, while Iraq field commander says he does not expect further cuts in troop levels or stabilization of situation in Iraq for several months... Sen. John McCain reported likely to forego private funding for his general election campaign, opt for public financing; move "severely limits the amount of money [McCain] can raise and spend", but his campaign is reportedly urging supporters to donate to the RNC, which can recieve more than ten times the donation per individual that any one candidate can; both Democrats have raised more than twice what McCain has so far, a likely motive for the decision; McCain has also reversed his position on public assistance for homeowners hit by the collapsing sub-prime mortgage market, after coming under heavy criticism for perceived "indifference" to working people's hardships...

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed gets Navy defense attorney; famed Venice bar gives Americans 20% off for weak $; WH urges lenders to reduce homeowner debt...

9 April :: Reuters reporting: "The self-described mastermind of the September 11 attacks on New York City and the Pentagon [Khalid Sheikh Mohammed] has been assigned a U.S. military lawyer to defend him in the Guantanamo war court, where he could face execution if convicted, The Miami Herald reported"... Famed Harry's Bar, owned by Cipriani family, in Venice, offers 20% discount to Americans hit by plummeting dollar exchange; bar made famous by Ernest Hemingway, sees significant portion of business from American travelers... Bush admin. urging lenders to erase portion of homeowner debts to avoid swell in foreclosures; borrowers will be permitted to pay off lower total amount, lenders to secure money lost in revaluation by "other arrangements"... Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama now within 6 percentage points of Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, according to latest Quinnipiac University poll; Clinton supporters have said she must win PA handily to stay in race... Protesters gather in San Francisco as Olympic torch set to pass through, IOC says no detour for torch relay; protests in Paris, London marred by aggressive protests, heavy police presence... Fmr. VP Al Gore becomes "green" political commodity for Dem candidates: both Obama, Clinton regularly phone Gore, consult on ecological issues; Gore has yet to endorse either candidate, will cast a "super-delegate" vote at DNC...

Pakistan PM frees detained judges; DoJ gives approval to XM, Sirius merger; Clinton calls for emergency actions to prevent foreclosures...

25 March :: Yousaf Raza Gillani, newly appointed Pakistan PM of coalition gov't frees judges deposed, detained under Musharraf's martial law decree; Gillani was once jailed by Musharraf over corruption allegations when he seized power... US Dept. of Justice yesterday announced approval merger of two satellite radio giants XM and Sirius, leading to potential absolute monopoly of satellite radio market... Sen. Hillary Clinton yesterday called for $30 billion for states to reduce incidence of foreclosures, also proposing a "high-level emergency working group" made up of former top finance and economic officials to tackle economic crisis; Barack Obama's campaign has countered that he has called for a "homeownership preservation summit", claiming that his panel would include more diverse economic interests and points of view; Clinton noted that "The Fed extended a $30 billion lifeline to prevent Bear Stearns from imploding,” adding that "Homeowners, on the other hand, have received next to no assistance. Well, let’s be clear — when families are losing their homes, that’s also a financial crisis"...

Australia plans increase in food aid, due to soaring prices; Bhutan becomes democracy; new Tibet protests reported in Qinghai province, China...

24 March :: Australia's gov't is contemplating increases in food aid to poor regions, nations, after study of soarng food prices, mounting scarcity; SMH reports "A steep two-year rise in global food prices, which in Australia has triggered the Federal Government's inquiry into grocery prices, has taken a heavy toll on poorer populations, particularly in East Timor and Indonesia. Surging fuel prices, drought, changing diets and the use of arable land for biofuels have pushed average food prices up almost 40 per cent in the past year. Wheat prices have risen 80 per cent rise"... Crisis Policy Forum (a Sentido.tv sister publication) is now hosting an open discussion forum on food security in Africa, in hopes of achieving innovative new solutions to the complex multi-regional problem... Small Himalayan nation Bhutan votes today for National Assembly, will complete transition from monarchy to democracy; VOA reports "The two main parties vying for seats are both led by men close to the king, and analysts say they are ideologically similar. Both party leaders have already served terms as prime minister, and one of them, Sangay Ngedup, is a member of the royal family", the young king leading campaign for democracy, will become head of state under new constitution... Tibetan exile community has reported new protests in Qinghai province in western China against Tibet crackdown; reports of demonstrations against Beijing's Tibet policy in Sichuan province include rumors of troops firing into crowds of civilians, in one case allegations of 23 dead... In rough press day for Republican presidential candidate, USA Today alleges more than one-third of lobbyists who have contributed to McCain's campaign have worked as telecom lobbyists during the last decade; his campaign denies he does favors for lobbyists or special interests, and Sen. McCain has sponsored legislation to limit the influence of lobbyists in crafting legislation; NY Times reports it may have been McCain aides who approached Democrats about switching parties in 2001 and about running with Kerry in 2004, McCain camp continues to deny he approached Dems... US economic data visits worrying extremes: avg. price for 1 gallon regular unleaded gasoline hits all-time record of $3.26, with some surveys saying nationwide avg. is $3.28 and rising; CNN also reports increasing numbers of middle-aged adults (40 to 55) making arrangements to move back in with parents in wake of layoffs, foreclosures or financial straits...

EPA tightens controls on ground-level ozone; Brazil steps up fight against illegal logging in Amazon...

13 March :: The Environmental Protection Agency plans to tighten standards for ground-level ozone pollution, reducing the maximum allowable from 84 parts-per-billion to 75 ppb over an 8-hour period; critics say "implementation could be decades away", depending on regulatory procedure and court review; last year, an official review suggested maximum allowable ozone levels of 60 to 70 ppb... Illegal logging on rise in Amazon, Lula gov't of Brazil launching efforts to combat illegal logging cartels, contributing ever more to the systematic deforestation of the world's largest rainforest, with agents living deep in the forest in order to track and prevent timber poaching... A study of teenage American girls found that 1 in four carried at least 1 of four common sexually transmitted diseases; of those infected with human papillomavirus, chlamydia, genital herpes or trichomoniasis, 15% had more than one of the microbes in their system; critics attribute the "alarming" figures in part to a federal government emphasis on abstinence as the ideal mode of prevention, and a reduced funding emphasis on education about health and safe-sex... Onetime Democratic vice-presidential candidate (1984), Geraldine Ferraro, has resigned from Sen. Clinton's campaign finance committee and refused to apologize for remarks reducing Sen. Obama's "movement campaign" to race (an issue the candidate himself has never used for political gain); Sen. Clinton had admonished Ferraro for her remarks but had not removed her from the campaign's funding apparatus; Ferraro's insistence that her remarks were not racist have been undermined by press revelations about similar remarks she made about other black candidates (ref.: Jesse Jackson in 1988)...

Sharif, Zardari form Pakistan governing coalition; Obama wins Wyoming, Democrats take Hastert's old seat in special election...

9 March :: Sharif, Zardari form coalition gov't in Pakistan, calling into quesiton the viability of Pres. Pervez Musharraf, politically; Musharraf has lost substantial support for his hardline attempts to reform the nation's government structure in his favor, declaring martial law, throwing out judges who ruled against him, detaining lawyers and muzzling the press; former PM and Musharraf arch-rival Sharif is quoted by VOA saying "The restoration of the deposed judges, as it was on 2nd of November 2007, shall be brought about through a parliamentary resolution to be passed in the National Assembly within 30 days of the formation of the federal government"... Barack Obama wins Wyoming caucus, by margin of 61% to 38% over rival Hillary Rodham Clinton, with 7 and 4 delegates going to the candidates, respectively; though the vote has little effect on the overall delegate totals, it is considered important as a show of momentum over the long-term, after Clinton picked up 3 wins last week... Bill Foster, a Democrat, has won the seat of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, in a special election called after Hastert's resignation last year, defeating Bill Oberweis by a margin of 53% to 47%; Republicans have sought to play down the loss, while Democrats say it is a rebuke of presidential candidate John McCain, who supported the local GOP candidate... In move that could inflame already flashpoint tensions, Israeli PM Ehud Olmert has approved a plan to build 750 new settlement homes in the West Bank; the US and EU have called for Israel to halt its settlement construction in the Occupied Territories and to phase in a withdrawal in the interests of a peace initiative sponsored by the US pres. George W. Bush; Israel, Palestinians have clashed heavily over last few weeks as Israel launched raids and missile attacks on Gaza in effort to deter Hamas rocket attacks into Israel...

Democrats debate 'do-over' for Florida, Michigan; Obama smashes fundraising records with $55M in Feb; Russian arms dealer in Thai custody...

7 March :: "Pariah states" Florida, Michigan, punished for voting early in party primaries, now want "do-over" opportunity, as DNC, state gov'ts spar over who would fund a re-vote; Clinton campaign announces $35 million fundraising peak in February, including an astounding $4 million in 48 hours after Tuesday's vital wins in Texas, Ohio, yet Barack Obama's "army of small donors" reportedly has given him $55 million in the month of February, far beyond any previous record for any candidate; Obama has said he will use the momentum of his campaign to answer charges leveled at him by his rival Democrat from New York... New York Times reports "Viktor Bout, 41, is suspected of supplying weapons to the Taliban and Al Qaeda and of pouring huge arms shipments into Africa’s civil wars with his own private air fleet. He was arrested by the Thai authorities at a hotel in Bangkok in an operation in which undercover investigators posing as rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, sought to purchase millions of dollars in arms"; yesterday, ABC News reported that "In a January 2005 letter to Congress, then-Assistant Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz admitted the Defense Department 'did conduct business with companies that, in turn, subcontracted work to second-tier providers who leased aircraft owned by companies associated with Mr. Bout'", though the NY Times and various other major media outlets have failed to report this vital piece of information in much of their reporting about Bout's arrest and pending extradition requests...

ELECTION IRREGULARITIES: Reported "Zero" Count or Undercount of Obama Votes in Some NY Precincts Raises Questions

The Democratic party is again facing questions about its handling of the primary process in some precincts in New York City, where initial "unofficial" tallies reported zero votes for Sen. Barack Obama, of Illinois, rival of local junior senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for the party's presidential nomination. The undercounts appear to represent severe distortions of the actual tally, and occurred in areas where Obama's support rivaled Clinton's.

The question has been raised by several party leaders as to how any candidate could be expected to have received zero votes and why the problem was not corrected sooner. Some have suggested the extreme error points to the unlikelihood of wrongdoing, while others allege some sort of conspiracy to steal enough votes to add one or two delegates to the Clinton tally. There is no evidence of any campaign operatives being involved.

The New York Times has reported that its own review of election night tally reporting "found about 80 election districts among the city’s 6,106 where Mr. Obama supposedly did not receive even one vote, including cases where he ran a respectable race in a nearby district."

Their report also found that some of these contests were close enough that one or two votes could sway the precinct. "In the Harlem district, for instance, where the primary night returns suggested a 141 to 0 sweep by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the vote now stands at 261 to 136. In an even more heavily black district in Brooklyn — where the vote on primary night was recorded as 118 to 0 for Mrs. Clinton — she now barely leads, 118 to 116."

• New York Times: "Unofficial Tallies in City Understated Obama Vote"
  
• Daily News: "Hillary's New York superdelegates are feeling the heat"
  

Grain prices to soar by 35% in poor countries in 2008; US Senate bans harsh interrogations; bomb kills top Hezbollah agent in Damascus...

14 February :: Record-high grain prices will cause an untenable 35% minimum increase in poor nations' expenditures for cereals imports through July 2008, reports UN Food and Agriculture Organization; prices have increased rapidly due to record oil prices, dramatic deterioration of arable land in China — turning world's most populous nation into net importer of grain—, and diversion of crops in US, Brazil (world's top grain exporters) to bio-ethanol fuel production; combination of economic pressures expected to force a net reduction in expenditure for grain imports, signaling likely severe food shortages in poor countries... US Senate votes to ban waterboarding, other coercive interrogation techniques used by CIA in terrorist cases where gov't claims existing laws do not limit agents' behavior; Pres. Bush has said he will veto the intelligence bill if the ban were included; Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a former PoW in Vietnam, who was subjected to torture, voted against the ban, while Democratic presidential candidates Clinton (D-NY) and Obama (D-IL) did not vote, as they are hotly contesting upcoming primaries across the nation... Top Hezbollah "security strategist" Imad Mughniyeh assassinated in car bombing in Damascus, Syria, Israel said to be bracing for reprisals; many speculate Israeli security forces were behind the killing, though Israel's prime minister Ehud Olmert has issued a statement saying "Israel rejects the attempts of terror elements to attribute to Israel any involvement"; Mughniyeh was considered responsible for many of Hezbollah's most serious attacks in the 1980s; a Lebanese parliament minister said of Mughniyeh "This is a loss of a major pillar in resistance work. He was an expert at making victories and building fighting capacities against Israel. He played an essential role in all resistance activities, especially the last war", some speculate the killing could lead to another Israel-Hezbollah war along the disputed Lebanese border areas...

POTOMAC PRIMARIES: Obama sweeps VA, DC, MD by wide margins, claims frontrunner status; McCain widens lead with sweep as well...

Illinois senator Barack Obama scored three convincing wins over rival Hillary Clinton, senator for New York, in the Democrats' 'Potomac primaries'. Obama won Virginia by a margin of 64% tp 35%, Maryland by a margin of 60% to 37%, and the District of Columbia by a margin of 75% to 24%, over Clinton. Sen. Clinton declined to congratulate her opponent for the victories and has focused her campaign's attention on upcoming contests. She also chided the Illinois senator for not yet accepting an invitation to debate in Wisconsin ahead of the primary there next Tuesday.

Arizona senator John McCain has hardened the perception that he is the nominee of his party, sweeping the same three primaries. Conservatives in Virginia showed skepticism for some of his policies and/or senatorial record, shifting their vote to Mike Huckabee. McCain has sought to assuage doubts about his allegiance to current GOP policies by voting against a ban on harsh interrogation techniques and promising to make Bush's 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent, though he initially opposed them.

McCain has also begun to attack the new Democratic frontrunner personally, with Obama responding that he respects McCain's record of service, disagrees with his policies and looks forward to a vigorous debate (should he win his party's nomination). Ironically, McCain also sought to take up the mantle of Obama's crusade for change, using Obama's very words and claiming he's "fired up and ready to go".

ELECTION IRREGULARITIES: Louisiana Democrats Disenfranchised When Party Registration Switched

The presidential campaign of Barack Obama has issued a statement regarding reports of voter-registration irregularities in Louisiana that allegedly led to the denial of the vote to hundreds of people. The Obama campaign website published the following:

The Obama campaign submitted an urgent request for assistance to the Secretary of State’s Division of Elections today, after receiving widespread reports from Democrats across Louisiana who reported that they were not allowed to vote because their party affiliation had been switched. Hundreds of Louisiana democrats went to the polls to vote in today’s presidential primary and found that they were now on registration lists as Independent or Unaffiliated voters.

The outcome of the voting in Louisiana appears to be a win for the Illinois senator, but his campaign has been vehement in pushing for greater access to the polls for would-be voters, and took issue with the manner in which voters' party registration was allegedly switched without their knowledge.

The investigative blogsite, Bradblog, has published this summary of a wave of irregularities in the primaries held in recent days:

Georgia: Widespread bottlenecks for voters as problems occur with Diebold's new e-pollbook system and the state's new Photo ID restrictions. Voters waited in line for up to two hours in some places.

New Mexico: 17,000 (11%) forced to vote on provisional ballots in Democratic Caucus as previously registered Democrats find they are no longer on voter rolls recently privatized by voting machine company ES&S.

Arizona: We've begun receiving reports from voters and local officials of polling places where some 40% of voters were forced to vote on provisionals, after state registration system outsourced to ES&S. [UPDATE: One such report is now published here, from a poll worker who reports that of 1291 ballots cast at her polling place, 540 --- some 41% --- were forced to vote provisionally.]

California: Various reports of voters registered for one party to find they were switched to another, or not registered at all. Confusion about how to handle non-partisan voters in Los Angeles County leads to nearly 100,000 votes which may not be counted properly.

Problems with electronic voter-registration records, with the management of these systems by private contractors, and especially where non-verifiable touchscreen machines have been used —leaving no physical record of voter intent, only a potentially (and in many cases to date proven to be) flawed electronic "tally"— are occurring in a disturbingly high number of places, and irregularities are already threatening to undermine the overall integrity of the 2008 election process across the United States.

• Brad Friedman: "Obama Camp Sends 'Urgent Request for Assistance' to Louisiana SoS as Voters Find Party Registration Switched"
• VotersUnite.org: "A non-partisan national grassroots resource for fair and accurate elections"
• Freedom's Phoenix: "To Arizona Voters & Ron Paul supporters... a story from inside the Election Process by Jeneen Zucker"

ELECTION IRREGULARITIES: Washington GOP Primary Called with 242 Vote Margin at Just 87% of Count

The presidential campaign of Mike Huckabee is "exploring all available legal options regarding the dubious final results for the state of Washington State Republican precinct caucuses". The state's Republican party halted the count at 87% of votes counted, a margin of just 242 votes separating John McCain from Mike Huckabee, and a reported 12,000 votes tallied to that point. Ron Paul was just 427 points behind Huckabee, in third place, when the counting was stopped.

The state Republican party then issued a press release around 2:30 am declaring John McCain the winner of the primary, despite not completing the vote count. At least 1,500 votes were expected uncounted when the state was called for McCain by the party, raising serious issues about the caucus organizers' adherence to the "intent of the voter" principle. The Huckabee statement goes on to declare that "more than one in eight Evergreen State Republicans have been disenfranchised by the actions of their own party."

• Brad Friedman: "Huckabee 'Not Ready to Concede', 'Looking at Some Legal Options' in 'Dubious' Washington State GOP Caucus"
• Huckabee Campaign: "Mike Huckabee's Presidential Campaign Issues Statement On Dubious Washington State GOP Caucuses"

Khmer Rouge tribunal facing budget crisis; G7 warn global economy at risk; Obama takes Wash., Louisiana, Nebraska; Huckabee takes Kansas, LA......

10 February :: Highest official yet from Khmer Rouge Cambodian regime, accused of murdering 1.7 million people in ideological purge 3 decades ago, stands trial, but tribunal is facing managerial crisis, related to allegations of mismanagement and lack of sustainable budget... Financial ministers from the "G7" group of industrialized democracies have said the prosperity of the world economy is at risk, citing a reduction in available credit, the collapse of the US housing market, and soaring petroleum prices... Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) has won three decisive victories in primary votes this Saturday, defeating rival Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in Washington, Louisiana and Nebraska; the margin of victory was surprisingly wide in both Washington and Nebraska, roughly 68% to 32% over Clinton; turnout surged in Saturday's primaries, as it has elsewhere this year: NYT reports "In Washington, the Democratic party reported record-breaking numbers of caucusgoers, with early totals suggesting turnout would be nearly be nearly double what it was in 2004 — itself a record year — when 100,000 Democrats caucused"... Fmr Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee won the Republican contests in Louisiana and Kansas, surprising a party that has begun to rally around Sen. John McCain (AZ), its "presumptive nominee"; Huckabee has said he does not intend to withdraw from the race, despite McCain's massive lead in delegates to the Republican nominating convention; in Kansas, Huckabee took 60% of the vote, compared with McCain's 24%... Daily News reports "Calling herself a 'mother first,' Sen. Hillary Clinton blasted MSNBC Saturday and demanded further disciplinary action against a correspondent who suggested 27-year-old Chelsea had been 'pimped out' by her presidential campaign"; in a letter to NBC News president Steve Capus, the New York senator wrote "There's a lot at stake for our country in this election. Surely, you can do your jobs as journalists and commentators and still keep the discourse civil and appropriate"...

SUPER TUESDAY PRIMARIES: New Mexico Faces Questions of Process Integrity in Democratic Caucus

Reports from New Mexico are demonstrating a range of problems that faced voters during the Super Tuesday "nationwide primary" Democratic party caucuses there. The New Mexico caucus system is run by the party itself, and involves actual paper ballots, cast by each individual voting. But the list of voters eligible to participate is not maintained by the party itself or by the state, but instead by ES&S, an electronic voting-machine manufacturer.

Whether due to this layered management of the voter registration rolls or not, on the day of the caucus, some 17,000 New Mexicans were required to cast provisional ballots because despite being properly registered, their names did not appear on caucus attendee lists, and their official ballots were not provided.

In an astonishing parallel to this voter access glitch, it has been reported that at least three ballot boxes, full of uncounted ballots, were taken home and kept overnight by a county chairwoman for the Democratic party. The margin separating Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in the voting, as this news emerged, was just 217 votes out of 136,000 cast (a difference of just 0.16%). The ballot boxes, which may now be tainted and will likely have to undergo an investigative audit before being counted and added to the totals, could easily contain the votes needed to change the outcome of such a close contest.

While problems with touchscreen voting caused New Mexico to cast aside that option, and to opt for paper instead, it has been reported that a number of precincts saw no paper ballots available and/or a shortage of provisional ballots. Governor Bill Richardson, a would-be presidential candidate in this year's race, has said he is "deeply disturbed by the reports that problems and delays at polling locations may have kept people from voting".

• Brad Friedman: "Party Official Kept Uncounted Ballox Boxes at Home Overnight as 200 Vote Margin Currently Seen in New Mexico's Democratic Caucus"

SUPER TUESDAY PRIMARIES: Balloting Irregularities Reported in Los Angeles County, New Jersey & Georgia

As the most widespread presidential primary vote in US history took place yesterday, across the continent and beyond (American Samoa also voted), there were glitches, confusion and unjustifiable waits in states across the country. Three examples stand out: touchscreen machines failing in New Jersey, a suspiciously confusing ballot in Los Angeles, and multiple irregularities in Georgia, where long waits, questionable ID laws and more failing Diebold machines made voting a serious challenge by any rational standards.

In the case of Georgia, the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) —who won the state convincingly— has requested an investigation into irregularities that may have prevented some from casting votes, including the up to 90-minute waits reported and isolated cases of voters then being directed to alternate polling locations and an alleged campaign of phone calls to elderly voters telling them they could vote by phone (a lie, apparently designed to prevent their voting).

In New Jersey, Governor Jon Corzine was forced to stand idle while his touchscreen voting machine did the same. Two touchscreen machines at the "Hoboken Fire Department Engine Company No. 2 on Washington Street would not work for about 45 minutes as the polls opened", according to a report by Brad Friedman, sourcing the Associated Press. Gov. Corzine was forced to wait at least 45 minutes while the problem was repaired. The votes were non-verifiable electronic votes, and FOX News reported that there were no provisional ballots made available at the polling place.

New Jersey is home to Rep. Rush Holt, a Democrat, who is the leading proponent in Congress for voter-verified paper trails for all touchscreen machines. He has two bills currently pending debate, which would mandate a nationwide voter-verified paper trail standard. Some complain that more appropriate legislation would be to ban all touchscreen machines outright, due to their numerous vulnerabilities to computer error, human error and tampering.

In Los Angeles, perhaps the most serious irregularities occured. On a registration form that precedes the ballot itself, and that requires voters to select their party affiliation or non-partisan affiliation, selecting "Independent" had the effect of registering the voter, likely inadvertently, as a member of the "American Independent" party, making them ineligible to vote in the Democratic primary.

Independent or unaffiliated voters eligible to vote were required to select either "Decline to State" —which grammatically does not mean there is no party affiliation—, or otherwise "DTS" or "Non-partisan", all of which appear unrelated to the interest of an independent voter interested in choosing a Democratic candidate of preference.

Any independent voter who selected Independent (capital "I") and not DTS or the related option, will have no vote counted in the California primary. The Los Angeles city attorney Rocky Delgadillo has requested an inquiry into the problem, which could disenfranchise literally hundreds of thousands of Californians. The specific problem is exacerbated by the fact that there is no logical reason for voters to select the bubble, since they have requested the Democratic ballot and are either officially registered or not with any given party.

Delgadillo issued a statement saying "I urge the Secretary of State and County Registrar to do everything within their power to ensure that every vote is counted, and to carefully weigh voter intent against this confusing Los Angeles County ballot design. [...] Los Angeles' non-partisan voters must not be disenfranchised because of a confusing ballot design."

As many as 776,000 voters with no party affiliation were expected to go to the polls in Los Angeles County, a number in itself far higher than most states' overall primary electorate. The mass confusion could certainly cause a huge drop in the number of ballots counted, according to Los Angeles County election rules.



[ You can find more on voter-verified paper trails and the all-votes-count standard at VerifiedVoting.org, which also hosts a map showing which states still use unverifiable paperless touchscreens, and which states require paper trails, manual recounts, and what level of the legislative process pending legislation may be at, at present. ]

• Brad Friedman: "More Details on the 'Double Bubble Trouble' in Los Angeles County"
• Why Tuesday.org: "Double Bubble Trouble (the LA County Ballot Confusion)"
• HuffingtonPost: "California's Butterfly Ballot"
• Ascribe: "Super Tuesday. And Wednesday, and Thursday" [by Tova Andrea Wang, Democracy Fellow at the Century Foundation]
• LA Times: "Glitches are the early front-runner in California"
• Brad Friedman: "Problems (and Confusion) at L.A. County Polls Today"
• SF Chronicle: "Calif. election officials expecting extended vote count"
• SF Chronicle: "Long lines of voters - may be record turnout"
• John Gideon (BB): "NJ Governor Delayed Casting Vote as Voting Machines Inoperable in Hoboken"
• Emily Levy (BB): "Voters Face Long Lines in Georgia as Voter ID Laws and Diebold's Crashing E-Pollbook System Slow Process"

SUPER TUESDAY PRIMARIES: Clinton, Obama Draw Even, McCain Takes Commanding Lead in GOP Race

The figures from the biggest day of primary voting in US history are coming in, and reveal a lot of interesting detail about the make-up of the campaigns. Sen. John McCain was the day's big winner, though he did not win enough delegates to seal the nomination. McCain, still struggling to convince many conservative Republicans, won 9 states on the day, including the big states of California, Illinois, Missouri, New York and New Jersey.

The Democratic contest was more complicated: Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York won her home state, as well as the big prize of California, but many of her victories were closer margins, whereas Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois won many smaller states, and by enormous margins, taking Idaho 80% to 17%, Alaska 74% to 25%, Kansas (where he was born) 74% to 25%, Minnesota 67% to 32% and Colorado by the same margin. There is some speculation that when the counting is done, Obama, who won more states but with much smaller populations, may come away with more delegates, due to the Democratic party's proportional delegate assignment rules.

Fmr. Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won 6 states, possibly 7 if Alaska officially goes his way, including a 90% to 5% margin over McCain in Utah (Romney is a Mormon, Mormons comprising the majority of Utah's population). Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee also won 5 states, and has declared his intention to stay in the race and keep fighting for the nomination.

• NY Times: "Primary Season Election Results"
  

SUPER TUESDAY PRIMARIES: As 24 States Go to Polls, Clinton in Dead Heat with Obama, McCain Leads GOP

The biggest prize in the Super Tuesday 24-state primary vote today will be California, with more than 36 million inhabitants, the most populous state in the nation. Observers expect Clinton and Obama to nearly split the delegates available, which amount to more than 50% of the total. The Republican contest could be close to being decided, if frontrunner McCain achieves a "sweep", as some expect, with more than 40% of delegates in play, and a winner-take-all rule in some GOP contests.



Until two weeks ago, Sen. Hillary Clinton (NY) led her principal Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama (IL) by a margin of more than 10%. By this weekend, that margin had shrunk to 2%, with some polls showing Obama with a lead. By this morning, polls suggested Obama has opened a 13 percentage point lead over Clinton 49% to her 36%, possibly gathering to his cause many voters who had supported the progressive campaign of fmr. Sen. John Edwards (SC). A SurveyUSA poll conducted during the same period shows Sen. Clinton with a 10% lead.

Georgia, where Obama holds a commanding 20 percentage point lead, according to the latest Zogby poll, is expected to be important to the candidate's maintaining momentum through the day and into the coming contests. Bloomberg reports "or the next 90 minutes after polls close in Georgia, returns will come in from 10 states, including primaries in the Northeast. Anything other than victory for New York Senator Clinton in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Delaware would be a coup for Obama, an Illinois senator."



Among Republicans, new frontrunner Sen. John McCain (AZ) has pulled ahead in many key states, and himself predicts he will defeat rival Mitt Romney in his home state of Massachusetts. Pollster John Zogby says "It looks like a big day for McCain with Romney making a last stand in California".

McCain's momentum, based on his victories in South Carolina and Florida, seems to give him the edge in terms of support and energy, though many conservative Republicans are wary of his "credentials" in the area of social and fiscal conservatism. His tough talk on issues of war and security has brought momentum from that part of the Republican electorate concerned about defense issues, though there is general skepticism across the nation on issues of economic recovery and fiscal policy.

• Reuters: "Obama, Romney lead in California on Super Tuesday"
  
• Reuters: "Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby Super Tuesday Polls"
  
• Bloomberg: "Clinton, Obama, McCain, Romney Battle Coast to Coast"
  

Chad rebels stage coup attempt, refugee aid may be stalled; Obama, McCain gain momentum in CA...

3 February :: Surge in violence in Chad appears to be coup attempt against Déby gov't in N'Djamena; France has begun evacuating foreigners from Chad, in face of what could be severe violence between rebels, gov't; rebel offensive comes just days before EU "humanitarian protection force" set to arrive in Chad... CSM reports "If President Idriss Déby's government falls by military coup, humanitarian aid operations feeding nearly 400,000 Sudanese refugees and displaced Chadians will be thrown into disarray, and half a dozen Darfur rebel movements taking refuge in Chad may be forced to move their bases back into the troubled Sudanese region"... New poll in CA shows Obama, McCain dramatically increasing support in recent weeks; Obama now runs even with Clinton, whom he trailed by 12 percentage points just two weeks ago, while McCain surging to an 8 percentage point lead over closest rival Romney; Obama also has edge over Clinton against McCain in general election, according to poll, with respondents saying they would vote Obama over McCain 47% to 40%, or Clinton over McCain 45% to 43%...