Election Fraud Goes Abroad On Holiday

It may have been quiet in Hackney lately, with everyone either grabbing a chance to sunbathe in the parks or glued to the World Cup, but elsewhere in the world there have been quite a few election fraud stories. Here is just a sample taken from Google News:

Lima - Venezuela accuses Peruvian President of election fraud Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has suggested that Alan Garcia was not the true winner of Peru's recent Presidential runoff. "I was left with many doubts. I think Ollanta won the election," Chavez said, adding that Garcia's victory might have been the result of fraud at voting stations during the tabulation of ballots.

Bangkok - Thai Government accused of election fraud The Attorney General will decide on Tuesday whether to submit a case alleging election fraud by the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party. They may ask the Election Commission to gather additional evidence that the ruling party had facilitated smaller political parties to run against it in the April 2 general election, thereby weakening the main opposition.

San Francisco - Kennedy accuses Bush team of election fraud In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine and a broadcast with Air America, Robert Kennedy Jr. repeats allegations that the Republicans stole the 2004 presidential election through a series of voting frauds. "I've become convinced that the president's party mounted a massive, coordinated campaign to subvert the will of the people in 2004."

Mexico City - Presidential winner to be announced quickly to avoid unrest Concerned that delays in the counting process for Sunday’s Presidential election might inflame accusations of election fraud and lead to widespread strikes and civil unrest, the Election Commission promised last week to announce the result within hours of the polls closing.

Atlanta GA - Georgia row over Voting Rights Act and election fraud A row has broken out between senior politicians and political analysts over whether it is time to rescind the Voting Rights Act and what effect the Act has had on enfranchising the black vote in areas where previous practices amounted to long-term election fraud.

Madison WI - Elections Board decision challenged A row breaks out over a decision by the State Elections Board to allow voters to identify themselves with Social Security numbers as an alternative to drivers’ licences. Democrats call foul on the grounds that this would violate Federal law and disadvantage poor voters.

Annapolis MA - Opposition to early voting scheme in Maryland Legislators challenge the “early voting plan” allowing voting up to three days before elections using touch-screens. They write: “Evidence also demonstrates that this early voting plan increased the potential for voter fraud, as there is virtually no way to track who votes and how many times they vote until after all the votes are certified.

Atlanta GA - Legal challenge to Georgia over "unfair election system" Newly-formed advocacy coalition VoterGA announced plans to sue the State of Georgia for denying its citizens an elections system that ensures that their votes count. "What we're trying to do is protect the future voting rights of nine million people," said spokesperson Garland Favorito, adding "all direct physical evidence of voter intent has been removed from Georgia elections."

Nashville TN - Group challenges use of Diebold voting machines Tennessee and 15 other states that aren't requiring voter-verifiable paper ballots are at "high risk" of compromised elections, according to a report released Thursday by Common Cause, a non-partisan, non-profit group. The report, concluded that accurate election results require voters to be able to confirm their votes on a paper record and a "statistically meaningful and transparent audit process."

Kiev - "Election fraud revolution" President nominates new PM President Viktor Yushchenko will nominate former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to form a new government, eight months after the fiery advocate of Ukraine's Orange Revolution was sacked, a top official said. Yushchenko, brought to power after the 2004 protests against election fraud, remains a key figure in appointments.

Sounds like a pretty busy time for election fraud spotters in other parts of the world. A month’s news? A week's news? No - these are just some of the stories to appear during the past 24 hours! It looks like global election fraud reporting would require a full-time team of bloggers.