Wednesday, July 25, 2012

State Election Coordinator Confirms: Shelby Error Rate in Early Voting is 5 Percent- Memphis Flyer

Posted by Jackson Baker on Tue, Jul 24, 2012 at 4:46 PM

Mark Goins, the state Election Coordinator, confirms that allegations made by two local investigators concerning a 5 percent error rate in the assigning of early-voting ballots in Shelby County are accurate.

Blake Fontenay, spokesperson for Goins,further acknowledged to the Flyer Friday that 1300, the number of erroneous ballots pinpointed as of Monday by Dr Joe Weinberg, “sounds about right.”
Weinberg and blogger/candidate Steve Ross, both Democrats, have been independently checking into cases of erroneous ballot assignment. Ross had earlier attested to some 1,019 such errors, both in a conversation with the Flyer, and later in a Monday press conference, Weinberg’s higher totals were arrived at also on Monday.
Both Weinberg and Ross have been comparing state voter records with participating voter lists released locally by the Shelby County Election Commission.
Weinberg told the Flyer on Tuesday that Goins had called him from Nashville and expressed interest in his findings, wanting to confirm them for himself on the basis of state data. He did so, said Weinberg, and Fontenay acknowledged to the Flyer that Weinberg’s reckonings were accurate.
Weinberg said he had primarily been looking at discrepancies in state House of Representratives races but had uncovered cases of wrong ballots for other August 2 races as well.
“Another thing I’ve noticed that bothers me is the fact that people are having their districts corrected in daily updatings of the participating voter list, but their votes are still recorded in the wrong districts,” said Weinberg, who expressed concern that identifying future discrepancies would be made more difficult by such a process.
He added that at the rate ballot errors were being discovered, the total number of them, if updated, might be higher by some 300. "I haven't had a chance to check yesterday's figures yet," he said.

Possible glitches in the early-voting process first came light with disclosures that hundreds of households in Collierville had been unaccounted for in balloting for that city's referendum on municipal school districts.
In short order came reports of isolated cases, in Bartlett and Memphis, of voters being given ballots for the wrong state House races. Then came the separate systematic reorts from Ross and Weinberg.
Asked to respod to the news from Goins' office, Shelby County Election administrator Rich Holden deferred to SCEC chairman Robert Meyers, who, when reached late Friday, acknowledged that Ross' and Weinberg's findings were "at least 90 to 95 percent accurae."
Meyers said, "We're working around the clock to fix things." He acknowledged that participating voters' list updates were being amended to include the correct distict assignments. "We're not trying to hide anyting by doing that, just trying to make corrections. Maybe the neighbors of those voters who haven't voted yet will notice the change and find it helpful."
Meyers said he thought it was "too easy" to attribute the voting problems to the Commission's late start in making precinct lists -- a decision that Holden and thers have said was based the Shelby County Commission's unusual tardiness in arriving at a redistrciting consensus. (Actually, the Commission never did formally agree new lines; in mid-June, Chancellor Arnold Goldin was forced to rule on a single-member district plan.
"We think the issues are more complicated than that. We're working around the clock to contain the damage now and will have to assess the extent of it after August 2," said Meyers, who said he thought most problems were being encountered in state House and Senate races, whose primaries are the province of party primary boards.
"I'm sure we'll be getting with the boards of both parties as soon as possible to see what can be done."

Friday, July 20, 2012

Early Voting Statistics

Updated numbers -




Click here Shelbyvote for more information on how the other precincts are doing.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Special Called meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen!



Meeting time was changed to 6:00 p.m.!  

Remember to wear your button - let them know we support this initiative!
________________________________________________________


******SPECIAL CALLED MEETING******
 
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen have called a special meeting tomorrow,Thursday, July 19th, beginning at 5:00 p.m. On the agenda:

  • Schools Consolidation
  • Legal Issues Surrounding Lucy Annexation
Please make every effort to attend!

Lucy residents can't vote on Millington school referendums, Election Commission says


Lucy residents can't vote on Millington school referendums, Election Commission says

Commercial Appeal: By Cindy Wolff
Wednesday, July 18, 2012

The referendums related to a Millington municipal school district were removed from Lucy residents' ballots Tuesday by the Shelby County Election Commission.
The school referendums appeared on Lucy voters' ballots on Monday, the first day of early voting in the suburbs. They were removed Tuesday on advice from the Election Commission's attorney, said Richard Holden, administrator of elections.
Millington's annexation of the small community was halted last week after Claiborne Ferguson, a resident of Lucy and a Memphis attorney, filed a lawsuit objecting to the plan. The suit was filed four days before the annexation was to take effect. Citizens who are being annexed had 30 days to challenge.
Mayor Linda Carter said she was unsure of where the challenge leaves the city in its effort to form a municipal school district. Millington was counting on the close to 95 children who live in Lucy to give the city enough students to meet requirements for a municipal school district.
If the lawsuit is settled or dismissed, the 30-day waiting period for annexation would begin again, Carter said. Without the students the city won't be able to create a municipal school district.
Carter said the city hasn't given up because there are other ways the city can annex Lucy. Residents can ask Millington to annex their homes or Millington can hold a referendum to ask Lucy voters if they want to be annexed.
Meanwhile, the city is moving forward with early voting. The only snag Monday was the mayor's enforcement of a city ordinance approved in 2010 that prevents campaign signs from being on any public property. As she was heading to church Sunday, Carter noticed the signs in front of Baker Community Center, the early voting location. She instructed the city's code enforcement officer to remove them Monday morning. Campaign signs could be held by supporters or put on a vehicle but not poked in the ground unless they were on private property and approved by the owner.
"This is just messed up," said Millington aldermen candidate Charles Read, who has ran for office four times. "This is the epitome of American democracy. Why would there be a problem with campaign signs at a polling site. It's ridiculous."

Suburbs set class for school boards


Suburbs set class for school boards

Aug. workshop to educate potential candidates

Commercial Appeal: By Cindy Wolff
Thursday, June 7, 2012

If voters in the six suburbs outside Memphis approve a referendum Aug. 2 for municipal school districts, citizens who want to sit on the school boards will have some homework.
The suburbs are jointly hosting a workshop Aug. 7 at the Bartlett Station Municipal Center to educate those who are considering running Nov. 6 for the 30 school board positions.
Arlington Mayor Mike Wissman, who also serves as a suburban member of the unified school board, presented the idea to the other suburban mayors.
"This vote is going to be one of the most important ones in the history of these towns," Wissman said. "We need to hit the ground running."
The suburbs will need to elect five at-large members to each board. Officials believe most of those running will be first-time politicians who will serve on a board that's never met to govern a school system that's still a concept.
The Nashville-based Tennessee School Boards Association is sending executive director Tammy Grissom here in August to help potential candidates understand school boards.
"School board members don't have to have expertise in education," Grissom said. "Their No. 1 objective is to focus on students, and decide what you are going to do to help students in your community. They are not responsible for day-to-day operations for the school system. They don't fire teachers. They don't deal with complaints. They are responsible for governing and for policy making."
The suburbs are looking for well-informed candidates who will look beyond the attention they will receive from the media as a school board member.
The newly elected school board members will need to attend mandatory training at least one day per year at the Tennessee School Boards Association's Nashville headquarters.
They'll have to take time off work throughout their term to attend meetings. Most of them will get paid $300 a month.
"Some don't realize the time commitment they will have to make to do this, Grissom said. "It's not just the one big board meeting each month and that's it."
Officials don't want to encourage or discourage people from running, Wissman said.
"They just need to know it's not going to be what they thought it was," he said. "The best decision they may make is deciding they don't have the time to commit to this. Also, this isn't a time when you need to vote for your neighbor or best friend. You need to vote for the best candidate."
-- Cindy Wolff: (901) 529-2378

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Early Voting Information
Baker Community Center
7972 Church Street

Beginning, Monday, July 16, 2012 through Saturday, July 28,2012
Weekdays 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Saturdays, July 21 and July 28, 2012, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Sample Ballet
Click here to view the sample ballet for Shelby County residents

Sample Ballet

NOTE: If the ballet does NOT show everything you should be voting on (i.e. school referendum) do NOT submit your vote. Instead, alert the voting official immediately.

Currently, once you cast your ballet - there are no "re-dos".

Friday, July 13, 2012

Commissioner Roland responds to ADA funding debate

07/13/12  PRESS RELEASE - Commissioner Roland is Correct as it relates to ADA Funding for future Municipal School Districts

MEMPHIS, TN A February 24, 2012 opinion by County Attorney Kelly Rayne (OP-12-006) states clearly Commissioner Roland is correct, the County must share the funds with a municipal school system on an Average Daily Attendance (ADA) basis. State law also mandates capital improvement...s ...funds will be shared with a municipal school system unless a waiver is given.

During yesterday’s Budget and Finance Committee meeting Commissioner Mike Ritz stated any money allotted for capital improvement for the Shelby County Board of Education does not get ADA funded back to municipalities and further stated the County Attorney had opined on the matter. Commissioner Roland stated yesterday he would seek another opinion, however upon review of the opinion Roland found Ms. Rayne actually agreed with him.

Commissioner Roland said, “As with other information my friend Commissioner Ritz is giving out regarding municipal school feasibility; a little research will once again prove I’m correct.”

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Mayor and Board of Aldermen special meeting

The Mayor and Board of Aldermen voted to join the other municipalities in the lawsuit brought by the County Commission against the formation of school districts within Shelby County.