The Charlottesville Police Department is investigating the theft of two laptop computers belonging to the City Registrars Office from the Tonsler Park voting precinct sometime between 2100 hrs on 11/04/2008 and 0800 hrs 11/05/2008. The building was broken into through a glass door when thieves entered the building.

The stolen computers contained voter registration information to include names, addresses, date of birth, gender, voter identification numbers, and DMV customer numbers. No social security numbers were in the computers and all the information in the computers is protected by multiple layers of security and is at very low risk for accessibility.
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Criminal masterminds (or loser assholes) have stolen two laptops from a Tonsler Park building containing names, addresses, date of birth and DMV customer number for every registered voter in the city of Charlottesville.  Luckily for us, that information is encrypted, but now that it’s public knowledge, don’t you think the thieves will find some smart hackers to de-encrypt our information?

Way to go, Charlottesville.

[via NBC 29] [pic]

From the City…

The security measures in place for the November election are first rate and the Office of Voter Registration has not experience any security related problems with the system,” said Sheri Iachetta, Charlottesville’s Voter Registrar. “The Hart Voting system, to include the electronic voting machine and this election the new digital scan voting machine, enables us to continue maintaining fair and impartial elections in the City of Charlottesville.”

Ms. Iachetta is inviting any members of the media and other interested parties to attend the “lockdown” and machine certification process on Thursday, October 30th, 2008, at 11 am in the Office of Voter Registration in the City Hall Annex. At this time the Electoral Board along with the Registrar will perform the Logics and Accuracy test before locking down all machines before they go to the precincts for Tuesday’s election.

The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and voters should go to their regular voting precinct.

So what about the Hart machine security?

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You can go listen to this announcement at 1PM outside of City Hall tomorrow.

The City of Charlottesville is pleased to announce that Mayor Robin Gardner of Falls Church has accepted a formal challenge by Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris to compete for the highest voter turnout during the November 4th Presidential election. Earlier last month the City began the 2008 Get Out the Vote Drive to promote voter registration, civic engagement, public education, and ease of voting to all City residents. Since 2004 the City has added nearly 9,000 registered voters to the books with more still being added by the Office of the Registrar. As part of that effort Charlottesville’s Mayor issued a challenge to City residents during last Monday’s City Council meeting to exercise their right to vote and assist others who may need help getting to the polls.

In the 2004 Presidential Election Falls Church had the largest voter turnout of any city in Virginia with an impressive 81 percent of registered voters casting a ballot. The Charlottesville rate was 67 percent, less than the 71 percent statewide average. Although considered the underdog, a confident City of Charlottesville is putting up a souvenir bust of Thomas Jefferson from Monticello while Falls Church is offering a sapling of its 2008 Tree of the Year, the sassafras.

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According to the Virginia State Board of Elections, voter registration dramatically increased for our neck of the woods.  Specifically, we saw the following increases (%):

Virginia  - 348,978 New Registered Voters (up 7.13%)
Charlottesville City – 2,889 New Registered Voters (up 10.65%)
Albemarle County – 4,779 New Registered Voters (up 7.27%)

With most of Virginia seeing a 4 to 7% increase and the high probability that new voters are most likely voting Democratic, this bodes well for Virginia being a true battleground state.  Last election, Republicans won Virginia by about 260,000 votes.  Real clear politics already shows the Democrats pulling ahead in the polls, so this should be an exciting election.  Full results of new registered voters after the break.

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