NewsWatch: Cities and Counties -- Vote for Evil Robots

Vote for Evil Robots: Online Voting System Hacked in Test
The District's experiment with online voting got national headlines when a team of computer scientists infiltrated the system. Votes cast for registered candidates were switched to votes for evil science-fiction robots; the hackers left, as their calling card, the University of Michigan fight song. States rushing to implement online voting should pause, lest they put the nation's elections at risk. Washington Post

Watchdog: Chicago Officials Skirted Bidding Rules
City officials circumvented competitive bidding rules to steer a $23 million digital-radio contract to Schaumburg-based Motorola, according to City Hall's top watchdog and documents obtained by the Tribune. Chicago Tribune

Early County Voting Shatters First-Day Record
Credit compelling political races, a backlash against Washington or just simply great weather. The first day of early voting had Dallas County residents voting at a higher pace than they did four years ago – a trend election officials expect to continue through the Nov. 2 election. "We're seeing that voting is up throughout the county," Elections Administrator Bruce Sherbet said. Dallas Morning News

Public Workers Highly Paid? Not Exactly
Public workers in California earn 7 percent less on average than private sector employees, but make about the same amount after benefits and other compensation are factored in, according to a study released Monday. San Francisco Chronicle

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