Elliott Endorsed by Reader & Conflicts the QC Times

Michael D. Elliott, the independent candidate for Scott County Auditor, was today endorsed by the River Cities' Reader newspaper's editor Kathleen McCarthy. Earlier this week the Quad City Times endorsed Elliott's opponent, Democratic candidate Roxanna Moritz.

The Reader stated that, "Elliott is the only candidate to take voting integrity seriously and not to take our current paper-ballot system for granted. Despite his opponents' unified efforts to cast Elliott's stance on protecting voting integrity in Scott County as irrelevant, Elliott has persevered and taken a committed stand on keeping previous auditor Karen Fitzsimmons' legacy for clean, successful elections intact by maintaining a paper-ballot system despite huge pressure from her own Democratic party.

With the unprecedented vote expected next Tuesday, Elliott's knowledge of, and commitment to, the continued use of paper ballots, including a post-election-audit policy, is monumentally reassuring. He demonstrates a keen sense of respect for the current staff in the auditor's office. His passion for the constitutionally protected right to vote should inspire confidence on the part of Scott County voters that is unmatched by his opponents."

Full Reader article can be read here.

Meanwhile, the Quad City Times had this to say about Elliott: "Elliott’s passion for government transparency and impatience with the status quo appealed to us. So did his prior work as a Wal-Mart manager, giving him the most experience of the trio in directing a large work force. His best idea: publicly displaying all county expenditures in real time on the Web, along with Web-accessible copies of all contracts. His campaign left us conflicted. He sponsored multiple screenings of a documentary that suggests scary voting fraud that Elliott confirms is definitely not happening here."

Full QCTimes article can be read here.

Elliott is hosting the final free public screening of the film "Uncounted - The New Math of American Elections" at the Figge Art Museum's Deere Auditorium this Thursday October 30 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Q&A will follow the eighty minute documentary by filmmaker David Earnhardt, which covers the controversies surrounding the 2002 and 2004 general elections in Florida and Ohio as well as the dangers facing election integrity amidst the rise of computerized electronic balloting.

While the QC Times was "conflicted" by this educational effort on Elliott's part, the candidate could not be more clear on his stance about voting integrity in Scott County, as evidenced by his own campaign website which states:

"This film is not by any means about what is going on in Scott County, which is one of the most reliable counties in Iowa," said Elliott. "Viewers of this film will have the knowledge of what problems will likely exist with an electronic balloting system, and why we need to ensure a paper ballot system instead."