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Edited on Sat Nov-04-06 03:11 AM by rumpel
Utterly useless!
The Norwalk HQ is only 30 some miles from my home. We left at 3pm, were stuck on the 405 and the 105 and again on the surface streets. We had 15 minutes until they closed for the week.
When we went up to the 3rd Floor, we were told to follow the red line drawn on the floor. The HQ still provides Early Voting and the signs are all geared towards that. The hallway is very narrow and right before we reached the room, we noticed a chair and some people standing around. It is a very short offshoot hallway, and to my surprise they had set up 3 Diebolds right in that small hallway, lined up with the backs towards us.
There were very few people in the waiting room or service area, and all the windows for other types of registrations were already closed or at least unmanned. There were several employees beyond the counter at their computers chatting and relaxed, and the man standing by the counter immediately started serving a young mother with her baby, who shared the elevator with us, but came to vote.
The place seemed...totally in a slumber mode.
We walked up to another window to tell the lady that my daughter is still not in the database, even though we mailed it now over three weeks ago, well before the October 23rd deadline. So she went to check on her computer. While she was checking, I had ample time to look around and saw maybe 2 more people walk in to vote. They checked in, and after verification they received a computer card and left the room. A sole test voting machine is placed near the check-in window, and I was thinking - so this is the infamous Diebold unit, and it proclaimed it's name as the most prominent and memorable as the rest appeared quite flimsy and unimpressive.
I noticed a small porcelain bowl, which is probably normally used for cereal, oatmeal or grits, on the counter and above it: "Please return cards here". No one really watching - no one really nearby, but sitting quite pretty with blue design bands near the top.
And my mind says: Did I not just post an article that some cards were missing....yes- in Tennessee.
The lady returned to confirm my daughter was not in the database. They are still, and will be inputting data now even through the 7th!
She was certainly unclear about the printing of the poll books, but assured me "they have a way." She stopped short of telling me: "what way". By the time I got to question her about the day of polling and her possibly not being in the poll book or whatever "other way", of course the suggestion was "provisional".
"I don't want her to vote "provisional", I complained. By then, two other guys walked closer to listen in and all three of them suggested we vote right there and then and she can use the provisional. We repeatedly declined and I made clear we Will not vote on those machines either.
However, what I found out is that the ballot (when paper is requested) is on InkaVote. It is not on "provisional", as the SOS's e-mail stated and we feared, at least in LA County. As I turned around, I saw three InkaVote units along one wall, with their backs into the room and 2 or 3 more Diebolds.
In any event, there is nothing that can be done until they complete the inputting of data, not even figure out whether they received it or not. The registration receipt stub is worthless - the number imprinted is worthless - unless they have in fact put her into their database.
So, my daughter is now freaking out that all of her information is floating around somewhere lost between the mailbox right by our house and who knows where or lost inside the registrars office. She now wants to change her ss#. "Child, and ss# is for life". :)
They suggested she fill out another registration to make sure she can vote in the next election. I opposed it, as there would now be 2 numbers, which could cause problems again.
"No", she assured me, "it will not be recorded until after the 7th".
That sent shudders down my spine, as I glance over to those employees sitting at their computers, chatting quietly and their computer screens have not really changed one keystroke in all the last 20 minutes we have been there- Could it be equally slow wherever they are inputting the data, I thought? If they do not complete the data input on even several hundred - those are the people, come Tuesday, who will be surprised having to vote on provisional - and ballots rejected thereafter during counting? There is no 1% audit of "provisionals", McCormack said. The *pile.
"Are you sure, there will not be any confusion?"
By then the other 2 employees also chimed in and my daughter filled out another one right there.
"This one", she said, "I make sure, and see - I am stamping myself." Little solace, I thought.
On the way out, I glanced into the small hallway with the machines. There was a man voting alone on the very last machine. The man sitting in the chair, had his back to the machines but facing the foot traffic = us - and was preparing to read.
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