GOTV and Election Protection Daily News Thread Tues,11/07/06

[Melissa G]

Vote and Then GET OUT THE VOTE! Make Phone calls .. offer rides..Whatever it takes! GOTV!

Call MoveOn if you have some time...http://pol.moveon.org/phone/volunteer/c4c.html


Then do some Election Protection!


See what various groups are doing to make sure your vote counts!
Here is a link to one of my favorites, ElectionIntegrity http://www.electionintegrity.org/
Post Your favorite on the thread if you'd like and let us know what they are doing today!

I'm doing this thread early' cuz I'm going to go Stand on a Busy street corner with a Vote Today sign...So what you see is what you get after about 11 CST tonight...If you are on the computer while you are busy phone bank calling from home or any other great Get Out The Vote thing you can think of to do, Post some news for us. I know the regulars have taken to the streets so the rest of you who could not get off work, please take up the slack for us!
Thanks,
Melissa

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News ELECTION DAY Tuesday, November 7, 2006

All members Welcome and ENCOURAGED to participate.



Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.

If you can:
1. Post stories and announcements you find on the web.


2. Post stories using the new Spring 2006 Edition of "Election Fraud and Reform News Directory" listed here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x407240

3. Re-post stories and announcements you find on DU, providing a link to the original thread with thanks to the Original Poster, too.


4. Start a discussion thread by re-posting a story you see on this thread.




Please "Recommend" for the Greatest Page (it's the link just below).

[Melissa G]

1. 1-866-OUR-VOTE: Keeping tabs on voter suppression

1-866-OUR-VOTE: Keeping tabs on voter suppression

The snafus, alleged dirty tricks and problems that could deprive voters of a fair vote on Tuesday have already begun. But there are steps voters can take, from calling 1-866-Our-Vote, volunteering for Election Protection work, or following a marathon broadcast on voting integrity co-hosted by Brad Friedman of the Brad Blog, one of the leading bloggers on voting rights.

An early omen: Missouri's Secretary of State, Robin Carnahan, even reports that a poll worker asked her three times for photo ID -- even though a court has struck down the state's photo ID law as unconstitutional.

In Arizona, a group called the Arizona Advocacy Network is still seeking volunteers to help avoid the massive disenfranchisement of voters through strict new voter ID requirements. I chronicle the fate of Arizona voters under the law in a new Salon article. Some excerpts:

On Tuesday, Democrats stand an outside chance of picking up several House seats and a Senate seat in the once beet-red state of Arizona. Democrat Harry Mitchell is in striking distance of Rep. J.D. Hayworth in the 5th House District, and challenger Jim Pederson has closed within single digits of incumbent Republican Sen. Jon Kyl. But the prospects for Pederson, Mitchell and Democrats in general would be much better had the U.S. Supreme Court not recently upheld the state's new voter ID law.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-levine/1866ourvote-keeping-t_b_33465.html

[Melissa G]

14. 1 888 DEM VOTE if you have any trouble at the polls. STAY WHERE YOU ARE

Thanks to applegrove for the post and the DU discussion here...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2932784
Original message
1 888 DEM VOTE if you have any trouble at the polls. STAY WHERE YOU ARE
and some Dem official will be there in a few moments.


1 888 DEM VOTE
and
STAY WHERE YOU ARE

More from later in the thread...

sarahlee (1000+ posts) Mon Nov-06-06 08:32 PM
Response to Original message
5. More numbers
Election incidents can also be reported to several national hotlines.

Those reported to 1-866-OUR-VOTE will be catalogued in the Election Incident Reporting System (check out the incident map, which already reflects several incidents across the nation).

Problems with voting machines can also be reported by calling 1-888-SAV-VOTE (1-888-728-8683).

Several sites will serve as clearinghouses for election issues tomorrow.

ProtectOurVotes.org is already on the robocall story.
http://www.protectourvotes.org /

Video The Vote and Veek the Vote are camera-ready.
http://www.videothevote.org /
http://veekthevote.com /

If you have a website, you can add a "Tell Your Voting Story" widget, a tool that makes reporting election shenanigans a snap.
http://voterstory.org/about

See also the ideas in this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2909285

[Melissa G]

2. What are you doing to bring in 5 voters on Election Day?

Sign pledge here if you'd like http://naacp.com/get-involved/arrive-with-5/pledge BUT JUST GET US 5 Voters!

DU discussion here...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2930108

[Melissa G]

3. Voters may usher out Gingrich followers

Voters may usher out Gingrich followers
LIZ SIDOTI
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - A half-dozen Republican congressmen ushered into office in the 1994 GOP tidal wave that tossed Democrats from power may be swept out on Tuesday, casualties of a Democratic surge fueled by voter anger over the Iraq war.

On the eve of the midterm elections, Republicans are hoping their acclaimed get-out-the-vote operation will ensure majority control. But some say privately they have a slim chance of retaining the House after a grueling campaign centered on turmoil in Iraq, President Bush's sagging approval numbers, political scandals and corruption investigations.

snip
Sidelined for 12 years, Democrats appear poised to win the House in a shift that likely would elevate Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California to speaker, the nation's first woman to hold that office, and herald in at least two years of Democratic rule.
snip
At least 50 Republican seats are endangered, many with incumbents facing fierce challenges from Democrats who have sought to capitalize on the public's intense disenchantment with one-party rule.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/15945756.htm

[Melissa G]

4. Voters set to punish Bush in Tuesday election

Voters set to punish Bush in Tuesday election
November 6th, 2006
Washington, D.C. - Democrats are expected to pick up at least 15 seats in the house due to discontent with the Iraq war and the disapproval of President George Bush.


Many analysts predict Democrats will take back control of the House for the first time since the GOP charged into office following the 1994 Republican revolution. Across the Capitol, the GOP has better odds this year of retaining a majority in the Senate.

"There are no signs that the wave is ebbing," Amy Walter, senior editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, said of the sweeping changes she predicts will occur in the House on Tuesday. "The reality is, the list of vulnerable Republican seats continues to grow."

A CNN poll of likely voters released on October 30 showed 53 percent of Americans favoring a generic Democratic candidate in the election, while 42 percent prefer a Republican. The poll was conducted for CNN by Opinion Research Corp.

http://www.alaskareport.com/z44781.htm

[Melissa G]

5. Distrust of voting machines is running high

Posted on Fri, Nov. 03, 2006


Distrust of voting machines is running high

By Thomas Fitzgerald and Nancy Petersen
Inquirer Staff Writers

An overhaul of the nation's creaky electoral machinery, inspired by the Florida presidential recount in 2000, will get its biggest test so far in the midterm congressional elections Tuesday - and some worry the cure might be as bad as the disease.

snip
In about 20 precincts in the Philadelphia suburbs, teams from a group called Election Integrity are preparing to conduct exit polls in precincts with the machines. If there is a significant variance between the official results and the polls, they'll demand investigations. Voterstory.org is distributing Web-based software nationwide that allows voters to document problems they encounter. And "Video the Vote" is sending out volunteers with video cameras to record problems or alleged attempts at voter suppression in cities.

snip
The controversy is playing out amid a closely divided electorate, with control of the U.S. House and Senate at stake; several key races that will determine the outcome are too close to call in polls, though Democrats are projected to take control of the House from the GOP.

Federal authorities are investigating whether the parent company of one major manufacturer - Sequoia Systems of Oakland, Calif. - is partly owned by the Venezuelan government. Camden, Burlington and Gloucester Counties use Sequoia Advantage machines.

snip
"Part of building trust is to have something verifiable," said Stephanie Frank Singer, a Philadelphia mathematician who is director of the Vote Count Protection Project of Election Integrity. "This is not a peripheral issue - this is democracy."

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/15915891.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

Also check out http://www.electionintegrity.org/

[Melissa G]

6. Candidates Do not concede UNTIL all the votes are Counted!

This is from the Candidate page of Election Integrity....

It is Good Advice! Make sure your candidate knows it!

Information for Candidates

snip
Do not concede, and do not declare victory, until all votes are counted.
Even though we hear of results with "99% of precincts reporting" on election night, this does not mean that 99% of the votes have been counted. The canvass on election night is unofficial, does not necessarily include all absentee votes, and certainly does not include provisional votes. Candidates should wait at least until the Official Canvasses are complete, usually a few days after election day.

Verification efforts, such as our work in Election Integrity and the Vote Count Protection Project, take time. Candidates can support our efforts by waiting at least a week to give us time to perform forensic analysis on the data we collect, including the Election Verification Exit Poll.

If your official vote total is less than but very close to your opponent's, and if there has been evidence of irregularities with the machines, challenge the result.
We hope to raise money for a legal fund to support candidate challenges. These challenges can be expensive -- in Pennsylvania, for example, it costs $50 per machine to insist on investigation -- but they are a crucial way to protect the following election. Candidates brave enough to make such challenges will earn the respect and affection of election integrity advocates. And think of Christine Gregoire of Washington State: they don't call her "sore loser," they call her "Governor".
http://www.electionintegrity.org/candidates/index.shtml

[Melissa G]

7. Starts new cycle; First states open polls at 1100 GMT Tuesday

Starts new cycle; First states open polls at 1100 GMT Tuesday

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Monday November 6, 2006

Washington- US voters riled by the relentless war in Iraq elect a new Congress on Tuesday, with polls signaling a wave of discontent that could cost President George W Bush's Republican Party its majority. Pre-vote surveys showed the opposition Democrats poised to retake the House of Representatives after 12 years of Republican control and with a chance also to break the centre-right's hold on the Senate.

snip
"When the election is a referendum on change, George Bush and his rubber-stamp Congress lose. When the election is a referendum on the war in Iraq, George Bush and his rubber-stamp Congress lose," Democratic Senator Charles Schumer said Monday.

Bush is not on the ballot, but surveys show that a majority of Americans believe his Iraq policy is off-track, a sour mood that has helped the Democrats. Though hardly united on details, the centre- left party has broadly called for starting to bring US troops home.

snip
Bush has limited campaigning largely to friendly areas, seeking to rally the Republican vote. Even in Florida, the Republican candidate for state governor skipped Monday's rally with Bush, apparently viewing the president as damaged goods.


http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Starts_new_cycle_First_states_open__11062006.html

[Melissa G]

8. S.D. runs short of absentee ballots

San Diego Union-Tribune
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061103/news_1n3ballots.html

S.D. runs short of absentee ballots

Photocopies mailed; registrar says all votes will be counted

By Leslie Wolf Branscomb
STAFF WRITER

November 3, 2006

If you got your absentee ballot in the mail and
it looks suspiciously like a photocopy of a
regular ballot, that's because, well, it is.

snip

The San Diego County Registrar's Office mailed
photocopies of regular ballots after it ran short of absentee ballots.
But there's nothing to fear, Haas said. “Their votes will be counted.”
When those ballots are returned, registrar's
employees will copy voters' choices by hand onto
regular card stock ballots that can be run
through the optical scanners that count the votes.

snip


“I just think it's bizarre that they literally
transfer people's votes from one piece of paper
to another,” said San Diego County Democratic
Party Chairman Jess Durfee. “Any time you do
that, there have got to be mistakes.”

Haas said the ballots were to be printed by
Diebold, the same company that makes the
electronic touchscreen machines that will be used
Tuesday. Diebold officials told him there had
been problems with the printing press operation, Haas said.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061103/news_1n3ballots.html

[Melissa G]

9. What you can do if you have trouble voting on Tuesday

What you can do if you have trouble voting on Tuesday

By: DEBORAH HASTINGS - Associated Press

snip


KNOW YOUR PRECINCT, YOUR BALLOT AND YOUR MACHINE

One of the easiest ways to be turned away on Election Day is to show up at the wrong precinct. Many local election administrators have Web sites on which polling places can be found. Independent Web sites such as http://canivote.org/ have state-by-state interactives linking a voter's address and polling site. Often, county Web sites also post ballots online, along with instructions for using the kind of voting machine in your precinct.

BRING MORE THAN ONE KIND OF IDENTIFICATION

In recent weeks, a confusing array of court decisions has struck down or let stand strict rules for voter ID. In Missouri, for example, a judge overturned a government-issued photo identification requirement, prompting some election officials to worry about confusion among poll workers about what is required to vote. If you don't have a driver's license or passport, bringing recent utility bills showing your name and address, as well as a voter registration card, may help streamline ID questions.

WAIT! DON'T PUSH THAT BUTTON

If you're using a touch-screen machine, make sure you take extra time to thoroughly review your choices. "When you get to the point where you're ready to cast your ballot, make sure you read the review screen slowly," says Doug Lewis, executive director of The Election Center, a national association of election officials. "Because once you press that 'cast ballot' button, there's not a human being on the planet who can help you get that back." In the 2004 election, some voters claimed touch-screen machines converted their choice to the wrong candidate. Without a paper receipt, such claims are difficult to prove. Less than 50 percent of states have paper-receipt equipment.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO A PROVISIONAL BALLOT

If your name does not appear on the polling site's registration list, or there are other questions about the validity of your registration, you have the right to cast a so-called provisional ballot. Introduced nationwide in the 2004 election, provisional ballots are designed to prevent wrongful disenfranchisement. In 2000, at least 1.5 million voters were turned away because of questions about their registration, according to estimates from civil rights groups. To cast a provisional ballot, you must fill out a form at the polling site, listing your name, address and party affiliation. Your sealed ballot is placed inside the form. If officials find you are indeed registered to vote, your sealed ballot goes into the voting box. If you're not registered, election officials use your information to register you for the next election.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/11/06/election2006/sandiego/11506190329.txt

[Melissa G]

10. Recounting Tomorrow's Vote

Recounting Tomorrow's Vote
Stuart Comstock-Gay
November 05, 2006
Thanks to John Gideon for the post..


Stuart Comstock-Gay is executive director of the National Voting Rights Institute, and director of the Democracy Program at Demos: A Network of Ideas and Action.

This election season has been marked by a parade of disturbing but welcome reports about voting problems. Voting machines with questionable security, unverifiable vote counting, poorly trained election workers (and too few of them), provisional ballots that may or may not be counted, restrictive voter ID requirements, equipment and ballot shortages leading to long lines—the list goes on. The questions and problems in our election processes are real. Close races combined with an overload on new systems and rules have stretched our election systems to their limits. Any candidate who suffers a close loss on Tuesday will be well advised to consider a challenge.

This isn’t a question of sour grapes. There are simply too many potential snafus preventing all votes from being accurately counted. Recounts should be considered not just to ensure the most accurate vote count, but as a critical means of exposing problems with our electoral process, and to create a climate for continued reform and improvements.

The evidence in the Ohio presidential recount in 2004 was startling. Forget conspiracy theories—the veracity of Ohio’s vote count was, and is, doubtful due to widely documented problems on November 2. Polling places were short-staffed, machines and ballots were in short supply, provisional ballots went uncounted by the tens of thousands and the e-machines used that year made recounts impossible. And many of those conditions exist across the country this year.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/11/05/recounting_tomorrows_vote.php

[Melissa G]

11. A New Breed of Watchdog For Election Day

A New Breed of Watchdog
For Election Day
By JUNE KRONHOLZ
November 6, 2006; Page B1

When Americans go to vote tomorrow, a new breed of activist will be on guard, monitoring polling stations for everything from voting-machine glitches to long lines to registration snafus.

Energized by disputed results in 2000 and 2004, they have left jobs as music conductors, real-estate agents and software engineers to form groups that expect to turn out thousands of volunteers who don't trust the country's ability to count its votes and have decided to do something about it.

"This is going to be the most heavily watched election in history," predicts Marybeth Kuznik, who founded a group called VotePA after the 2004 election to monitor voting issues in Pennsylvania. Ms. Kuznik, a former arts educator, calls herself a "progressive," but says VotePA includes members of both major parties, two minor parties and independents.

Many of the groups share liberal roots, their members smarting from the narrow Democratic losses in the last two presidential elections. But they also share in Ms. Kuznik's assurances -- and the tax and lobbying status that requires them to remain nonpartisan -- that they simply want to see a clean count.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116278270779014105-gNxJQH3RcwhA6t968vku_VVa5_0_20061205.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top

[Melissa G]

12. Activists Take Measures to Ensure Fair Elections

Activists Take Measures to Ensure Fair Elections
by Catherine Komp
Nov. 6 – Civil-rights and public-interest groups across the country will be dispatching lawyers, sending out poll monitors, and staffing hotlines across the country Tuesday in an effort to protect against potential voting-rights infringements.

In advance of the election, the American Civil Liberties Union says it has distributed tens of thousands of multi-lingual "voter empowerment" cards informing voters about their rights and how to avoid problems at the polls.

Concerns listed by the ACLU include potential voter harassment or intimidation, disinformation campaigns, and "excessive and unnecessary presence of uniformed law enforcement personnel at polling places." The civil rights group is sending observers to polling places and launched a toll-free voter hotline: [phone].

People for the American Way (PFAW), which first launched an "Election Protection" effort after the 2000 presidential election, said it will send thousands of volunteers to key polling places and staff hundreds of lawyers at their hotline: 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

Much more.....
http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3851/printmode/true

[Melissa G]

13. Diebold whistleblower tells all, ON CAMERA

Thanks to garybeck for the post and the DU discussion here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x456717
Original message
OMG! Diebold whistleblower tells all, ON CAMERA!
Edited on Mon Nov-06-06 11:41 AM by garybeck
Diebold whistleblower Chris Hood steps forward to alert nation about election in-security


Carter Evans, investigative reporter, has put together this astounding short video series that includes onscreen testimony from a Diebold whistleblower speaking about the questionable business practices and shoddy products coming from the company that supplies 55% of our New Hampshire polling places with its vote counting machines.

this segment is the best:

http://gotvnetworks.one.revver.com/collection/42547#_show_video_91750

watch all 5 segments (all are amazing!):

http://gotvnetworks.one.revver.com/collection/42547



and by the way, this video settles it once and for all, it's pronounced DEE-BOLD, not DYE-BOLD. I think a former employee probably knows how to pronounce it

Election video archive:
http://solarbus.org/election/multimedia.shtml

[Melissa G]

15. The Election Incident Reporting System

Thanks to rusty charly for yhe post and the DU discussion here....
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2932992

The Election Incident Reporting System
The Election Incident Reporting System (EIRS) is an integrated set of computer tools for recording and analyzing information about voting problems before, during, and after elections. Since 2004, hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals in the United States have used EIRS to help protect our right to vote and assure that every vote is counted as cast.

https://voteprotect.org/

[Algorem]

16. Cuyahoga-Poll Watch: Pohlman Blogs Any Potential Election Problems

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/10262102/detail.html

POSTED: 6:48 am EST November 7, 2006
UPDATED: 10:24 am EST November 7, 2006

CLEVELAND -- 5 On Your Side Investigator Duane Pohlman is making sure that everything goes along smoothly at the polls.


He will be monitoring the activities at area polling locations to find out if there are any problems and providing up-to-the-minute details.


Be sure to check back often for updates.


10:22 a.m....

[rumpel]

17. D.C./MD: How's Voting Going Around the Region? (Excerpts)

WTOP

Nov 7th - 10:35am

WASHINGTON (10:32 a.m.) - Board of Election Officials say D.C. voter turnout is low.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (9:57 a.m.) - A power outage in Maryland has knocked out lights at two polling places, but it's not affecting voting.

ARLINGTON, Va. (9 a.m.) - Turnout at the polls is heavy. In fact so heavy, the elections chief tells WTOP he expects he'll have to get a court order to keep the polls open past 7 p.m

ROCKVILLE, Md. (8:30 a.m.) - In Montgomery County, election officials say it's not a problem, but a number of voting machines, including those at Temple Emmanuel in Kensington, are running on batteries.

BALTIMORE (8:40 a.m.) - Baltimore County Election Director Jackie McDaniel tells WBAL Radio that some precincts have reported not receiving equipment and a few are reporting that their electronic voter check-in books are not working properly and voters have had to use provisional ballots.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (8 a.m.) -- Voting problems occurred at one Annapolis polling place Monday, and emergency ballots had to be used for a while. Some voters left before voting.

http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=213&sid=966689

[rumpel]

18. PA: Voting Problems Reported In Allegheny Co.

WPXI

Polls Opened 7 A.M. Tuesday

POSTED: 9:04 am EST November 7, 2006
PITTSBURGH -- A few hours after the polls opened, there were problems reported with electronic voting machines.
Four communities in Allegheny County reported problems, as well as two areas in Pittsburgh.
Election leaders are not saying how long it will take to fix the issues.

http://www.wpxi.com/news/10262704/detail.html

[rumpel]

19. NJ: Voting problems reported (UPDATE)

Tuesday, November 7, 2006

About 30 of Camden County's 700 voting machines have experienced problems today, according to Phyllis Pearl, superintendent of elections.

"We've had a few glitches this time around," she said. "I will be talking to the manufacturer of the machines."

Burlington County's Board of Elections also has reported three machines had to be replaced this morning out of 448 being used.

Gloucester County officials have not returned a message requesting information.

Pearl said mechanics have been dispatched to Cherry Hill's Erlton Fire Hall, where there was a problem, among other polling places.

A reader called the Courier-Post news desk about problems at Erlton, saying a poll worker trying to clear a previous voter's selections may have registered that person's votes numerous times.

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061107/NEWS01/61107012/1004/LIVING

[rumpel]

20. MSNBC: Voting problems crop up early on Election Day

Complaints in Ind., Ohio, as poll workers tangle with new machines, rules

MSNBC staff and news service reports
Updated: 2 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Programming errors and inexperience with electronic voting machines frustrated poll workers in hundreds of precincts early Tuesday, delaying voters in Indiana and Ohio and leaving some in Florida with little choice but use paper ballots instead.

In Cleveland, voters rolled their eyes as election workers fumbled with new touchscreen machines that they couldn’t get to start properly.

“We got five machines — one of them’s got to work,” said Willette Scullank, a trouble shooter from the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, elections board.

In Indiana’s Marion County, about 175 of 914 precincts turned to paper because poll workers didn’t know how to run the machines, said Marion County Clerk Doris Ann Sadler. She said it could take most of the day to fix all of the machine-related issues.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15604040/

[rumpel]

21. Alternet: Voting means voting problems ( problem reports)

and so it begins

Posted by Melissa McEwan at 6:48 AM on November 7, 2006.
(excerpts)

Ohio: "Reporting from Summit County, where we use optical scan machines: my husband and I were in line at 6:30 a.m. when the polls opened so we were the 14th & 15th people in our precinct (8-C) to vote. Unfortunately, the optical scanner wouldn't accept any ballots. I hung around until 7:30 a.m. to see if they got it working and when I left it was still down.

Florida: "Just in case you're keeping tabs, I wanted to tell you that my wife tried to vote in our precinct in Tampa and was not on the list. After several tries to find out why, she was told that the voter database was 'cleaned' and there must have been a mistake. I'm trying to find out who 'cleaned' it."

Tennessee: "Went to my precinct to vote and all 3 machines were not working. This precinct has a lot of lower-income families and public housing. They finally got one of the machines going, but the lines were out the door - I waited close to an hour and had to get to work.

Illinois: "I live in Arlington Heights, IL, outside of Chicago. I'm in Mark Kirk's House District. This morning none of the electronic voting machines were working.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/43991/

[rumpel]

22. TN: WBIR(NBC) VOTING PROBLEMS? Report your experience at the polls

Voting. It's your right. Some say, it's your duty. But what if you show up to vote and you can't?

CLICK HERE to report your experience at the polls.

If you experience any difficulties on Election Day - closed polling stations, defective equipment, confusing new rules - we want to hear from you. We'll use your comments to get a picture of what voters like you are facing across the country. We'll ask you for your name and city, so we can alert reporters in your area who might contact you to pursue the story. We'll also post relevant concerns on this site, but we won't print your name or e-mail address, just your city and state.

You can find out where voter concerns have been reported and read about them here.

Also, use the other features on this site to get more information on where you can turn for help if you have problems at the polls.

CLICK HERE to report your voting experience.

Katie Allison Granju , Producer
Last updated: 11/7/2006 11:04:40 AM

http://www.wbir.com/news/regional/story.aspx?storyid=39399

[rumpel]

23. FL: Some voting problems reported early

WEAR-TV (ABC)

November 07, 2006 10:38 EST

UNDATED (AP) -- There have been some minor voting glitches reported around the state this morning.

In the Jacksonville suburb of Orange Park, some voters are forced to use paper ballots after an electronic machine broke.

Barbara Dowling, who works at Orange Park Medical Center says it took too long to vote.

In Broward County, voting was briefly delayed at four districts.

A spokeswoman for Broward County elections says in two precincts, the electronic ballots were mixed up, delaying votes for about half an hour.

She says at the other two, a poll worker unintentionally wiped the electronic ballot activators, delaying voting for more than an hour.

http://www.weartv.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.fl/3dbd7261-www.weartv.com.shtml

[rumpel]

24. CO: Voting problems frustrate Denver voters

Rocky Mountain News

By Jean Torkelson and Laura Frank, Rocky Mountain News
November 7, 2006
Early voters in Denver are encountering some voting problems and long lines as they await a chance to cast ballots this morning.
Long lines are being reported at a variety of polling places, including the Wellington Webb building in downtown Denver and the Green Valley Ranch Recreation Center.

Voters who arrived before 7 a.m., when the polls opened, were reporting waits in excess of an hour.

At least three polling places were reporting some computer problems, and at the Webb building, an election judge was working to provide technical support

Problems were plaguing the Mamie Eisenhower Park Recreation Center at South Colorado Boulevard and East Hampden Avenue.

At 7 a.m. there were 71 in line when the polls opened. By 7:30 a.m., the count had risen to 107.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/elections/article/0,2808,DRMN_24736_5124795,00.html

[rumpel]

25. AR: Voting Underway in Arkansas; No Problems So Far

By Jan Cottingham
11/7/2006 10:04:15 AM

Voting is underway in Arkansas and the Arkansas secretary of state’s office says it hasn't heard of any problems with the voting or voting machines.

Natasha Naragon, spokesperson for the Arkansas secretary of state’s office, said at 9:40 a.m. that the only voting problems reported so far were “minor issues, getting polls opened on time.” She said she hadn’t heard of any problems with the actual voting or voting machines.

Some Arkansas precincts are using machines sold by Election Systems & Software of Omaha, Neb. The company has a technician in all 75 of the state’s counties should glitches arise. Naragon also said that ES&S had at least two technicians staffing the phones at the secretary of state’s office at the state Capitol to answer questions from the field.

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=96123.96527.108265

[rumpel]

26. OH: Cuyahoga encounters voting problems

The Plain Dealer

11:14 a.m.

More than 40 polling places in Cuyahoga County reported problems when the polls opened this morning, a spokesman from the Board of Elections said.

Forty-three of the county’s 573 voting places either failed to open on time or couldn’t get some or all of their electronic voting machines to work, Alan Melamed said.

At Boulevard School in Shaker Heights voters who showed up first-thing were turned away temporarily because electronic voting machines were not working. The poll workers later reverted to paper ballots and began welcoming voters, Melamed said.

It was not clear mid-morning how many polling places are using paper ballots, which must be scanned by the Optical Scanning Machines.

Otherwise, there were no major problems at Cuyahoga County’s polling sites this morning, according to the Board of Elections.

http://www.cleveland.com/weblogs/election/index.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_vpdebate/archives/2006_11.html

[rumpel]

27. NE: Voting machine companies to deploy thousands of techs

Journal Star

By ANNA JO BRATTON/The Associated Press

OMAHA — The three companies that supply most of the nation’s election equipment and ballots will deploy thousands of technicians Tuesday to head off problems that disrupted some primary elections earlier this year.

Missing equipment, programming errors and too few voting machines delayed election results in some states.

In others, confused poll workers and voters hesitated to use new touch-screen machines.

Three companies — Election Systems & Software, of Omaha, Sequoia Voting Systems of California and Diebold Election Systems of Ohio — say everyone involved has learned from the mistakes.

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/11/06/business/doc454fb1fb85da8355420208.txt

[rumpel]

28. IN: Some voters having problems finding their polling places

Palladium-

Voting was light today as the day dawned and the rain continued to fall.

But poll workers and voting officials were busy as many voters scoured the city looking for the correct voting place.

“We’ve been very busy answering calls from people wondering where they vote,” said Wayne County Clerk Sue Anne Lower. “But it’s the same place people voted in the primary. We didn’t change the precincts, but we did change some voting locations.”

http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061107/NEWS01/61107017

[rumpel]

29. NC: Rain, few high-profile races lead to low turnout Tuesday morning

The Charlotte Observer

TIM WHITMIRE
Associated Press
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - With no national or high-profile statewide races to top ballots and rain falling across North Carolina, Election Day started slow on Tuesday and turnout was expected to reach lows not seen in the state since the 1920s.

That put the onus on campaigns and parties to get their base voters to the polls Tuesday in a midterm election where more than 3 million potential voters were expected to stay home.

"Voting is so important. We need to support our troops. They're why we can vote," U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes said after casting his ballot at Weddington Hills Elementary School in Concord.

State elections director Gary Bartlett said that, with the exception of a few counties, turnout appeared light Tuesday morning. About 400,000 people voted in advance of Election Day, down sharply from the 1 million-plus who voted early in 2004, he said.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/15950764.htm

[rumpel]

30. UT: Problems for voters in Utah County; some delays in Salt Lake

By Elizabeth Neff
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:11/07/2006 09:49:28 AM MST

Utah County voters planning to cast their ballots on the way to work were stymied by technical problems with the state's new voting machines, while some in Salt Lake City also saw delays at the polls.
Robert Nelson was among those in Provo and other locations in Utah County who were unable to cast their votes using the new voting machines when the polls opened. After arriving at his polling location at 7 a.m., Nelson said he spent an hour and a half hoping the machines would be fixed.
"The workers were earnestly trying to get the machines to work, but not a one in our precinct worked," Nelson said. "I work in Salt Lake City, so I couldn't wait for he machines to work."

Similar reports came in from other areas in Utah County, including Lindon. The clerk's office said the problem had been solved and the machines were up and running as of 8:55 a.m.
In Salt Lake City, some locations only had one machine up and running when the polls opened at 7 a.m.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_4616716

[rumpel]

31. CA: SD Talk Radio Shows In San Diego Crammed With Calls About Voting Problems Here

by Joe Gandelman

Some talk radio shows in San Diego are getting lots of callers from San Diego reporting major problems in voting: long lines, electronic voting machines that don't work, people leaving because they have to go to work. (See our review of THIS DVD).

Some voters have reportedly asked for paper ballots and are filling them out. A judge reportedly has said paper ballots don't have to be counted until Thursday.

Apparently the complaints are coming from voters on the right and on the left. Several callers on one station said they have voted at the same precincts for years and have never seen it so chaotic.

http://www.themoderatevoice.com/posts/1162916035.shtml

[rumpel]

32. MO: Election Board Says Voting Snags Worked Out

KMBC-TV

POSTED: 10:33 am CST November 7, 2006
UPDATED: 10:45 am CST November 7, 2006

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City election officials said that they have solved problems that led to long lines at the start of voting on Tuesday mornign.
Minutes after polls opened, KMBC-TV received calls from voters complaining about the problems, and blaming unprepared election workers.
At Seventh and Walnut streets, the complaints were limited to a little confusion just after polls opened at 6 a.m.

http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/politics/10263834/detail.html

[rumpel]

33. UT: Problems for voters in Utah County; some delays in Salt Lake

Google says:
UPDATE: Voting machine glitch causes big delays, county says ...
Daily Herald, UT - 10 minutes ago
... morning, Hoffmann said she encourages voters to go back to the polls before 8 pm, adding there should not be any additional problems with the voting machines. ... (missed taking screen shot - sorry guys)

link says:

Daily Herald

UPDATE: Voting machine glitch causes big delays, county says problem fixed

Daily Herald
Encoder problems at most, if not all, of the 118 voting stations left early morning voters standing in line for more than an hour waiting to cast their electronic ballots.
There were problems with the encoders at most, if not all, of the polls in Utah County, said Sandy Hoffmann, elections coordinator for Utah County, but all of the problems have been remedied.
Hoffmann said there was no indication that there would be any problems with the encoders. To fix the glitch, Hoffmann said one of the electronic voting machines at each polling location was taken out of sequence and turned into a large encoder.
"The encoder is the little device that programs the voter card," said Joe Demma, spokesman for Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert.
Taking one machine out of sequence should not impact voting too much. The number of machines vary by location, with 15 at the most and three at the least, Hoffmann said.
The problem was first realized when polls opened at 7 a.m., leaving many voters standing in lines for hours.
"It should not have and adverse affect on anything," Demma said, adding he anticipates a good voter turn out in the county.
Voters aren't as confident.

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/199102/3/

[Kurovski]

34. Thank you rumpel and Melissa G!

Happy Election Day! :hug:

[rumpel]

35. sure thing

let's document them all for later easy reference

I will just continue to post with what I find - was off for a while checkingon the judges I am supposed to vote for - and boy!

people being choked.....have to catch up again.

:)

[rumpel]

36. KY: Poll Worker Arrested In Louisville; Other Voting Problems Reported In State

Nov 7, 2006 09:58 AM

(AP) -- A poll worker in south Louisville was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with assault and interfering with an election, an official said.

Paula McCraney, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Clerk, said the poll worker was accused of choking and pushing the voter out of the door. Election officials called the police and when an officer arrived, the voter wanted to file charges, McCraney said.

"That about tops off the day," McCraney said.

More details about the incident and the name of the poll worker were not immediately available.

It was one of a few problems reported around the state with polling places as the future is decided for candidates for about 4,000 elected positions around Kentucky.

Other problems in Jefferson County included two polling places that opened about 20 minutes late, said Les Fugate a spokesman for Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson.

In central Kentucky's Bourbon County, a school board race was inadvertently left off the ballot in two precincts, requiring the county clerk to make paper ballots on the spot, Fugate said.

http://www.lex18.com/Global/story.asp?S=5645627&nav=EQlp

[rumpel]

37. Los Angeles-CBS: Report Election Fraud And Voting Rights Abuse (Feds)

Nov 7, 2006 7:08 am US/Pacific

(CBS) LOS ANGELES Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Mitchell will field general election fraud complaints and voting rights abuses throughout the Southland.

Mitchell will take complaints from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

Mitchell works in the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office and will be on duty while the polls are open. His office can be reached at [phone].

"The right to vote is perhaps the most important aspect of American democracy," said U.S. Attorney Debra Wong Yang. "We all must ensure that those who are entitled to vote exercise that right, while those who seek to corrupt that right are brought to justice."

FBI agents from the Los Angeles field office -- and other offices throughout the region -- will also be available to receive any election-related complaints.

http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_311092724.html

lists all numbers to contact

[rumpel]

38. IL: NBC5 Viewers Report Voting Problems

Below Are Comments From NBC5.com Viewers Who Had Trouble Voting On Tuesday

Rebecca Leevey

A man was passing fliers out to vote for Tony Peraica was in violation of the 100-foot rule. The man was actually inside the polling place with the fliers in his hand.

Sharon Stone

I was unable to vote (district 12) due to the judges/machines etc "not being ready". I left at 6:35 a.m.

Jason Eiler

The polling place at 1826 N. Francisco (Chicago IL, 60647) is over an hour late in opening, and will not be open for another hour. This beautiful neighborhood has a very large minority population, coincidence?
The polling "office" will still close on time at 7:00 pm, and I know of at least 3 people that will not be able to vote now. No option was given to vote on a back up system or anything. This is absurd. Here is the voter info:

Pct. 020
Ward 35
Cong. 04
St. Leg. 20
St. Rep. 39
Judicial 06
Cnty Brd 08
BOR 2

much more

http://www.nbc5.com/politics/10263755/detail.html

[rumpel]

39. TX: Voting problems reported in Fort Bend this morning (DeLay district)

Chron

Note: This blogger is a reader offering his own perspective on a subject that interests him. The posts and opinions are his own and are not edited by the Chronicle. He is solely responsible for the content of this blog.

In Fort Bend County, where there is a contentious battle for the Congressional seat vacated earlier this year by former Rep. Tom DeLay, poll workers discovered that electronic machines had been switched in at least two precincts, delaying voters and casting some uncertainty on ballots already cast.

Voting had already been under way for at least 45 minutes at Oak Lake Baptist Church in Sugar Land, when it was learned the the machines were labeled for Lexington Creek Elementary School in Missouri City.

Gwen Ross, the election judge there, closed down the voting for almost an hour to resolve the confusion. All but one of the 20 voters in line, waited it out. The man who left said he would come back after a poll worker took his phone number to alert him when the problem was fixed.

Tallies show that 64 people voted before the mistake had been discovered. Ross kept their names and votes on a separate tally sheet because she was unsure whether the ballot was different for the other precinct.

Ellen Hunt, a poll watcher for the Nick Lampson campaign, said she saw at least a couple other people leave from the back of the line, but praised Ross for her handling of the situation.


According to a press release I received from the Lampson campaign, the situation wasn't as well handled as this story suggests:
Even prior to 8 am, there were already problems at the Oak Lake Baptist Church polling location in Ft. Bend County, which serves precinct 4126. The E-Slate machines were not working, and voters were turned away from the polls. This precinct is a targeted precinct for the Lampson Campaign and Democrats this year. The disenfranchisement of these voters may well bring on legal action from the Lampson Campaign and/or the Democratic Party.

"This is inexcusable and puts the integrity of this entire election in question," said Lampson campaign manager Mike Malaise. "It is inappropriate, if not illegal, for poll workers to turn voters away from the polls. The Justice Department and the Secretary of State already have people in Ft. Bend County and we will be alerting them. These voters have been turned away from the polls and disenfranchised. We absolutely will not let that stand."

http://blogs.chron.com/kuffsworld/2006/11/voting_problems_reported_in_fo.html

[rumpel]

40. IN: Parties spar over voting problems

Nov 7, 2006 11:10 AM

Marion County - Everyone admits there were problems at the precincts in Marion County Tuesday morning when the polls opened. However, the parties disagree over the severity of those problems.

There were widespread problems with electronic voting machines in Marion County that were greater than election officials anticipated. Local Democratic officials say 20 precincts in Marion County did not open on time because of problems. Marion County Clerk Doris Ann Sadler says there were only two such precincts.

Additionally, there were problems at hundreds of polling places with voting machines, but again, there is disagreement over the exact number. Sadler said over 200 polling places had such problems, with Democrats putting the number at around 300.

Sadler said the problem was with the new touch screen voting machines, which were not set up properly. Those problems caused issues with the machine that tabulates the paper ballots, which meant that the ballots at some precincts couldn't be counted. Technicians had to be sent out to those precincts to fix the tabulator machine.

The clerk says the important thing is that voters were still able to vote, but their votes will be counted later when the machines are up and running again.

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=5645614&nav=9Tai

[rumpel]

41. TN: Decision 2006: Ford Claims He Has Reports of Voting Problems (video)

The Democratic candidate for Tennessee U.S. Senate says he's concerned about reports of voting machine problems. But officials in at least one of the locations say the problem was minor and it's now fixed. Harold Ford Jr. said this morning that polling locations in both Memphis and in Jackson shut down because their machines weren't working.

"They told all the polling workers to go home and the election officials to go home without giving any real guidance to voters. We've already leveled our concerns on behalf of voters who have been told they'd have to wait until later today to vote," Ford said.

http://www.wrcbtv.com/news/index.cfm?sid=4408

[rumpel]

42. GUAM: Poll workers tally results

Pacific Daily News

Commission makes do with less precinct staff
By Steve Limtiaco
Pacific Daily News
[e-mail]
and Sunmi Kang

Guam Election Commission Chairman Frederick Horecky said the fact that yesterday was not a government of Guam holiday made conducting the General Election more difficult, with a rush of voters at the polls at the end of the voting day.

He said the policy is that anyone in line to vote by 8 p.m., regardless of how long the line is, "should get to vote," but he speculated that some people who intended to vote yesterday evening were unable to.

"We were somewhat understaffed," Horecky said of the election, because many precinct officials failed to show up for work.

The majority of precinct workers are GovGuam employees, and the commission before the election was concerned about the availability of trained poll workers because it was not a GovGuam holiday. Lawmakers eliminated it as a holiday as a cost-cutting measure, and yesterday was the first election to be affected by the decision.
Gov. Felix Camacho, who rejected a request by the commission's executive director to declare it a holiday, ordered agencies to cooperate with employees who asked to take administrative leave to work at the precincts.

http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061108/NEWS01/611080319/1002

[rumpel]

43. IA: Scattered voting machine snags reported

Des Moines Register

JENNIFER JACOBS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

November 7, 2006


Voters are reporting minor troubles at polling places around Iowa, but poll workers are quickly fixing the problems as they crop up, spot checks show.

The problems were surfacing along with reports of a heavier than expected turnout of voters.

The ballot reading machines in Butler County were misreading ballots marked for a straight ticket vote, such as a vote for exclusively Republican candidates, election officials said.

However, all the votes were being tabulated correctly, said Casey Sinnwell, a spokesman for the state Secretary of State’s office.

Butler County precinct officials were advising voters there to mark candidates in each category rather than mark the single oval for a straight-party vote, he said.

The problem was due to an in-house programming error on the optical scan
machines, Sinwell said. Although most counties outsource their programming
needs to an outside vendor, Butler County officials programmed their
machines themselves, and triggered a feature that registered unmarked
categories as “under votes” on the computer screen, Sinwell said.

“Internally, it’s reading correctly, it’s just a feature they activated that they shouldn’t have activated,” he said.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061107/NEWS/61107016/1001/COMM10

[Kurovski]

44. kick to the top. (nt)

[rumpel]

45. IN: Perry Township Voter's Registration Lost

Nov 7, 2006 03:49 PM

By Shana Kelley
News 8 @ 5:30

A woman who has lived and voted in Perry Township for more than a decade found herself fighting for the right to vote.

"Well, I came in this morning to vote and showed my ID," said Sheila Smith.

Smith is the wife of Lt. Col. Mark Smith, a U.S. Marine 24-Hour News 8 followed closely during his tour in Iraq. Sheila has voted in Perry Township for the past 12 years. But this year proved a little more difficult.

"He said ‘I'm sorry I can't let you vote,' and I said ‘what do you mean you can't let me vote?' And he said, 'well, you're not on the purge list and you're not on our voter registration list,'" Sheila recounted.

Her husband is currently stationed in Kansas City. We spoke with him just after he found out Sheila was having trouble.

snip

Marion County voter registration officials confirmed Sheila Smith had indeed voted in previous elections. Officials say Quest, the company that built the states voter data base, simply had no record of Smith.

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5646542&nav=0Ra7

[rumpel]

46. KS: Johnson County Reports Sporadic Problems with Voting System

Channel 13 (CBS)

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) _ Johnson County's election commissioner is reporting sporadic problems with the county's touch-screen voting system.

Commissioner Brian Newby said the issues aren't with the touch-screen machines themselves, but with separate machines that encode cards that voters plug into the machines. When encoded, each card contains a single ballot for the voter to cast.

Newby said encoders at a half-dozen sites have failed to read their cards and have had to be shut down to eject the cards so they could be encoded again. Sometimes, he said, a bit of hand lotion on the card will do it.

http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/4583052.html

[rumpel]

47. IN: Delaware Co. voting system experiences total breakdown

Nov 7, 2006 02:59 PM

Bob Segall/Eyewitness News

Delaware County - Voters in Delaware County found casting a ballot Tuesday far from easy. Some couldn't vote at all in what's being described as a total breakdown in the county's voting system.

Poll workers, voters and candidates were all ready for Election Day, but electronic voting machines were not.

"By five after six the phones were ringing off the hook and we knew we had a major problem," said Karen Wenger, Delaware County clerk.

The problem: plastic cards that are supposed to activate voting machines across Delaware County were programmed with the wrong code. At some polling places, voting machines were down for hours. The result was some voters being turned away without casting a ballot.

By mid-morning, the issue was in court. Election officials asked a judge to extend Delaware County's voting hours and the judge agreed. "It's my best judgment that I'm going to do everything I can to help people vote," the judge said.

So who's responsible for all these problems? The county says it's a company called Microvote, which put the wrong code in the county's access cards. A Microvote spokesman said he didn't have time to talk with Eyewitness News.

"I'd rather not. I have to go across the street," said bill Haas.

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=5647125&nav=9Tai

[rumpel]

48. NY: Disabled voters face problems at polls

Newsday

Some disabled people hit stumbling blocks on the first Election Day which was supposed to be free of physical barriers for disabled Americans.

BY WILLIAM MURPHY
Newsday Staff Writer

November 7, 2006, 7:08 PM EST

Some disabled people hit stumbling blocks on the first Election Day which was supposed to be free of physical barriers for disabled Americans.

Frank Perino, who is legally blind, said a poll worker in Bohemia asked him to sign his name on his computer-generated voting slip instead of the envelope in which it was to be placed.

"That means it's not private," Perino said. "That's exactly what we're trying to get away from. We're trying for a truly secret ballot for disabled persons."

In Roosevelt, three voting computers for the disabled were set up at the headquarters of the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County. About 70 people, most of them with one disability or more, had voted by 3 p.m., and no problems were reported.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-weblidisa1108,0,557900.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines