ORLANDO voters told THERE IS NO DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY! Refused ballots.

[nashville_brook]

(as if it even matters -- but here it is, anyway)

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-bk-polls012908,0,4785381.story


Area voters reporting problems at polls in Florida primary
One voter was told by poll workers there was no Democratic primary today

By Robert Perez | Sentinel Staff Writer 2:46 PM EST, January 29, 2008



On Florida Primary day, glitches at the polls are cropping up across Central Florida from Daytona Beach to Hunter's Creek, including one Orange County precinct where voters were told by workers early on there was no Democratic primary today.

Phil Marjason said poll workers at precinct 145 would not give him a Democratic ballot. "I thought it was plain wrong," he said. "We need to get Florida straightened out." Orange County Election Supervisor Bill Cowles confirmed that the clerk at the precinct made a mistake.

"I have learned that we did have a situation right at 7 a.m. this morning," Cowles wrote via e-mail to the Sentinel. "The clerk admits she made a mistake." But Orange County officials said their records show Marjason was given a Democratic ballot and it was cast. Marjason disagreed. "You sign a piece of paper then you walk over to the next table and they hand you a ballot," he said. "It probably shows that I signed for it, but they didn't give me a Democratic ballot."

Sheneka McDonald spent 10 minutes trying to convince poll workers at the same precinct that she should have a Democratic ballot. She questioned poll workers when she was handed a Republican ballot but was told, "this is the only ballot we have.
"I said, 'How can this be the only ballot,'" McDonald recalled. "That's when the guy chimed in from the back and said the Democratic primary was in March."

[thereismore]

1. This is just Fucked Up. Dems should have worked it out while there was time. nt

[K Gardner]

3. It is a clusterf*** that seemingly only the DNC could orchestrate. Obama/Hillary aside, the FL and

MI fiascos are both inexcusable. These states will be crucially important come time for the GE and furthermore, how much more split is the party going to be if there IS a fight for these delegates when there wasn't a fair and above-board primary? I've railed against the Clinton campaign, but I've come to think that's not entirely fair. ALL the candidates should look to the DNC for resolution of this mess. And you're right, it should have been done LONG AGO.

[nashville_brook]

4. this has nothing to do with the DNC -- this is poll workers REFUSING ballots to DEMS

[bullimiami]

2. no thats stupid. its because we are too cheap to have decent poll workers.

[eFriendly]

5. A good first step...

would probably be to get rid of all of the poll workers that are in their 70's.

I avoided all of the hassles today by voting early. And now I am quite glad that I did it that way.

[EFerrari]

6. What's the fix here? Do we encourage FL Dems to vote absentee?

It's one outrage after another for FL voters. :grr:

[nashville_brook]

7. the "fix" would be to make the system work -- so no, absentee isn't a solution

the system just needs to work, period.

would also be nice if the Democratic party in Florida and at the national level could have at LEAST allowed campaigning to happen here. would be nice if our party could have negotiated a settlement that put us on a level playing field with the 'pukes. we look like fools and the rank-and-file voter had nothing to do with the mess that put us here. so, it would be nice if DU (at leaast) could find it in it's black little heart to give it up for every Floridian who would have liked their vote to count for either Edwards or Clinton or Obama.

we would have liked to participate in this thing you call democracy, but have been otherwise detained.