'ELECTION DAY NIGHTMARE' IN DENVER-Dems Seek Extension

[kpete]

election 2006
Voting nightmare: Democrats seek extension
By George Merritt
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:11/07/2006 11:46:18 AM MST


Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter waits in a long line at a vote center to cast his ballot in south-central Denver, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006. Ritter is up against Republican Bob Beauprez. (AP / David Zalubowski)Democratic party leaders are planning to seek a two-hour extension for voting in Denver, due to massive computer problems which have created long lines, and kept many from casting their vote.

Party spokesman Brian Mason said a motion is being prepared, in response to "the huge problems in Denver this morning."

The problems began right at 7 a.m. as computer problems at the voter-check in stations bogged down, creating a bottleneck in the first hour of voting as a rush to the polls overloaded the system.

Shortly after 8 a.m., election judges reported better service and lines began moving.

more at:
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4616285

[AIJ Alom]

1. Are the people that worked on the voting machines, the same guys

responsible for the airport ?

[El Supremo]

4. You mean the airport baggage system.

The rest of DIA is great.

No, I think the problem is that Denver moved from precinct polling to larger polling centers. When something goes wrong, even longer waits occur.

[LisaM]

6. Except that it costs $40 or more to get into Denver

Unless they've fixed that since I was last there.

[DavidDvorkin]

2. Biggest bloc of Democratic votes in the state

Is in Denver.

[sui generis]

3. isn't that ironic, our patridiots complain that not enough people

vote in the midterms.

Just as soon as they have reliable capacity for the 35% or so that do, they should maybe re-address their facts.

[buczak]

5. downtown denver - Webb Building

I peeked in the Voting Center that was located in the Webb Building downtown and it looked like
there was less of a line then there was last week for early voting. They have more voting machines
installed. I hope they keep the polls open later so all those people who left for work instead
of voting can get a chance to vote tonight.

If your a Denver commuter, chances are you need to leave your neighborhood before 7am to get
to Boulder/DTC/Aurora/Lakewood before 8:30am.

[donco6]

10. Not sure I care too much about facilitating voters in

DTC, Aurora and Lakewood. Usually Republicans. But, hey, everyone has the right to vote.

[RiverStone]

7. BushCo is spending 200 million $ per day in Iraq, yet can't fix the vote machines!!!!!

Damn, victory's gonna feel great tonight!!!!!!!!!!

Best wishes in Denver.

[bobbolink]

12. NOPE--he's fixed 'em just the way he planned to.

:mad:

[SoCalDem]

8. Look for judges to shoot it down.. They tried to extend

in St. Louis and was told "NO"..:grr:

who the hell do these dems think they are anyway..expecting to vote :sarcasm:

[IntravenousDemilo]

9. Maybe the machines don't work properly at that altitude.

In any case, as long as the voters are physically within the voting area, they should be allowed to vote, even if they actually do so after the time limit is up. So a couple of minutes before the polls close, I'd suggest that the remaining voters just screw the queue, and everybody get their mass of bodies into that polling place before they shut the doors.

[bobbolink]

11. Aren't you worried about rotten tomatoes thrown at you for being a

DOWNER?

Reality sux.

[williesgirl]

13. K&R

[rockymountaindem]

14. This had better get fixed

Of course, the Republicans on state political blogs are whining their little butts off.

[ThomWV]

15. So Working People Trying To Vote In The Morning Were The Target?

Now they have to get off work in time to go stand in line again?

[Touchdown]

17. Nope, it's all day. See my 2 hour afternoon of fun.

:crazy:

[Oreo]

16. I wrote a diary on Kos about this

Now the election commission is urgently requesting that people come out to be election judges

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/11/7/151628/969#c87

[Touchdown]

18. My wait was 2 hours at the United Way on 18th.

I first went to the Botanical Gardens and saw a line clear out to 11th Ave (2pm). The wait was at least 3 hours. I was tipped off by a pro-min wage woman whho told me that the Mile High United Way was the shortest wait. Trouble is, that everybody else was told that too. It took me 30 miin to get there, since I didn't know where to go, and the line was out the door, and was told about an hour wait.

At 3:30 the whole system crashed and nobody could verify any addresses. There were about 25 people in front of me. It took 15 or so minutes to boot the system back up, but that's not the problem.

There were 40 older flat panel voting machines, 4 new Sequoia touch screens (Couldn't see any paper trail), and 3 spots for provisionals...All but a handful were empty. There were only 4 laptops to verify name & address! Four kindly older folks were hunting and pecking their way to verification as if these were the first computers they actually ever touched.

I voted on the flat panel job. Still no paper trail, but my Congressional District had a choice betgween a Democrat and a Green, I couldn't lose anyway! I only hope that Ritter will win.

I walked out at 4:55pm. A couple of voters drove up, and asked me about the wait. I was honest, and they got back in their cars. I'm thankful nobody else asked me, because I'm an awful liar. I hated to see them go.

Somebody needs to lose their job over this!:grr: