Over 100,000 Have Complained About Voting Problems

UPDATED at 7:30 P.M. on November 3:

Today, Barbara Anwine of the Election Protection Coalition (1-866-OUR-VOTE), a nonpartisan group, told MSNBC about voter suppression tactics they have witnessed around the country.

The group says it has received over 100,000 voter calls at the Election Protection Command Center.

- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Callers have reported receiving robocalls telling them that Election Day is November 5th.

- Ohio: Voters have been falsely told that they can send in absentee ballots as late as November 14th.

- North Carolina: Fliers were left on cars at a shopping mall instructing Republicans to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 4th (actual Election Day) and Democrats to vote on Wednesday Nov. 5th.

- Louisiana: People who moved out of their damaged homes after Hurricane Katrina are reporting confusion about their registration status and voting precinct.

- New Jersey: The state registration database is operating too slowly to update with the names of recent registrants.

- Maryland and Virginia: Voters report receiving calls from the purportedly from the Obama campaign with inaccurate polling place location.

- Indiana: Early voting centers are closing at noon and many people left standing in line have been sent away without getting to vote. Election law is unclear about this situation.

- Michigan: Many registered voters' names are not appearing on the state web site that verifies registration status. This also means that people can't find their polling location on the site.

- Kansas City, Missouri: Reports are coming in from voters at a largely African American polling location, who are being warned of a 6-8 hour wait to vote (despite the line being short) and forced to put their names on a list while in line to vote.

Comments

[AZ4thatone]

I'm from Arizona and I was able to vote early this year. It is fantastic. The ballot came to my home, I filled it out at my convenience and then my spouse and I dropped both our completed ballots off at an early polling station. No waiting. I will vote this way from now on. It's convenient and I feel my ballot got where it needed to go. I didn't want to mail it in, you never know with that.

[ozofjakes]

Where is a hard copy of this flyer they are talking about? I live in Georgia, I get my news from various sources and I have not heard 1 major news outlet talking about any problems with voting other than long lines for early voting. Congrasman Lewis and several local democrats including Mayor Shirley Franklin had come out last week in favor of extending voting hours and polling places over the weekend but they are ignoring the fact that this is against state and federal law. In Gwinnet county, there were a total of 5 locations to vote early but on election day there will be many more (I think 86 was the number I heard)
As usuall, these claims are being made with no real evidence to back them up. At least cite an example, or if you talk about a flyer that says you will be arrested if you show up to the poll, produce a copy of that flyer. This story is all hype and no substance, charactaristic of liberals.

[SirReal1]

If "major news outlet's" are the only place you're getting your information from, you're likely only getting a small percentage of the real story.

I'm not sure what "flier" you're talking about, but if you truly believe that there is not any voter suppression or intimidation happening you're not watching any REAL news outlets.

Just curious, WHERE did you get the idea that having the polls open or extending their hours would violate Federal law?

Voting is regulated and administered at the State Level. The Federal Government has NO LAW that dictates hours, days that voting can be conducted (aside from the agreement on the date of the National Election), or anything else of that nature. The State decides.

Given the ignorance of that assumption, I would surely wonder what your actual State Law is on that issue. You sound like you've been listening to your states republican talking points a bit too earnestly.

All hype and no substance? You mean like the comments your candidate made about the Bi-Partisan ACORN?

GetReal!

[ozofjakes]

Before you cast aspersions as to my ignorance you may want to click on the vid above to hear about the flier I am refering to. Georgia is covered under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which means that any changes in election procedures must be “precleared” by the U.S. Department of Justice before they can be implemented. But before that, any changes must be aproved by both county and state legeslatures. Georgia secratary of state Karen Handel does not have the authority to override county, state, and YES, federal regulations. And since you brought up ACORN, I am glad to say that the Obama campaigns atempt to overturn Georgia's new voter ID law did not pass which means that you must have a valid ID to vote, so any phony Acorn registrations in GA are thankfully moot.

[BillCarson]

Well the article didn't mention a flyer, but here's a couple of links to a flyer in Philly...

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/flyers_aim_to_scare_black_phil.php
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20081002_Vote-scam_fliers_target_black_neighborhoods.html

If you want a hard copy, you'll have to clink on the flyer link and print one out.

[copelli21]

I'm sure this has been said before, but let me reiterate...

It is absolutely ridiculous that we don't have a standardized voting system in place within the United States. It's mind-boggling.

The US still votes like it's voting for the h.s. prom queen.....placing folded paper ballots into a box for the librarian to count. It's absolutely embarrassing. This is the so-called cornerstone of the democratic process we so often try to shove down other countries' throats, and yet we have a system that barely works. I think we all remember Fla. and the hanging chads debacle.

If the vote is the means to executing democracy then shouldn't there be a priority on making sure it's a voting system that works! Shouldn't there be a uniform and accountable means to exercising this power.....the cornerstone of democracy....the act that represents the voices of the people?!

It's a disgrace.

[nwmother]

In my state and Oregon, we vote by mail. Our ballots reach us after october 15 and we have until 5pm November 4 to turn them in or mail them. I have time to research all judicial races, referendum, and representatives before I cast my vote. I love it--I feel like when I vote, I'm super informed and have had time to consider. As with other voting systems, I'm sure vote by mail has it's downside. Our tabulation system is audited by 3 tiers of election officials, violating PO box is a felony, and we have a paper ballot to verify votes in the event of a recount being necessary.
Best thing about it--I don't have to take a day off work or wait 12 hours in line to vote.

[redtwig]

Absolutely! I was going to post the same thing. I too am thankful for the vote-by-mail here in Oregon. Why more states do not follow suit is beyond me.

[BSERIUS]

How many are related to simple verification of voter id and legal status? How many are newly registered by Acorn? and how many due to early voting? In Chicago you have to have an ID and in a lot of instances a utility bill and nobody is complaining except Oprah who did not know how to use the touch screen.

[Scudrunner]

What do you mean Oprah didn't know how to use a touchscreen? What's to know? As one of the richest women in the world, I think you're a bit naive to insinuate that Oprah was stupid.

[BSERIUS]

so rich = intelligence? Alec Baldwin and Sean Hannity are rich but there are a lot of folks that would question their intelligence.

[BillCarson]

You talking about Indiana? Most of the state uses voting machine, and a majority of the counties use machines which do not have a voter verified paper trail...
http://www.verifiedvoting.org/verifier/map.php?&ec=allall&year=2008&state=Indiana

Oh and by the way, Fox, McCain, Limbaugh, and their ilk are not telling the truth about ACORN. Here's an Acorn fact sheet link: http://www.bradblog.com/?page_id=6500

[Abby1]

I am outraged that our country would have these types of problems when it comes to voting. We taut ourselves as a true democracy. Voting problems and nasty hate filled campaigns are not a good representation for a world super power and democracy.

[LeftLeaner]

Deja vu - 2000 and 2004 all over again - FLorida then Ohio!!!!!

The problem between elections, there is no interest in this kind of criminality until close to election day.

SOS

[mondaygirl]

Pennsylvanis has touch screen voting with no paper trail. I finally figured out why McCain is spending so much effort on the state, he is casing the joint!!!!
Pennsylvania will be the new Ohio.

[Congzilla]

"We taut ourselves as a true democracy."

We have never been a democracy. We are a republic, and yes there is a difference. As long as the electoral college system is in place we have no hope for a true democracy.

[sylar]

Watch the vids here, scroll down a bit to get to them

http://www.velvetrevolution.us/prosecute_rove/

Spoonamoore knows his stuff and spells it out plain and simple how votes are stolen with these computers...and he's a REPUBLICAN! He just refuses to live in a country that has been taken over by a small group of criminals.

[huffingtonpostwriter]

We need outsiders watching our election. Just like US sends watchers to third world countries to watch their elections. You can not spread democracy, when you yourself are anti-democratic. We can not expect the world to believe in us, when we ourselves do not even believe. We can not even complete the simple act of voting without simple problems. Who are we to claim that democracies in other countries do not work, that elections in other countries are rigged?

[kace]

Ohio won't allow outsiders to watch....hmm ...go figure. How about the purple finger? That way people can't vote twice....or ten times.

[takingbkourcountry]

As a pollworker in Ohio, nobody CAN TUVM. I run a polling place. We do not allow 'watchers' because of the 2004 spectacle- when I personally was knocked on my backside trying to help a 82 year old grandmother up after a Repuke 'challenger' was rough with her. They are NOT needed...........

[bliss0027]

80% of all votes in America are counted by only two companies: Diebold and ES&S.

http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diebold

There is no federal agency with regulatory authority or oversight of the U.S. voting machine industry.

http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0916-04.htm

http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

The vice-president of Diebold and the president of ES&S are brothers.

http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/private_company.html

http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

[bliss0027]

30% of all U.S. votes are carried out on unverifiable touch screen voting machines with no paper trail.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml

[bliss0027]

All -- not some -- but all the voting machine errors detected and reported in Florida went in favor of Bush or Republican candidates.

http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,65757,00.html

http://www.yuricareport.com/ElectionAftermath04/ThreeResearchStudiesBushIsOut.htm

http://www.rise4news.net/extravotes.html

http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=950

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0411/S00227.htm

[Gidster]

In 2000, Velusia county in Fla. counted -16022 votes for Gore.
That is NEGATIVE 16 thousand votes. How can you un-vote again?

[Congzilla]

Luckily we have paper ballots this time. And you feed it into the machine yourself and see your vote being logged.

[Teutonicus]

sorry, people, but a nation that can't guarantee his citizens their basic right to vote and can't make sure that their votes count, sounds like a Banana Rebublic or Third World for that matter. And you guys want to spread democracy over the world? Learn to organize a flawless election first! Your voting problems, rigging, manipulating, suppression, intimidation of voters and whatever else comes to my mind when I think about your election process, makes you the laughing stock of the world! I am closely watching your elections from abroad and I am disgusted with how things are dealt with.

Obama 08 - the hope for the world!

[bliss0027]

as a foreigner I tend to agree with you.....We've watched two stolen elections, and now all this nonsense, and then America expects us all to follow them in their quest for "democracy"???

ignorance of epic proportions

[Gidster]

Not so much ignorance as greed. The greedy manipulations of the market system works best with little or no regulation.
Republicans have been the champions of deregulation for 40 years.

So the Repubs, and those that profit from them will do EVERYTHING in their scope to retain power and control.

Not Democracy, but Oligarchy and Plutocracy!

[GenXer]

but you can buy a gun

[spqesq]

Or a Congressman.

[Marlyn]

Why buy a gun unless you are going to use it? So if you own a gun, you are going to use it? Really? You are going to shoot people? Really?

Sick.

[sylar]

"sorry, people, but a nation that can't guarantee his citizens their basic right to vote and can't make sure that their votes count, sounds like a Banana Rebublic or Third World for that matter."

That's the awful truth, unfortunately.

[justmeD]

I don't know where you're from but, I live in the USA and I agree with you! It's sickening how things work here. Then, all we hear is get out and vote! WHY?

I'm voting for Obama, hoping it counts.

[kace]

If you are so unhappy here why are you here?

[SirReal1]

I've seen the question repeated numerous times on this board "How can this still be happening after all the problems of 2000 and 2004?"

I realize that most of you, asking this question, are simply asking it rhetorically. For those who really don't understand how this can be continuing I will offer this.

Individual states, by virtue of the 10th Amendment, have "reserved powers" that are defined as "all powers that are not delegated to the national government or denied to the states are reserved for the states or the people."

Simply put, this amendment, by virtue of there being no dictate by the constitution, or restriction by the constitution, left the administration of elections to each individual state as they saw fit. It will take a constitutional amendment to change this, and as we have seen, constitutional amendments are difficult to pass. Individual state governments (and by extension, their citizens) are disinclined to hand over their rights to anything to the national government. They argue that it is their right to administer their elections, because they do not trust the federal government to enact a better system than what they currently have. You can see, by all the various suggestions on this board, that there are multiple possible systems that could be chosen, but no single system seems to be favored by a majority.

[SirReal1]

Until a single system can win support of the majority of the people, a national system is unlikely, thus, we are likely to be looking at the same fragmented system 4 years from now as we have today.

Now, what does that mean in terms of the individual states election systems? Nothing good, I assure you.

The individual states, in the majority of circumstances, are the responsibility of the Governor of the State, usually through the office of the Secretary of State. So the first question becomes; what is the party affiliation of your states Governor?

If your Governor is a Republican, don't expect to see much change.

The next question is; what is the party affiliation of your states Secretary of State?

If your Secretary of State is a Republican, don't expect to see much change even if your Governor is a Democrat.

The final piece to the puzzle; Who holds the majority in your states legislative body (State Senate and House)? If your state Government is in the Republican majority, EVEN IF you have a Democratic Governor and Secretary of State, don't expect to see much change.

[SirReal1]

My home state (Arizona) is a good example of this condition. The Republicans of the state are having a hissy fit at present, because the system is not functioning the way they want it to (e.g. we are seeing many people actually being able to vote, that the Republicans would like to preclude from voting). The Democrats are also upset, because we are having problems in several districts where regional administrators have been given too much authority by legislative decree. Change to the system has been exceedingly slow over the past 8 years because every proposal by the Governor and SOS, has been met with contempt from the Republican Legislature.

I suspect that the same situation has been at work in Ohio since Ms. Brunner took the office of Secretary of State. It is not likely to change until the Legislature has a Democratic majority that can over-ride Republican obstructionism.

The bottom line to all this, much as it goes against my basic nature to support "straight ticket" voting, is that we need a Democratic majority AT ALL LEVELS of our National and State Governments.

The Republicans have, quite simply, abandoned the public trust on all levels, and need to be turned out.

Time for America to Get REAL!

[amyeom]

20 Amazing Facts About Voting in the USA:

http://nightweed.com/20AmazingVotingFacts.html

[bliss0027]

how is it okay, under any circumstances, for companies to be in charge of counting votes in a government election???

how is this allowed???

am I on an alternate universe?

[Gidster]

Especially a company that donates heavily to one party or the other!

Diebold's CEO in a memo to the RNC promised Ohio for Bush in 2004. This is of course after donating to the Bush campaign as well.

There is money involved, so corporations will always look out for their bottom line first, political clout and power second with Democracy running a distant third!

[Marlyn]

When I complained to my cousin (a Republican) about the unfairness of having only Republican companies counting the votes, he said "Well, the Democrats had better start making voting machines of their own."

GOP = Party above Country

[ie]

Just remember, some of those complaints will be from people who just like to complain to anyone who will listen. Agreed, a lot of problems exist, but we must be sure to verify and not just run a witch hunt. I worked at early voting for two weeks. We had a man complained to the press about how long the lines were--that he kept trying but couldn't stand the lines--he came back 3 times and said it was too long. The press showed up to interview him and both said the lines were too long and no one could manage to wait that long. How long? 15-20 minutes. Yes, the lines were long, physically, but neither ever checked to see how fast they moved. A complainer and an "reporter" who didn't even bother to check before they flapped...we'll have a lot of crap to sort out from the true problems, and it will waste a lot of our time and energy.

[forebode]

The elderly and people with disabilities should be allowed first in line, and the voting area should be accessible. Anything less is discrimination against two vulnerable populations that tend to vote for Democrat candidates.

I would not put it past the Republicans to try to make it as difficult as possible for these groups to vote, and to target elderly people for deliberately inaccurate voting information, like "If you vote Wednesday, you won't have such a long wait."

Anymore, I see the Republican party as the American Fascist party, and as a bunch of elitist jerks, bullies, and bigots whose ethics and morals lie as low as a snake's belly in the grass.

I am going to be out and about tomorrow to make sure people are getting to vote without hassle, and if I hear even one report of machines changing peoples' votes from Obama to McCain right before their eyes, I will find out who is responsible for calibrating the machines, and when I find that person, they will never make it home tomorrow night.

[Marlyn]

"I see the Republican party as the American Fascist party"

You nailed it.