Virginia Voting: Broken Machines, No Paper Ballots

At the Math and Science Center in Richmond, Virginia, an early breakdown of electronic voting machines led to a three-and-a-half hour wait to vote on Tuesday morning, according to one poll watcher.

"Some people have been here since 6 a.m., and the first voters are just finishing now," said Judith Browne-Dianis, adding that the Richmond location she was watching did not even have backup paper ballots in case of machine malfunction.

"They didn't even have the paper ballots required by state law," she said. "That's not even something we were supposed to have to ask for. I went inside and asked the polling judge, and he said 'we don't have 'em. They [the Board of Elections] were supposed to give 'em to us, and they didn't.'"

Browne-Dianis is also a lawyer with the Advancement Project. That group, along with the NAACP, unsuccessfully brought legal action against Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as part of an effort to expand polling place hours this evening.

The groups had also hoped to get Virginia to provide more paper ballots for voters in case late evening lines proved prohibitive -- a request that was also rejected by a judge on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, though, Browne-Dianis said her group had succeeded in getting Virginia to announce that curbside voting will be in effect tonight for elderly and disabled voters. She also underlined the fact that anyone who lines up by 7pm will be able to vote, no matter how long the line takes to process.

As for her group's thwarted legal challenge, Browne-Dianis said the judge was sympathetic to the case during Monday's hearing. "He himself described waiting two and half hours, at age 85, to vote absentee. ... He said we need to go to the state legislature and get early voting, and that there is no remedy for voters for this election. And so we are monitoring the polls."

Comments

[TruthandReconciliation]

In some poorer areas of Virginia they are relying on one voting machine per 350 voters. That allows one minute and fifty seconds for each vote. That is roughly the time it takes to go from one voter to another. It took me fifteen minutes to fill out my absentee paper ballot. Kaine will regret this decision for the rest of his life.

[MNmommy]

This is exactly what Mayor Wilder was afraid of last night.

Pathetic.

[Ron1951]

Agreed. But why wasn't he more involved in preventing this from happening--especially because he thought it was coming?

[torrrep]

If he was so afraid then why didn't he do more to make sure they were better prepared? You say he was afraid of this happening. Then he doesn't do a damn thing to prevent it. And now I suppose you are going to blame Republicans like you liberals usually do when you can't figure out how to run an election.

[DiBaskin]

This is an embarrassment and a disgrace. How in the world could this happen early morning on elections day. Are we just throwing things together at the last minute. Are we becoming a third world country?

[SCVADem]

Math and Science Center in Richmond? That's the Central Garden precinct....

From 2004 election:
Central Gardens (0206) Kerry 1,367 95.3% Bush 63 4.4%

[mdowning]

hmm...coincidence?

[labman57]

Seems like a hole lot of finger-pointing going on. Nobody wants to step up to the plate, accept responsibility for solving the problem, and get it done.

Virginia is going to end up with a black eye over this and be the butt of a lot of jokes around the nation, similar to what happened to Ohio in 2004 and Florida in 2000.

[amazedandoutraged]

Why can't paper ballots be printed and distributed? If necessary, extend voting to Wednesday? Get rid of the machines.

[Sweetfoot]

This is such a sad story. No real democracy in this country. Why can't we get this right. Electronic voting should be outlawed in all states. It's a total scam. I'm a conspiracy theorist and I see this as a conspiracy!

Democrat by Design Poster Project
http://www.democratbydesign.typepad.com

[juniper76]

I voted in Arlington at 6:45 this morning, the computers had not broken down yet. I chose to fill out a paper ballot. Thank goodness!

[somefool]

With friends like Kaine . . . ?

[Chapmanp2]

We NEED a National Mail in Election system that mirrors Oregon. It gives people time to make an informed decision. It leaves a paper trail & it can't flip votes.

[VOTER]

Agree.

[digdeeper]

Agree

[LJay]

only in america

[genia]

Reading this thread I noticed that many here are ready to tear Tim Kaine a new one...lol
but...I have a feeling that it's not him.
maybe these guys need to be looked at....................


~~".....asked the polling judge, and he said 'we don't have 'em. They [the Board of Elections] were supposed to give 'em to us, and they didn't.'"!~~

Polling judges.....others who run the polling districts. What are the odds that this polling judge is a republican? What are the odds that it's no coincidence that he was placed at that specific polling place?

[brobike42]

I had no problem voting in the city of Richmond this morning. My daughter, who lives in a highly Republican district said that at one voting place six of the seven machines weren't working. I think the Repubs are running scared.

[santamonica39]

This is a joke, right??! Why can't America - the supposed greatest country on earth - get her elections right? Why are there no paper ballots? It's not like we haven't known for months there would be high turnout and it's not like we haven't known for YEARS that these stupid machines break down. People need to lose their jobs over this. And what the hell is wrong with Gov. Kaine??

I love how they say if you're there by 7:00 you can vote, "no matter how long it takes". Well, some people have children and can't stand online until 11:00pm! christ..

[rkimball]

ask the republicans. this was planned months ago to frustrate as many democrats as possible.

[tydicea]

Same state that mailed out false election day schedule to registered democrats with the state seal on the documents, then yesterday said it was a prank that got out of control. I don't know, but something stinks here.

[jsgaetano]

Goopers: the law is optional for them.

It's going to be SO great to get these guys out of power, and into prisons where they belong.