Glitches in Ohio

Posted: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 8:30 AM by Alan Boyle
Filed Under: Congress, States

From NBC's Ron Mott and Patrice Fletcher
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Here in the Buckeye State, the focus is not so much on the individual races but on the voting process, which was beset by problems during the 2004 presidential election. Already today, issues have been reported around the state with electronic voting machines, optical scanners, long lines and voter identification.

Two Republican House members reportedly encountered difficulties at their respective polling stations. U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot was said to be turned away for not having proper identification, and Rep. Jean Schmidt could not get the scanner to accept her ballot.

There are other sporadic reports of problems around the state, but state officials say they have heard nothing that would indicate an orchestrated effort to affect the voting process. For the first time, all 88 counties will utilize some form of electronic voting, retiring the much-maligned punch cards. Turnout is expected to reach 54 percent.

A group of Ohio State University law professors and their students will be closely monitoring the voting process here in Ohio as well as in nine other key states as well.

As for the campaigns, Democrats appear poised for a big celebration, holding comfortable leads in last-minutes polls for Senate and governor, both of which have been in Republican control for more than a dozen years.

According to the final Ohio Poll, sponsored by the University of Cincinnati, Republican Sen. Mike DeWine trails Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown by as much as 12 percentage points, and Democrat Ted Strickland leads Republican Ken Blackwell in the gubernatorial race by 14 points.

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Comments

if i may be the first to say: LOOOOOOLLLLLL

Brett, Pittsburgh (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:39 AM)

any real surprise here? i'm just waiting for the criminals who run the state just to up and cancel the elections all together and offer to try again next time.

Dan, Columbus OH (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:45 AM)

My wife and I went to vote this morning at 7:00am. At our polling place we have 4 diebold voting machines. 2 out of the 4 machines were inoperable. It took me 1 hour 15 minutes to vote with only 12 people in front of me. While I was waiting, I observed 15 people leave because of the wait. My wife is a school teacher and she was one of the voters that had to leave for work without voting. The poll workers told us that they had requested support before the polls opened at 6:30am and as of 8:20am there had been no assistance. The poll workers said that they had no training on what to do if problems arise. As stated before, it took me 1 hour and 15 minutes to vote with only 12 people ahead of me. When I finished voting there was a line of more than 40 people that have not voted. The poll workers said that we should go to the county board of elections and cast a provisional ballot, which is 6 miles away. I refused to leave because I have little faith that the provisional ballots would ever be counted. The damage had already been done by not allowing many people to vote before work in the first two hours of voting. This is a shame!

Brian Duvall, Dover, OH (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:47 AM)

.... as the fellow once said . . "it ain't over 'til its over.

R Halberg (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:48 AM)

I had to submit a provisional ballot today because I failed to update my address with the Board of Elections. At my "new" voting location I was told three times I could not vote: 1.) I was told I could not vote in my new precinct but must go to my old precinct to complete a ballot. I pointed out that the Franklin County Board of Election's web site states I need to report to my new district's polling location and submit a Provisional Ballot. 2.) I was then told I was in the wrong polling location for my address/district. I informed them that they were incorrect and that I was in the correct location for my address. They looked up other addresses on my street and finally admitted I was in the correct district. While one person was looking up the addresses, another worker told me I needed to report to district 55-D. I pointed to the sign on the table identifying this as district 55-D. 3.) I was told that since I was not in the "book" that I could not vote. I informed them (again) of what I explained when I first walked up to the registration table - that I had not updated my address with the Board of Elections and therefore would not be in their "book" but I am entitled of a Provisional Ballot. I was finally able to submit a Provisional Ballot. How many people will be turned away today because workers are telling people they cannot vote for bogus reasons? Michael J. Smith Columbus, Ohio

Michael J. Smith, Columbus, Ohio (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:50 AM)

Maybe Ohio needs to be prohibited from participating in elections for federal offices until they clean up their act...

Dan, Reno, NV (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:52 AM)

Indiana and Ohio!! What a suprise!!!! These are the states where the Republicans can lose a lot of seats. Same song, different verse....

Doyle, Nashville, Tn. (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:52 AM)

I voted on one of the new Diebold Machines. I noticed some verbage missing from Issue 2-like what was it? The machine just had Issue 2-Yes or No.

Brian, Kettering, OH (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:52 AM)

I encountered a similar situation. While there were more than 4 electronic voting machines (these were the ES&S models) 2 were broken and the queue was not being handled well. With only 10 people in front of me I stood in line for 45 minutes when I got to the polls at 630am.

rob columbus, oh (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:55 AM)

All I can say is VOTE! stand in line , do not be imtimidated! This is the only way to stop this blatant abuse of our right as Americans to voice our views. If we find fraud our voter abuse convict at the maximum!!!!!!! VOTE VOTE Stop the abuse of our American Rights

Mike Raleigh NC (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:55 AM)

They have reinvented the wheel yet again and this time it is square. The antiquated "fill in the circle entirely" technique has been abolished in most cases and yet it is brought out to the voters. No one with any minor motor difficulty is able to do this properly and I fear a great many votes will be discounted. Any individual with a palsy will be left out--has there ever been a more discriminatory voting method. And we thought hanging chads were a problem!

Tonya Liodos, Munroe Falls, Oh (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:57 AM)

diebold... the voter technology wing of the republican party.....

Steve Q, Raleigh NC (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:57 AM)

I went around 8:15 this morning, encountered no problems, all the poll workers knew what they were doing, explained the new machines well and was out within 10 minutes. C'mon folks, it's not that hard!! My coworkers reported no trouble with morning voting either. Geez.

Chris Mayersin ,Columbus Ohio (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:58 AM)

I voted in about 15 minutes at my polling place in Toledo. One machine, out of about 15, was "crashed"; otherwise an exceptionally uneventful, fairly "pleasant", experience.

Tom, Toledo, OH (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:58 AM)

I'm just waiting for Karl Rove to turn off the power!

Robert, Akron, OH (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:58 AM)

No problems in my precinct in Butler County. The election personnel on staff actually knew what they were doing and were able to answer questions. Amazing! Kudos to the board of elections in Butler County!!

B Heckert, Hamilton, OH (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:58 AM)

I Live in Zanesville OH. I had no problems with this years elections other than the phone calls. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes.

Shane, Zanesville, OH (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:58 AM)

The entire voting process should be revamped. Why do we have to do all the voting in one day and put everyone in a time crunch to get the vote in? Voting should be done across a 5 day period to allow for problems to be resolved, or remotely over the internet. This is the information age, not the stone age.

Doug R, Pickerington, OH (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:59 AM)

Can you believe the media? They must wait around a red hotline just to have something to report. If people don’t like long lines they should vote absentee like I did. If they can’t figure out how to use a video voting machine then perhaps they are stupid and shouldn’t be voting in the first place? If they don’t like having to show ID to vote then maybe they don’t need to vote? You have to show your driver’s license or some other ID for anything else you do in this country.

Troy, Columbus, OH (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:01 PM)

I voted this morning in Hilliard, a suburb of Columbus, and encounter no problems. The electronic polling machine worked perfectly. I had used the same type machine in the

Jim , Hilliard, Ohio (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:01 PM)

Typical of Ohio...backwards and stupid government employees with no clue how to do their jobs.

Paul, Atlanta, GA (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:01 PM)

I just voted (Ohio) and I am in a very unpopulated precinct and I had to wait, new voting process is very, very slow...I can just imagine the wait in the large populated precincts...This is a joke!!!!

Chuck, Newark Ohio (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:02 PM)

maybe Schmidt couldn't fill in the blanks correctly because she didn't have her scriptwriter in the booth with her

raw cincinnati (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:02 PM)

I walked into my polling place, provided identification, waited for about 3 minutes for a machine to become available and voted. All of the voting machines were operable and the whole process took me about 6 minutes. Kudos to the poll workers at my precinct!

Melissa Tesar, Parma, Ohio (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:02 PM)

Well, I voted early this AM and had aboslutley no problem. My precinct is in a gym with 17 other precincts. THERE WAS NO PROBLEMS PERIOD!!!!! at any of them.

Tim Meade (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:03 PM)

Voted in Pennsylvania completely smooth process. However I am disgusted to read that Ohio is having the same problems again.

Steve Goldman Philadelphia (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:04 PM)

Be happy we have "upgraded" voting machines. No system will be perfect. VOTE ANYWAY. Our state gets slammed for its voting system. If we don't get to the polls and cast a ballot, then shame on us!

Michael J. Smith, Canal Winchester, Ohio (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:04 PM)

DO NOT LET YOURSELF BE TURNED AWAY! I arrived to vote this morning at 6:40 am with my driver's license (with my previous address-which under the new Ohio voter ID law IS CONSIDERED VALID VOTER ID). I was told that I could not vote without proof of my current address. I went back to my apartment and returned with a utility bill and paycheck that show my current address. This time I was told that I could vote, BUT it would be with a "PROVISIONAL" ballot and they would send my utility bill to the board of elections for verification. Knowing what the law states, I left and will return after work. Hopefully, my phone calls to the local board of elections has changed what was an obviously IMPROPER enforcement of Ohio's new regulations.

Luke, Mariemont, Ohio (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:04 PM)

"Those that vote count for nothing. Those that count the votes, count for everything." -Joe Stalin

mjk1093 (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:05 PM)

Voted in Pennsylvania completely smooth process. However I am disgusted to read that Ohio is having the same problems again.

Steve Goldman Philadelphia (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:05 PM)

Looks like the GOP gremlins have struck again. What's wrong with paper ballots? Fill in the blank and it can be scanned. We still vote by checking boxes here in Maine and I love it. No hi-falutin gizmos, just a little pencil attached to a string! Good luck to all the Ohio voters.

irene swift , jefferson maine (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:08 PM)

I am a Democrat living in a heavily populated Republican district (the home of John Boehner). I had zero problems voting today.....democracy? For the people by the people? Rubbish...

Chris, Butler County, Ohio (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:08 PM)

Yes people VOTE! This is VERY important! I tell you what, I will be in the streets until something is done if they try to pull one over AGAIN. We can't allow this to happen anymore. Make some noise people. I want my country back!

Lisa Los Angeles, CA (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:08 PM)

irene swift , jefferson maine (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:09 PM)

This illustrates why election day every two years needs to be a national holiday. Why do the complaints about voting tend to be in states where the government is dominated by the GOP? Indiana, Florida, Ohio. I am sure it is because the GOP knows that these supposed glitches discourage lower income voters disproportionately. Upper class voters have more flexibility and can better afford to take an extra 45 minutes to vote if they have to, and they tend to vote GOP.

Steve, Land O Lakes, FL (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:09 PM)

I went to my polling station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Mt. Washington area) and was the second in line when I arrived at 6:50. I expected the polls to open at the 7am scheduled time but alas none of the workers knew how to "turn on" the new voting machines. 30 minutes later I finally got to vote. There were about 20 of us waiting to vote and 3 individuals left without voting. Who ever would have thought we'd be dealing with these voting issues in 2006. While we try to export democracy around the world, our democracy seems to be more and more at risk. Sigh.......

Conrad, Pittsburgh, PA (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:09 PM)

I live in rural Vermont where we still have paper ballots- I guess we are lucky in the reguard. From all I have heard about the new voting machines I feel sorry for people who have to use them- I would not feel comfortable that my vote was actually being counted as I wished.

cathy L (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:10 PM)

Stark county Oh Perry township 45 min wait because two voting machines were down.

J Traylor (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:11 PM)

Stark county Oh Perry township 45 min wait because two voting machines were down.

J Traylor (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:11 PM)

When I first entered the polling place, there were no clear indicators as to which line to stand in so I could quickly fulfill my voting obligation. What I realized was that I needed to look at the small maps at the front of each voting area to determine where I needed to be in order to vote. Many other people were also confused by the lack of directions and entered the wrong voting lines as well. When I finally was able to check in, the individuals responsible for confirming my identification and signing me in had difficulty locating my address and signature line in the two sets of paper documents they had to thumb through to find such information. I finally received my ballot (after approximately 20-25 minutes) - a TWO (2) PAGE LEGAL-SIZE, DOUBLE-SIDEDED BALLOT - that required me to use a black ballpoint pen to fill in the box next to my selection - I felt like I was back in school again. Are we not in an electronics age and don't we pay enough taxes so that the Ohio Board of Elections could devise a voting system that is more efficient rather than continuing to use an archaic program that prolongs the agony of those waiting in long lines to vote. I didn't even mention that there were only 4 or 5 voting booths per area/line to vote in - this issue also contributed to the LONG waiting lines.

MD Reuss, Cincinnati, Ohio (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:11 PM)

The Republicans have figured it out. Discourage the voters and keep the turnout low. Could someone please tell me what Iraq has to do with 9-1-1.

Dan Indpls In. (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:13 PM)

Why is voting held on a week day? Wouldn't voter participation increase if held on a Saturday? I have a flexible, salaried work schedule and no children to rush to school before work, but many do not. I recently encountered a school janitor and asked if he were going to vote. He said he couldn't afford to lose a few hours pay, not to mention that his precinct is 20 miles away from where he worked and he followed the bus schedule. Weekday voting, long lines, inoperable equipment, hackable memory cards....when will we get it? (If it were a for-profit institution, I bet it would fall under stricter regulation guidelines!)

Annette, Dallas, TX (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:15 PM)

With the election process progressively seeming to worsen each election period, I'd be more than happy to see the UN monitoring our elections at this rate! I realize the value of state's rights, but how about those lame ducks in D.C. come up with a national, standardized voting system with 1 ballot form and standardized voting machines?

Colin, Milwaukee WI (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:15 PM)

The State of Ohio has made it so easy to vote early all you need to do is mail a request for a ballot and it is mailed to your house. We all need to take action and stop the complaining about why you stand in line. It was your choice to stand in line. I voted over a week ago in the comfort of my home.

Jeff, Milford,Oh (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:16 PM)

I have been voting absentee for years. I can sit, take my time and research the candidates and issues if I'm not familiar with them. No forgotten ID, no lines, no aggrevation, no Diebold. Just a number 2 pencil and two 39 cent stamps and the greatly increased chance my vote will count!

Catherine, Silver Spring, MD (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:27 PM)

To The Dems: You Go Boys and Girls!!! :) To The Reps: Another one bites the dust! :)

J.E.C. (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:41 PM)

Of five machines in my precinct, one machine was down and one failed when I was in line. Took 45 minutes to vote. The election staff were courteous and were trying their best to fix the two machines. I hope no more machines go on the fritz. It was nice to talk to my neighbors and catch-up.

Dan Ferdelman, Columbus, Ohio (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 12:45 PM)

Who said democracy was easy? Voting snafus should be investigated but come on already...a lot of the whining we hear is voters being inconvenienced by the process...it took too long, its raining, the dummies didn't have the records right, quack quack...this is our democracy and if it takes you all day to vote then just shut up and do your civic duty, you aren't ordering from starbucks here you are deciding our national future, make an effort will you?

Rick, Winston salem, NC (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 1:01 PM)

At my location this morning, there were three lines for three different precincts. However, there was only one sign by one of the lines denoting what precinct it was for. I stood in the wrong line (yeah, I know...my fault for not looking up my precinct beforehand), and then had to go in the right line only when one of the volunteers took the time to walk down the line and confirm everyone's precincts. While in line for my precinct, someone suggested they should put up signs at the front with maps showing the precinct borders (which were lying there on the table). The volunteers then discussed if this was a "good idea." It made me so angry. Big surprise that I happen to live in a heavy Republican area.

P.M., Hamilton Township, OH (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 1:14 PM)

at a small precinct in Marietta with 1 scanner which started behaving badly at 7:20 am - I began to wonder how long I could wait for it to be fixed without making my daughter late for school and me late for work. I had filled out my ballot as had the 15 people in the line in front of me and finally the poll worker figured out the problem ... if voting irregularities threaten to take away our Democracy AGAIN I will not acquiesce this time ... enough's enough.

Debby Coss; Marietta, OH (Sent Tuesday, November 07, 2006 1:21 PM)

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