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Poll workers struggle with e-ballots
By DEBORAH HASTINGS, AP National WriterTue Nov 7, 6:01 PM ET
New voting machines confounded some poll workers around the country on
Election Day, and a combination of electronic glitches and human error
forced some
precincts to extend voting hours or switch to paper ballots.
More than 80 percent of the nation's voters were expected to cast some type
of electronic ballot Tuesday, which was the deadline for major reforms
mandated by the federal Help America Vote Act, passed by Congress to
prevent a rerun
of the 2000 election debacle.
While people in hundreds of precincts waited in long lines, reports of voter
intimidation and dirty tricks surfaced in at least three states.
In Arizona, three men, one of them armed, stopped Hispanic voters and
questioned them outside a Tucson polling place, according to voting monitors
for
the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which photographed
the
incidents and reported them to the FBI.
In Maryland, sample ballots misidentifying the party affiliations of
Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich and Senate candidate Michael Steel were
handed out
by people bused in from out of state, The Washington Post reported on its
Web site.
In Virginia, election officials contacted the FBI over complaints of voter
intimidation. Jean Jensen, secretary of the Board of Elections, said her
office
received reports of phone calls apparently encouraging voters to stay home
on Election Day. Other calls directed voters to the wrong polling place.
In another dirty trick controversy, Democrats accused Republicans of
sponsoring automated "robo-calls" that have infuriated voters around the
country.
The recorded calls, which reached a fever pitch in the days leading up to
the
election, automatically dial and re-redial, promoting or trashing a
candidate.
Republicans have denied responsibility. Some voters have reported being
awakened in the middle of the night by such calls, and said that after they
hung
up, the phone rang again. Federal rules bar election phone solicitations
after
9 p.m.
In some states, the effort to improve the integrity of the election system
got off to a shaky start. Long lines formed, prompting appeals to judges to
keep the polls open longer.
In Denver, up to 300 people stood outside some polling sites. One was
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter, who waited an hour and 40
minutes.
"It's actually heartening," he said. It means people "understand the process
is important enough to be patient and wait in line." Nonetheless, Democratic
Party officials asked a judge to extend poll hours because of the delays.
A long ballot and new machines caused the disruptions, according to Colorado
secretary of state spokeswoman Lisa Doran. "Despite the training, some of
the
election judges are intimidated by the machines," she said.
Computer glitches and poll workers' unfamiliarity with the new equipment
were
also blamed for long lines in such states as Tennessee, South Carolina and
Illinois.
In North Carolina, about 100 voters were left waiting at a church because
the
poll worker who had the key showed up nearly an hour late. In Pennsylvania,
a computer programming error forced some to cast paper ballots. In Indiana,
175 precincts also resorted to paper. Counties in those states also
extended
poll hours to make up for delays.
As of midday, none of the stumbles seemed to signal a voting disaster, said
poll watchers.
"Lots of fender-benders, but no major tie-ups," said Doug Chapin, director
of
electionline.org, a nonpartisan group that tracks election problems. "It's
been a steady drumbeat, but nothing that rises to the level of `This could
compromise the results.'"
Nevertheless, some of the mishaps raised the frustration level.
In Cleveland, where some voters in 2004 waited in 14-hour lines, problems
with ballot-reading machines caused big delays. For the first time, all 88
counties used electronic voting — either touch-screens or paper ballots that
are
electronically scanned.
James Marquart said he walked out without voting after poll workers said his
name wasn't on the rolls, even though he was holding a postcard from the
elections board that told him which precinct to vote in.
"They did offer me a provisional ballot, but I have absolutely no faith in
provisional ballots," he said. Such ballots are only counted if election
officials can document the voter's registration.
Activists also feared that last-minute changes in voter identification laws
would mean even more confusion.
In Missouri, for example, a judge recently overturned a state law requiring
voters to produce a government-issued photo identification. In Kansas City
on
Tuesday, some voters nevertheless reported being asked for photo ID.
"We've had people saying they were turned away," said Edward Hailes of the
Advancement Project, a voting-rights group monitoring polling sites across
the
country. "We've been trying to contact the board of elections, but the phone
lines are jammed."
In Kentucky, a poll worker was arrested after allegedly choking a voter and
throwing him out of the polling place. The two had argued over a ballot
issue.
"That about tops off the day," said Jefferson County Clerk spokeswoman Paula
McCraney.
Copyright (c) 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information
contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or
redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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