Election Day Experiences, 2006

Election Day Experiences, 2006

Welcome to the 2006 Election Day Experiences section of freepress.org.
<br><br>
We invite you to post your observations and documentation concerning the administration of the 2006 election by emailing <a href=mailto:democracy@freepress.org>democracy@freepress.org</a&gt;.  These will remain posted here along with others that come in. 
<br><br>
We only require that you include your e-mail address, so that others may respond and inquire into what you\'ve posted, although we would be happy to have whatever additional details you are able to post, including specific information about your voting location and other relevant details.
<br><br>
We emphasize that we will not edit or fact-check any postings on this site.  This site is meant for open posting and exchange, unmonitored by us or any other Free Press staff. 
<br><br>
We recommend no activist, journalist or researcher re-circulate or re-use what is posted here without checking with the author.  We require that the Free Press or freepress.org not be cited as a source in the re-use of any material posted here. 
<br><br>
But we welcome any and all legitimate and documented postings on the crisis in US democracy.  Thank you.
<br><br>
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman<br>
http://freepress.org

2006 election

I voted at my correct precinct and polling place in May, 2006 without incident.

I received an "official elction mailing" in the mail in Oct. 2006 clearly stating my correct name, address, polling place and precinct.

I erroneously thought this meant I was properly registered to vote in Nov. 2006!

I took this mailing in hand and went to vote in November, 2006. I was told I wasn't registered even though I showed poll workers my mailing and said that I'd voted in May without any incident!!

I was told I needed to complete a provisional ballot. I told the poll workers, I had no faith that my provisional ballot would be counted so I left my polling place without voting.

I made several phone calls. My story was carried by AP and other news sources. One website with my story is located at : http:www.onnnews.com/?sec=&story=sites/onn/content/pool/200611/41146806…

I phoned the following organizations:

1. Election Protection Hotline, 1.866.657.8683
2. ACLU voter protection, 216.472.2220

Voting in Denver

I became a voting machine judge so that I could see first hand if there were obvious problems with the machines or otherwise. There were definitely problems on Tuesday but not too many with the workings of the machines and they were easily corrected.

The first problem of the morning was that we were asked to be there at 5:30 AM and the supervisor didn't show up until 6:15 AM. The training we had was not adequate without experienced help and should have been more hands-on so a late supervisor was a negative. However, she really was not very knowledgeable and in my opinion should not have even been a supervisor. She also had the keys for the machines so little could be done before she arrived. Fortunately, we all managed to be up and running on time with a little extra stress being the main problem.

The supervisor had a special cell phone so the election commission could call in with info. or we could call them. It was not charged and had to be studied on the spot to use. Calls all day long to the election commission were put on hold for 10 minutes or so and some of the problems dealt with waiting voters so this created some anger.

First state report, two voting machines down: anomaly, chicanery, or proof of a kleptocracy?

Delmar, Delaware- The town of Delmar is split asunder by the Transpeninsular Line* *that was laid by surveyors in 1751. The southern half of the population resides in Maryland, while their yankee cousins live in Delaware. I currently live just about a mile north of the line. My side of the town boasts a population of 1,407 according to 2000 official census numbers, while the southern side comes in a bit larger as 1,859 people called it home during the same period.

This morning my son Zane and I headed to my alma mater, Delmar High School, to vote. When I arrived there were only a half a dozen people ahead of me in line, a stark contrast to voting in the 2004 election in Columbus, Ohio. The line moved swiftly and soon I was at the head of the line. The normal small town banter was broken as one of the three voting machines allocated to the polling place failed.

One of the elections officials said, “well, about 25 people were able to use it before it went down…” She then continued, “that’s the second machine that’s broken… but it’s ok we have someone on the way to fix them.”

Voting in Hollywood, California

No Diebold or ES&S machines, no threatening pollsters, no interference from poll workers, no threatening calls, no nothing... seems when its a done deal concerning the way a State or locality votes Rove and his minions stay away and concentrate on key elections in swing states. I walked into a church on Yucca Street in Hollywood situated right next to the Hollywood freeway right under the Hollywood sign.

Machine glitches

I want to document my voting experience yesterday at the Middlebury Twp. precinct in Knox County, Ohio. When I cast my vote on a touch-screen machine for Zack Space, the machine registered Joy Padgett. When I changed it, it flipped back to Padgett, twice. Finally, it stayed on Space, but when I turned the page to review my votes, the machine once again registered Joy Padgett.

I was equally troubled by the response of the poll workers to whom I reported the glitch. Their response was something like, "Don't worry about it, it will be all right." They didn't close down the machine!

I checked the print-out to make sure the results were recorded correctly. I left wondering how many voters would even notice the glitch and check the print-out.

Isn't it interesting that all of these glitches seem to err in favor of Republicans?

Jacqueline I. Ruhl
Fredericktown, Ohio

PAPER BALLOTS

At precinct 02 Mount Calvary Baptist Church, Marietta, GA 30064, my wife and I ask for a paper ballot in order to vote today. We were denied a paper ballot by the person in charge of the precinct. I ask why? He said, "Georgia law. You have to use the electronic voting machine." I ask him to show me the law refusing me the right to a paper ballot. He could not.

While I was in line, waiting to vote electronically he approached me with a pink sheet of paper informing me that no paper ballots were to be given to voters. The pink sheet of paper had no official letterhead, signature, and only two paragraphs alluding to this fact. I ask. May I keep this? He said. "No." I ask for a copy. He said. "We have no copying machines available."

We had no choice. We had to vote electronically

In GOD we trust.
Douglas H. And Carol S. Lovely
3060 Fleet Street
Marietta GA 30064-5020

voting difficulty: list of legitimate local write-in candidates not available at polling place

To whom it may concern:

I learned of the organization by watching CNN last night where some compelling coverage on "What Happened in Ohio" was discussed.

This morning when I voted (McHenry County Algonquin Township 65 in Cary, IL) the legitimate write-in canditates list wasn't available, which was a problem as I now understand there are some, and the only local officials on the ballot are Republican. I will also contact my local government for this problem.

Best regards,
William McCarthy
7102 Silver Lake Rd
Cary, IL 60013

Voting problems

I spoke with a friend this morning who told me that she, and many other voters who turned up at 7 a.m. to vote at the Raspberry Community Center in the Twin Cities, Minnesota could not vote because the polling place was closed. Voters were angry, and many had to leave.

Here is what is posted on the Minnesota Secretary of State web site:

Q: When are the polling places open for voting?
A: For state elections, most polling places open at 7:00am; a few polling places in small townships located outside the seven-county metropolitan area may open as late as 10:00am.  All polling places close at 8:00pm.  

Calls by the GOP giving out wrong precincts in Athens

I just found out that the Republicans are calling up voters again this year and giving them the wrong location to vote at. They did this in 2004 and a democrat got such a call tonight in Athens County and reported it to me. I am demanding the County Prosecutor make a statement condemning this and launching an immediate investigation there must be some way to track the villains. Warn others and if they get a number on a caller ID be sure they save it. I understand this has been on the national news today that this is happening.

Please beware of calls regarding your precinct. Call us at 594-8686 which is my law office if you need to confirm your precinct.

Susan Gwinn
Chair, Athens County Democratic Party
Subscribe to Election Day Experiences, 2006