While a record number of Americans have taken advantage of early voting…it has not gone smoothly. And as far as I can tell, the two categories are GLITCHES and DIRTY TRICKS.
GLITCHES: I suppose a certain amount of confusion or technical errors are inevitable…but some are just unreasonable when you consider that they’ve had a lot of time to prepare for this, and this is certainly not the first election to be held in the United States. Examples:
-In Virginia…they seemed to have no forewarning that an election was being held, and were in no way ready for the number of people who have turned out early. To further exacerbate things, it appears that they set up voting locations based on old demographic data and without taking into account the large number of new machines…which will guarantee long lines for most people.
-In West Virginia…the machines have been, well…a little glitchy. Check out this clip…and watch what happens when he presses either Democratic Straight Ticket or Republican Straight Ticket:
Nice…and then he “recalibrates” the machine…and it still doesn’t work properly!
-In Pennsylvania, a federal judge ordered them to distribute paper ballots when half of the machines at a location weren’t working, because they’ve had so many problems since the primaries with their equipment. Previously…they wouldn’t offer the paper ballot option until ALL of the machines weren’t working.
-Ohio is also offering paper ballots as an alternative to machines that are either broken, or that people don’t trust. Oh, and they warn that since they are only required to stock paper ballots for 25% of the voters…they might run out.
-Of course…there are problems with paper ballots and absentee ballots, too. People using these methods could be excluded “due to mismatched signatures, or irregularities in the way the ballot was marked, or failure to sign the outside envelope for a mail-in ballot.” 4 to 10 percent of optical-scan absentee ballots have to be examined by a worker to “determine the voter’s intent.” Because more people will be using these methods this year…more eyeballing ballots…more ballots thrown out…more potential legal challenges.
-The Help America Vote Act of 2002, or HAVA, required states to draw up voter registration databases…the information in these databases would then be matched against voter’s identification. The problem? Many states have adopted an “exact match” policy…if their records show “Joseph Smith” and your registration card, drivers license, utility bill or bank statement shows “Joe Smith“…well then you get to fill out a “Provisional Ballot” which will be counted after the election is over…or maybe not at all.
DIRTY TRICKS: We all knows this goes on…it always seems to be Democratic Voters who are told to vote on a different day, or who are told they could be arrested if they try to vote. Examples:
-In Virginia, an official-looking memo was circulated in several neighborhoods…saying that due to the increased number of voters, Democrats were going to vote on November 5th.
-In Colorado, a crucial swing state, nearly ten thousand registrations have been thrown out because people entered their SSN, but didn’t check the checkbox to indicate that they didn’t have a state-issued Driver’s License. You can guess which party’s voters are most likely impacted.
-In New Mexico, the GOP is currently being sued for voter intimidation. First they announced that many minority voters registered by ACORN had illegally voted in the Democratic Primary…they published their names…and even sent Private Investigators to some people’s houses. Turns out…investigation has shown that the vast majority of the people on the list were completely legitimately registered and voted legally.
-In Ohio, the Republicans filed a suit that charged that people who had taken advantage of the state’s same-day registration policy were ineligible to vote and had committed voter fraud by doing so. These voters…had not broken a single law and were legally registered to vote. The GOP just lost the suit…thankfully.
-In Philadelphia, a flier circulated in African-American neighborhoods warned voters that they could be arrested at the polls if they have warrants or UNPAID PARKING TICKETS.
These are just a few examples…and it’s a shame. A shame that some would use fear, intimidation, and even abuse the legal system to attempt to get their candidate into office. Especially in this election, with so many first-time voters and voters from often disenfranchised segments of our society stepping up to participate…it is unforgivable and un-American.
My recommendation to avoid voting problems:
-Go early.
-Take more id than you could possibly need.
-If asked to use a provisional ballot…keep trying to resolve the issue first. You can also contact the League of Women Voters or Election Protection for help.
-If using a paper ballot…read it carefully, mark it clearly, and sign it the way you always sign your name. Make sure all required fields have been marked.
-If using an electronic machine…check to make sure the button you pressed is the selection that lights up. If not, notify a worker.
-If you are having difficulty, ask a polling place worker.
-DON’T let them rush you.
That’s it…good luck…and happy voting.