Election Problems Blog

(AP Photo/J. Pat Carter)

The CBS News Investigative Unit is reporting on all sorts of voting news now through election night. Election officials predict a perfect storm of voting problems from long lines and overcrowding to machine malfunctions.

Tell us your Election Day voting stories. Are you seeing voting problems that needs looking into? Having trouble voting? Seeing long lines, voters being turned away? Issues with registration or problems with machines?

Email your story to the CBS News Investigative Unit at [e-mail].

We want your pictures too. You can send your cell phone pictures and video CBS EyeMobile to [e-mail]

Starting Tuesday the CBS News Investigates Blog will be tracking and posting the latest problems with voting and other news of election 2008.

[adoremykids-2009]

Husband and I registered to vote at the BMV (Bureau of Motor Vehicles) here in South Bend, IN. in 2006 when getting our Indiana drivers licenses, (we moved from NC). We filled out the card at the BMV, and assumed we were registered to vote. When I looked to find out where our polling location was today, I found out that we were not registered. The rep at the BMV (I called them right away) told me that she could not find us in the computer and said that they went to a new computer system shortly after we got our licenses and any voter registrations before the change were purged from their system. So I called our local voter registration office and was again told that we were not in the computer as registered voters and that several people had called with the same problem, people that had registered at the BMV around that time. So, I just wonder how many people in this area were not allowed to vote because of this screw up. P.S. My husband and I are very upset that we were not allowed to vote...

[luvcomments]

As in some other places, Bonneville County, Idaho, residents have been receiving text messages telling Democrats not to vote until Nov 5th due to long lines. I don''t know about other states, but in Idaho this is apparently considered merely a misdemeanor. I feel it should be, at the least, a felony. Since Idaho is overwhelmingly a Repub state, though, maybe not much will be done about this.

[angvoteprobs]

I went to the polling place I have always gone to. They were no longer there. I was told to go to a school nearby. That school said they did not have my name. I told them my address and they said that was my polling place but they did not have my name. They said the only thing they could do is let me vote provisional? So I did that but as far as I know my vote will not count? What is going on with that? Is it true my vote won''t count? Why did I vote at all then? This is very frustrating as I want my vote to count.
Is there anything I can do now? I want my vote to count.

[angvoteprobs]

I went to the polling place I have always gone to. They were no longer there. I was told to go to a school nearby. That school said they did not have my name. I told them my address and they said that was my polling place but they did not have my name. They said the only thing they could do is let me vote provisional? So I did that but as far as I know my vote will not count? What is going on with that? Is it true my vote won''t count? Why did I vote at all then? This is very frustrating as I want my vote to count.
Is there anything I can do now? I want my vote to count.

[jstoner777]

My 66 year old mother almost didn''t vote today. Not because she is apathetic. She has been diligently volunteering at the McCain/Palin campaign headquarters in her city of Pensacola, FL. It''s not because she doesn''t know the issues. It''s not because she thinks it''s a no-win situation. It is because, for a split second, she questioned if her safety was worth her vote. You read correctly - her safety. When she pulled into her designated voting location, she was "greeted" by a carload of Muslims dressed in full Muslim attire. Just sitting there, sternly staring her down as she pulled in. Her first thought was to leave without voting - she did not want to be another victim of another bombing. But then patriotism kicked in - it was her RIGHT as an American citizen - to vote for the the candidate of HER choice. With determination, she parked her car and went inside. Seeing an officer inside, she reported the incident - better safe than sorry. The officer informed her that a patrol car had already been dispatched to take care of it and that groups of them had been going to the various voting locations and just parking - intimidating voters. And although the police make them leave the location, they had just been going to another location and doing the same thing. Groups of Muslims - trying to keep people from voting - or trying to passively cooerce people into voting a certain way - on American soil!!!

[kteasley83]

am a first time voter at the age of 24. My Birthday is just in 3 days 11/7/08, where I will be 25. I was so excited to get to the polls only to be advised they did not have my information when I registered to vote back in June 2008. Such a huge disappointment and embarrassment. I even showed papers from the http://www.njelections.org/ website that stated I was registered to vote and where to attend. My concerns were only ignored and pushed to a provisional ballot which I have googled in some states doesnt even count. I waited this long, followed the media and presidential election race this far only to probably NOT EVEN COUNT. :-(

[faleyg123]

Please DO SOMETHING....

In Virginia:

Dozens of polling places are experiencing varying degrees of machine malfunction. Some polling places are either completely closed or have been closed for hours.
Thousands of voters may have been turned away illegally by polling workers.
Voters have illegally been issued with provisional ballets where machines have been broken.
Students at Virginia Tech, previously the victims of misinformation, have seen their polling place suddenly and unexpectedly moved six miles to a location with little parking.

[jforobama]

My husband I both had problems voting. We are both registered voters and had to vote provisionally. Upon going back to the polling station, I asked to look and we were both in the book and still had to vote provisionally. Why are we having people run these places that are not qualified to read a name in a book?

[lucindamcnary]

No problems in Platte County but this is the suburbs and an affluent area, plenty of voting machines, paper ballots and the optical scanner was working fine. No long lines.

[pastortim10]

The unbelievable bias of your morning news coverage. So far they have spoken only about Obama supporters getting out to vote. It would be nice if you all would investigate yourselvres. Look at your coverage the past two weeks. Two years would be more accurate. Time the ammount of talk about each candidate. Evaluate the tone of the coverage. Investigate the motives of the editorial choices made. You have completely destroyed my hopes for objective, fair, unbiased information to evaluate.