Experts Warn Of Nov. 4 Vote Meltdowns

Politico: Election Officials And Citizens Groups Worry About Surge Of New Voters And Bad Equipment

(The Politico)  This story was written by Avi Zenilman and Ben Smith.

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While the two campaigns Tuesday accused one another of trying to steal or suppress votes, experts in election administration are focusing on the old standbys: Faulty machines, questionable voter lists, last-minute litigation.

The likely trouble spots, the experts say, include two familiar election reprobates: Ohio and Florida.

But there are also some new entrants, as the broad new playing field of the 2008 presidential election means more states are competitive, more citizens are participating, and the potential for Election-Day meltdowns like the notorious administrative collapse in Florida in 2000 has increased.

Many pointed, in particular, to Colorado as the possible source of a late night November 4, while others suggested that record turnout in states like Virginia and Georgia could challenge local election officials.

"There's still reason to be concerned in terms of what's going to take place in November," said Kimball Brace, whose firm, Election Data Services, advises local governments on election administration.

Brace cited everything from new machines in Cleveland and South Florida to the rise in absentee voting, many of which are counted by error-prone "optical scan" machines.

"The states that we're keeping an eye on [are] still Florida, but also Ohio, and also Colorado. Those three states are the problem ones from an election administration standpoint," he said.

The location of an Florida-2000-style Election-Day meltdown - with the attendant legal clashes, and lingering doubt - is impossible to predict. Such crises only come about in extremely tight elections, and require the confluence of that close vote with an administrative failure.

But despite eight years of federal and state efforts to create a more standardized, higher-tech national framework for election administration, most state votes will still be administered by county election boards whose competence and equipment vary wildly.

The campaigns, meanwhile, have already begun intense legal skirmishing in states like Ohio and Indiana over a new wave of early voting that began in September.

"In South Florida you've got areas that are going to be on their third separate voting technology in their third consecutive presidential election," said Doug Chapin, the editor of the non-partisan Electionline.org. "Ohio once again is in ground zero for policy changes and litigation."

Colorado, meanwhile, is still reeling from a true Election Day meltdown in 2006, a technical failure in Denver that may have swung at least one close race.

"It's squarely in both campaigns' sights," Chapin said. "They were one of the last states to finish their voter registration list. They had a very bad experience with Election Day voter centers in 2006. Lots of changes, lots."

Many states are taking pressure off their November 4 poll sites with a push for early voting, which has been embraced by both presidential campaigns.

"Mail-in voting helps to relieve a lot of the pressure," said Rich Coolidge, a spokesman for the Colorado secretary of state.

But Chapin said early voting comes with its own concerns: The error rate for optical-scan ballots transported to a central location for counting is sharply higher than those tallied on site, he said.

Florida, the state that has been synonymous with Election Day chaos since the 2000 recount, remains especially troubled despite intense local efforts to remedy its problems. A 2006 congressional election was marred by a dispute concerning more than 18,000 "undervotes" on ballots that registered votes for some offices but not for the congressional race itself. The losing campaign claimed that unusually high number of undervotes was due to a software glitch on "touch-screen" voting machines.

In preparation for the presidential election, 15 Florida counties complied with a new edict to abandon their touch-screen voting machines, and switched to optical scan machines, which leave a physical record of each voter's ballot in case of a recount. But this August in Palm Beach County, a close local primary where 3,400 ballots went uncounted - followed by a series of recounts - led officials to worry and re-test the optical scan voting machines.

"We feel pretty good about the machines," said Jennifer Krell Davis, the communications director for the Florida secretary of state, who said most had had a test-run in this year's presidential primaries.

But just in case, "All of the supervisors have been encouraged to plan as if there is definitely going to be a county-wide recount," she said.

Some observers say that the main problem may simply be delays, and depressed turnout, as voters navigate the new machines.

[downsteamjim]

Fogleman''s Law: An election is fair only if a Democrat wins.

[eggy1620]

Posted by WRMSCVSUV

From an old proverb, He who knows not and knows not that he knows not, is a fool; reject him.

That pretty much sums up your monkey faced hero.

[oldguy4truth]

National ID. is the single most thing that can solve the most issues in our country. Voter Fraud, Illegal Immigrantation, Criminal "false" ID. Social Security, National Security, and I am sure I missed somthing. This is 2008, "We have the technology", and have had for about 20 years.

[bks59]

in the 20 years i''ve lived in minnesota, where there is high voter participation (75%)+, same day registration and optical scanners, there is hardly if any blip on the voter tabulations, what is the deal with all these other palces that can''t get their votes and voters counted properly?

[wrmscvsuv]

I''ve often wondered, which is worse, a president who is hated and vilified for standing up for what he believes to be right, or a trailor-trash lying excuse for a chief executive who cares more about his carnal needs than the American people?

I think I''ll go with the former.

[jjp735i]

This should have been resolved 8 years ago. We have a do nothing Congress and an idiot President. We are just as stupid for not demanding this problem be taken care of as we all knew it was still out there.

[khhammerle]

It''s amazing the vast majority of places with potential problems are controled by the democrats. Are they setting things up for another attempt at stealing the election as in Florida where all the problems were in Democrat controled precincts?

You need a license to own a dog but any fool can vote. Posted by john43218
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john, i always heard that as "you have to have a license to drive a car but any fool can own a gun." You may have a point there. But I think this McCain dog don''t hunt. John reminds me of those dogs on the HeeHaw porch. Just lollygagging with tongues hanging out and ears all splayed out there, surrounded by pretty, long legged girls, sorta like Sarah, if you know what I mean. Come to think of it, Sarah might have been there; she''s young enough. John does remind me a lot of Grandpa. Bet Grandpa''s boots didn''t cost any $500.

As far as a meltdown is concerned, get your crying towel ready for November 5th. John is scheduled for a "Wicked Witch of the West" ending, and how symbolic since John is from Arizona! "What a world, what a world!"

[hologram5]

Write in your vote, vote for the third party candidate. What is the worst that could happen? Ron Paul has a lot of things to say about the economy and if you listen, he is right. Write in Ron Paul, you could do worse with these two clowns running...

[john43218]

For the first time, I really feel scared about the future. These people are like the Germans in the election of 1933. They know what''s coming but they don''t care. Back then, all they cared about was that Hitler was going to give them a job and keep their lunch pails full. And stick it to the Jews. And restore Germany''s "rightful place" in the world. They knew full well that Hitler would destroy the independent unions, crack down on dissent, and turn Germany from a very free country into a fascist dictatorship.

Part of this is McCain''s fault. He bought into that populist *** about greedy Wall Street. Well, so as ye sow, so shall ye reap. And we''re about to reap the whirlwind.

In this kind of atmosphere any kind of a government is possible. And I don''t know if Obama can resist the kind of raw power these nincompoops are willing to give him. Who could?

You need a license to own a dog but any fool can vote.

[w95thst]

Is anyone else getting e-mail like this from abroad? What''s going on and what can we do about it?

From a US expatriate friend living in Germany:
"Dear fellow Americans,
Woe is us. I just (finally) got my vote-by-mail ballot and started filling it out when I thought "Hmm. This isn''t the kind of paper they usually print the ballots on." And in the envelope was an extra slip of paper with the fatal message:

''Due to printing delays, we are providing you a sample ballot on which to vote. When we receive it back, we will duplicate your ballot onto an official ballot and will tally your vote.

In other words, when my ballot arrives, a complete stranger (let''s hope it''s at least an election official, but they don''t even say who) is going to read my voted sample ballot and supposedly copy my votes onto a real
ballot, which will then be counted. Whether or not this person really copies my votes or decides to make a few changes is, of course, open to question."

And this in from another USA expat friend living in Belgium:

" I got my ballot OK, but my friend Kate, who''s from Massachusetts, has been told that there is a delay getting Massachusetts absentee ballots sent out."

[w95thst]

This just in from a US expatriate friend living in Germany:

"Dear fellow Americans,
Woe is us. I just (finally) got my vote-by-mail ballot and started filling it out when I thought "Hmm. This isn''t the kind of paper they usually print the ballots on." And in the envelope was an extra slip of paper with the fatal message:

''Due to printing delays, we are providing you a sample ballot on which to vote. When we receive it back, we will duplicate your ballot onto an official ballot and will tally your vote.

In other words, when my ballot arrives, a complete stranger (let''s hope it''s at least an election official, but they don''t even say who) is going to read my voted sample ballot and supposedly copy my votes onto a real
ballot, which will then be counted. Whether or not this person really copies my votes or decides to make a few changes is, of course, open to question."

And this in from another USA expat friend living in Belgium:

" I got my ballot OK, but my friend Kate, who''s from Massachusetts, has been told that there is a delay getting Massachusetts absentee ballots sent out."

Is anyone else getting e-mail like this from abroad? What''s going on and what can we do about it?

[truthspeake2]

Obama/Biden 2008...RIP GOP!

[skip523]

I''m gonna have a meltdown! Obama has no history and what he does have is nothing but selfish interest. We need real leadership at this time not a pretty hollywood pantywaist. Show your Vote at PitbullPalinNet

[closethippy1]

Posted by john43218 at 04:34 PM : Oct 15, 2008

Blah, blah, blah, blah, wah, wah, wah, wah!

[newslink]

There would not be a problem with elections. If People would be honest.

[kc629]

we need to go back to paper ballots to keep a paper trail

[john43218]

Nearly all of Obama''''s appeal requires his supporters to take on faith that he will do things he has never done. But on the question of whether Obama will ever take a meaningful stand against corruption or waste in his own party or stand up to vested interests and ideological extremists on his own side, we already know the answer: Obama is so thoroughly marinated in extremism and corruption that it would be nearly impossibe to extricate himself and still have a meaningful identity left.

You will often hear Obama''''s defenders argue that his ties to this or that extremist or corrupt figure is an isolated aberration, an example of "guilt by association"; that the various favors he dispensed with public money and private charitable foundation funds are nothing unusual in politics.

But when you look at Obama''''s record and biography taken together, what you see is that the favors, the extremists and the machine ties are all inextricably intertwined, and that far from being isolated incidents, Obama''''s modus operandi of mutual back-scratching with radicals and crooks extends to nearly every aspect of his life and career - his family, his faith, his home, his jobs and education, his significant election victories and legislative "accomplishments," his closest advisors and most important mentors, the money and organization that made up his campaigns.

[julez41]

I agree that with all the American technological expertise it''s unbelievable that we can''t get a voting machine that works right. Our country''s not better off than others when it comes to elections and apparently when compared to our European and Canadian allies'' we''re worse. What a sad state we''re in when we can''t even hold an honest, glitch-free election. I blame the republicans!

[aaabee-2009]

go ahead, GOP, just write McCain on all the ballets and voters won''t even have to make the effort.

Voters do their part: they get their registrations done, and get their ballets or go to their polling places, and cast their votes.

But the electoral places can''t get their act together with 4 YEARS NOTICE????

Less than a month out we hear there "could be problems"?

Is it not possible to just have an election anymore, without all the computers and questions and actions that never seem quite above board?