Voters Face Long Lines, Machine Glitches

With Likely Record Turnout Straining Election Centers, Voters Contend With Hours-Long Waits, Voting Machine Breakdowns

(CBS/ AP)  A six-and-a-half hour long wait in Missouri. A four-hour wait in Manhattan. A "mess" in Virginia.

Lines stretched around buildings and crossed city blocks as people waited to cast ballots Tuesday in the historic presidential race between Democratic nominee Barack Obama and Republican rival John McCain. While election officials said voting was going relatively smoothly overall, touchscreen voting machines malfunctioned in some precincts while others faced a variety of problems.

The biggest trouble, however, was big crowds. Many folks seemed to take it in stride.

"People are happy and smiling," Sen. Benjamin Cardin said as he voted at a Maryland school. "People are very anxious to be voting. They really think they are part of history, and they are."

Reports are coming in from election protection groups suggesting that Virginia, a key battleground state, is having the most issues, with 20-plus cities and counties having serious problems: machines breaking down, substituted paper ballots being stuffed into suitcases, boxes and duffle bags (with poll officials telling voters they will be counted later), unbearably long lines, frustrated voters walking away. The situation has some voters worrying that their votes won’t be counted, reports the CBS News Investigative Unit.

In the East, electronic machine glitches forced some New Jersey voters to cast paper ballots. In New York, eager voters started lining up before dawn, prompting erroneous reports that some precincts weren't opening on time.

In the West, Californians also faced long lines, but voting went smoothly. In Orange County, south of Los Angeles, about 400 people were on hand to treat problems with the county's all-electronic voting system, said Brett Rowley of the registrar's office.

"We've got paper ballots as a backup," he said.

Heavy rain plunged a handful of Los Angeles polling places into the dark, forcing some to move voting booths outside until electricity was restored. Voting didn't stop.

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Click here for a roundup of voting problems reported across the country.

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Election officials predicted turnout rates as high as 80 percent in California, the country's most populous state and the highest holder of electoral votes. In Virginia, State Board of Elections executive secretary Nancy Rodrigues said she expected 75 percent of the state's registered voters to cast ballots by Tuesday night.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell urged voters to "hang in there" as state and country officials braced for a huge turnout in that hotly contested state. More than 160 people were lined up when the polls opened at First Presbyterian Church in Allentown. "I could stay an hour and a half at the front end or three hours at the back end," joked Ronald Marshall, a black Democrat.

Hundreds converged on polling precincts in Missouri, another crucial battleground state. Norma Storms, a 78-year-old resident of Raytown, said her driveway was filled with cars left by voters who couldn't get into nearby parking lots.

"I have never seen anything like this in all my born days," she said. "I am just astounded."

In some places the wait was longer than two hours.

"Well, I think I feel somehow strong and energized to stand here even without food and water," said Alexandria, Va., resident Ahmed Bowling, facing a very long line. "What matters is to cast my vote."

Some voting advocates worried that - tolerant voters or no - the nation's myriad election systems could stagger later in the day, when people getting off work hit the polls.

"We have a system that wasn't ready for huge turnout," said Tova Wang of government watchdog group Common Cause. "People have to wait for hours. Some people can do that. Some people can't. This is not the way to run a democracy."

Ohio, which experienced extreme voting delays in the last hours of the 2004 election, had some jammed paper problems in Franklin County. "We're taking care of things like that," said elections spokesman Ben Piscitelli. "But there's nothing major or systemic."

Perhaps the most bizarre barrier to voting was a truck that hit a utility pole in St. Paul, Minn.'s Merriam Park neighborhood. The accident knocked power out for about 90 minutes to two polling locations. Joe Mansky, Ramsey County's elections manager, said voting continued at those sites.

Election judges said the ballots were kept secure at one of the locations until the power was restored and the ballots could be run through an electronic machine, while a backup generator kicked in at the other site.

Late Monday, McCain's campaign sued the Virginia electoral board, trying to force the state to count late-arriving military ballots from overseas. No hearing has been set.

McCain, the Republican candidate and a POW during the Vietnam War, asked a federal judge to order state election officials to count absentee ballots mailed from abroad that arrive as late as Nov. 14.

Tuesday, the judge ruled he will hear the lawsuit on Nov. 10. He ordered election officials to keep late-arriving ballots until then.

Lawsuits have become common fodder in election battles. The 2000 recount meltdown in Florida was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court.

What is uncommon about Tuesday's contest is the sheer number of voters expected to descend on more than 7,000 election jurisdictions across the country. Voter registration numbers are up 7.3 percent from the last presidential election.

[catlady1412]

ObieBoy, I meant to ask about your reference to Union Bosses - where did you bury Jimmy Hoffa? My husband works in a partially union shop and thanks to those union workers, he has excellent health insurance, a Christmas bonus and a pension. Yep, unions are pretty great.

[catlady1412]

ObieBoy, you are so sweet to single my post out! I like to be noticed! And I am perfect! How nice of you to say so! Thank you!

[scallywag8]

I''m white and voted for Obama. There is no other choice and his heart is in it. Republicans just want to win. They could care less about the issues. I''m going to be laughing my a** off watching all the "racist" white folk squirm when they get a black President. OBAMA''S BLACK AND I''M PROUD!!!.

[catlady1412]

Yay! I voted today with my husband and we both voted straight Democrat across the board. We no longer trust the Republicans and think Evangelicals should get all their tax-exempt churches audited and the tax exemption revoked for pushing a political agenda to their Kool-Aid drinking congregations. I don''t care if it IS a socialist one-party rule after tonight! What has it been under Bush and Cheney? How did that work out for us? Go Obama!

[W.W. Terry]

Listen carefully Obama. Tired of long lines? Do it like we do in Oregon and Washington. We have only mail in ballots. That way democrats can commit voter fraud from the warmth of their homes. In Hillsboro Oregon last year the state gave some 80,000 drivers licenses to illegal alien Mexicans. So we know the democrats are going to get 80,000 votes. In Washington last election the democrats won by using voter fraud by finding about 200 ballots from bums and winos which was later thrown out after the rushed through swearing in of the democrat governor. Yes sir, the democrats have more style out here when they steal an election. Caio! wwterry

[W.W. Terry]

Long lines? If I were a democrat I would not put up with long lines. I would go home and wait till the bars close tonight and then I would vote. Caio! wwterry

[fox77_99]

This is shameful Republican voter repression

We call ourselves a democracy but still have shameful voter suppression by corrupt Republicans. If voters have to stand in ridiculously long lines, especially in battleground states, many citizens can''t wait that long and will be disenfranchised from voting.

Oregon has 100% mail-in voting and Washington State will soon have 100% mail-in voting too. This is much better than the current mess we see in other states. First you can complete your ballot at your leisure with all the information in front of you. Second there is a paper backup which can be independently scanned in close elections to verify the winner. This proved very valuable in Washington State''s 2004 governors race where less than 200 votes separated the winner from the loser.

We desperately need voting reform in the United States so citizens are not disenfranchised from voting.

See http://Democracy-Now.us

[mairin27]

Early polls have Barack Obama leading, but that''''s expected to change when the white people get off work and go and vote..


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Posted by swensbckcuf at 05:50 PM : Nov 04, 2008

Hey buttmunch there are plenty of white people voting for Obama.

[legacyabq]

Hehehe
OK

Well, it bothers me that people throw around these political terms like socialist and they really know almost nothing about them.
Anybody who doesn''t nurse at the Limbaugh teat of thought-identity must be a commie right??
Ludicrous, pathetic, and sad..
Hopefully, Obama will help spearhead a new ideology regarding education-improvement, and we can see the dawning of a new age of American Civic Responsibility, American Pride, and EDUCATION..
A lot of the people lurking around the Internet sure could use some lessons in critical thinking and lessons on how to conduct civil discourse, where things are DISCUSSED...
I know, I called someone an idiot, sorry, it was a rare slip of my temper, but they were just asking for it..
God''s country? What? Socilist? Huh?
Read a book for chrissakes, not just THAT one

[legacyabq]

Duh, yeah, we Obama supporters cant read, er, uh, duh..

Why dont you troll somewhere else

[steeepe]

We need election monitors from Europe and Canada to make sure that our elections are run fairly, not to mention uniform, unhackable voting machines with paper receipts. Not too much to ask....

[legacyabq]

"All this Socialism talk from ObieBoy is BS."

WHAT socialism talk, what ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT????!?!?
Enough already!! Just shut up about this!
Obama is not a socialist, but YOU ARE an idiot..

[ongelooflijk-2009]

Obama Supporters: Let''s hope in the process but take nothing for granted! We must all be vigilant at the polls today! If anyone sees evidence of election fraud or voter suppresion make sure to contact The Raw Story Election Fraud Reporting Hotline so that all incidents are documented 1-866-our vote or 1-866-my vote1. Also notify any poll watchers who may be present as well as the media. We know Barack is significantly ahead in all the major polls but that doesn''t mean that McCain and the GOP won''t try to steal the election as happened in 2000. Be especially cynical of any reports of McCain ''just edging out'' Obama for the victory, especially if it''s in the wee, wee hours of the morning when everyone is asleep----My point is that It''s highly improbable/unlikely that McCain can win this election at all, considering all the poll(s) numbers Obama is putting up coupled with the fact that we supporters will indeed be putting out the vote! Also, go to www.LibertytreeFDR.org and sign the pledge to join the Nov.,5 peaceful, nation-wide pro-democracy,voter assembly protests in the event this stolen election scenario actually plays out. No More Stolen Elections! God Bless You one and all and pass the word around!

[legacyabq]

How is it possible that precincts are having problems with voting machines?? After 2000, with 8 YEARS to improve methods, not to mention we have known for MONTHS this election would be big..
Here in New Mexico, we get a paper ballot, fill in the little circles with a pen, and everyone feeds their ballots into ONE machine, which counts or rejects the ballot, ON THE SPOT.. If there is a problem, you just re-cast.
Its simple and fool-proof.
AND there is a paper trail.
How hard is it to just upgrade the nations voting technology? What is the big freakin deal??

I dont trust touch-screen and computer voting, it''s madness to vote with no verifiable paper trail in systems with PROPRIETARY software.. Its too easy to cheat, lie, and steal this way, regardless of whose "side" your on..
If I dont show up to vote by seven, too bad for me.. So why is McCain suing to let military ballots be counted till 2 weeks from now??
As long as they are post-dated by today, FINE..
But if they''re late, too freaking bad: they gotta play by the same rules we all do.

[lewiston14]

beader59 You also have a great idea. There is always going to be some corruption no matter what method is used.

Steve it is ludicrous:

sir22581: No one gives a rat about what you vote for. What matters is me, Steve, beaders and everybody else. Not some hung up town in the middle of no where.

[bobnjersey]

[Here in Gods Country no one was voting for Obama.]
[Posted by sir22581 at 05:18 PM : Nov 04, 2008]

well ... as they say in gods country ... everyone has their cross to bear.

[burgess1968]

The idea of mail-in voting would be great EXCEPT for the opportunity of widespread fraud. I may be wrong, but it seems like the areas where it''s worked have been under-represented in terms of minorities. When they''re thrown in, there''s more opportunity to "suppress" them (using their words) or for them to defraud the system (my words).

There''s a lot to be said for someone having to appear at a polling place and present a valid ID allowing them to vote. Florida''s "No match, no vote" is a great idea that''d be usurped by a totally mailed-in ballot system.

[deathofusa]

I think what they should do is give each registered voter a card like your bank card with a pin. Then you can vote electronically at certain locations. Simple.

[beader59]

Solve the problems and go to mail in voting like Oregon. No one should have to wait hours in the rain to vote. I truly believe there is less chance of corruption as well.

[missingamerica]

I''m writing my Congressmen about this .. this is ludicrous!!!!!!!!!

Posted by jcnbma1 at 05:00 PM : Nov 04, 2008

It is about the saddest thing that you could write about America: We cannot do voting - the linchpin of our democracy and the democracy that we try to "spread" - right.