Breaking: Train Wreck in Maryland Primary .....From Bradblog

[babsbunny]

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3459

[OzarkDem]

1. This happened in Cuyahoga Co, OH, too

They hired Temp workers, many of whom didn't show up for work. It ended up taking about 4 weeks to count the vote.

[Radio_Lady]

2. Sorry about the difficulties in Maryland, but someone should mention

that is one of the ugliest websites I've ever seen.

Clashing colors -- flashing hyperlinks, and wild advertisements. Blah....

Make me grateful for this relatively simple format at the DU.

[Laughing Mirror]

6. Somebody should mention that those heavily populated areas are Democratic

where the irregularities were occurring: Montgomery County, Baltimore, Prince Georges County. Really nifty Radio Lady. That's 2.5 million Democrats right there who are probably very outraged right now.

[Radio_Lady]

9. My remark was off topic. Sorry about that -- I don't mean to sully

the terrible voting problems being experienced on this Primary Day.

In peace,

Radio_Lady

[Laughing Mirror]

10. "We are open," was the reply."But you can't come in!" (PG County)

That was from somebody somewhere in Prince Georges County. Here's a couple more interesting comments from the Brad Blog by people who couldn't cast their vote:

"They didn't offer an aternative method of voting. Meanwhile, back at the office, new computer switches were installed incorrectly last night and I've got 30 technicians waiting for an IT fix.... I feel like I'm trying to vote in a third-word country." Takoma Park
****
"Its interesting that the Montgomery County Board of Elections is wholly appointed by Governor Ehrlich. Do not blame the excellent Montgomery County government (and the party in power locally). The party of disenfranchisement runs this operation. Was this a plot -- perhaps not. Maybe just a competence issue...."
****
"The cards were missing??!!! That is insane, to say the least! Is this 2006 or are we 50 years back in time? People go to vote...but can not vote because of the BOE stupidity!
Someone needs to blow the whistle on this!!
WTOP....are you reading this???"

Serious serious irregularities, on a grand scale too. Just like before.

[LiberalEsto]

12. What? Herr Gov. Ehrlich appoints our elections board?

"Its interesting that the Montgomery County Board of Elections is wholly appointed by Governor Ehrlich. Do not blame the excellent Montgomery County government (and the party in power locally). The party of disenfranchisement runs this operation. Was this a plot -- perhaps not. Maybe just a competence issue...."

This would partly explain the lack of poll workers -- especially competent ones -- at our precinct today. They seemed clueless. They began sending would-be voters to another polling location because we had no Voter Access Cards. I hear other sites let people fill out Provisional Ballots (although from what I have heard in the past, there is no guarantee that a Provisional Ballot will ever be counted).

In previous years we had reasonably competent, trained election judges and poll workers.

If they don't fix this situation before Nov. 7 -- and I doubt they can or will -- we could have a real mess on our hands with the important races for governor and senate.

[Igel]

19. It seems that Ehrlich does appoint BOEs.

http://www.elections.state.md.us/about_SBE/mission.html
"Except in Prince George's County, each local board consists of three regular members and two substitute members. Two regular members and one substitute member must be members of the majority party, and one regular member and one substitute member shall be a member of the principal minority party. In Prince George's County, the Board consists of five regular members and three substitute members. Four regular members and two substitute members must be members of the majority party. The members of all the boards are appointed by the Governor and serve four year terms (Section 2-201)."

I've looked at how a few states with appointed BOEs do it, and usually the state government simply rubber stamps whoever the county political parties nominate, after a brief vetting to make sure they're not too incompetent. I don't think MD does it this way; and the "majority" party business is strange, too. Ehrlich is (R), so that means all the election boards are majority repub.

[Awsi Dooger]

11. Your comment was 100% accurate

If it's a BradBlog link, I'm not attending. It's the most incompetently designed website I've ever seen. I can't read one paragraph without a major headache and I'm no longer pretending otherwise.

[petronius]

16. What's to apologize for?

You were right - that site is hideous. Pointing that out in no way minimizes the seriousness of people's voting rights being infringed on...

[Radio_Lady]

21. Thanks for your comments. It's the first time I've seen...

that web site. I'm sure the commentary there is interesting, but I won't be visiting it unless they re-design those graphics.

Appreciate your postings.

[BradBlog]

23. BLACK and WHITE at BRAD BLOG

You can hit the PRINT VERSION link at the bottom of every BRAD BLOG story to see a plain black on white version of the story.

Just FYI.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

3. Huge Thread on Dkos: Maryland Primary Election Diebold Disaster

Maryland Primary Election Diebold Disaster

[electropop]

4. I heard lots of radio callers on WPFW complaining they had "glitches"

Including Dems being presented with Repug primary candidates, a defective card that poll workers had to pry out of the machine, and precincts with no cards or paper ballots. These machines are Dieboldical, satanic really.

[MrModerate]

5. Not quite as bad in Frederick County . . .

Although the poll workers were struggling with the equipment when I arrived at about 7:30 this morning. A 300-page manual that the election judges were constantly flipping through to try to figure out what they were doing, and a hiccup or two when the laptop-like registrar machines wouldn't initiate the card that has to go into the touchscreen device.

They got it straightened out for me in a few minutes -- but I was the only voter there. God knows what they did when traffic got heavier.

Could be Diebold has Bush's Syndrome -- broad-based incompetence -- or perhaps they saw some advantage to confusion in the Cardin-Mfume race.

[Yoda Yada]

7. How many times does this have to happen.....

...before the American voters say, "Enough!"? This is unbelievable. Polls locked.....poll workers absent.....poll workers not trained....not enough provisional ballots.

Doesn't this fall into the "Fool me once" category? Do the people of Maryland have to be "fooled" twice? four times? six times? before they STAND UP and insist on honest voting procedures?


Hmmmmmmm....I wonder what they people in Mexico would do, if this had happened to them?
Oh, right......never mind.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

8. A preview of things to come?

The pubs aren't going to give up the Congress easily.

[sadiesworld]

13. Bradblog is "concerned" about the use of paper ballots?!

Bizarre.

[LSK]

20. Great! Another attack on someone who fights for fair elections

And what have YOU done about election fraud???

BTW Ohio was stolen in 04 and most of it was not because of Diebold.

[TheWatcher]

14. A Preview Of November

These people are NOT going to leave power legally and peacefully.

It is simply too late for that.

Remember threads like this on Election Day.

It is time for the people to take their country back.

I sincerely hope that if only for ONE DAY, if another Election is stolen, Americans will somehow be willing to pretend that they are Mexicans.

If only for ONE DAY.

We CANNOT allow this to happen again.

The country is not going to survive another Republican controlled Congress for another two years.

[MoonRiver]

17. Oh, God, Watcher, I fear you are correct.

I was just whining to my husband that I so wish we could leave this country. Not going to happen. We're too old to start over professionally, and have too much family here which we can't/won't leave behind. But I don't know how I can endure more of this fascist, neocon, right wing nightmare. I think Buddhists have the answer: detachment. Maybe I'll become seriously into that come November.

[Penndems]

15. Maryland voters are discussing this in a live chat with Marc Fisher of The

Washington Post.

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/09/07/DI2006090701144.html

[GetTheRightVote]

18. It is so sad to read comments like these, how can we trust elections ?

In this nation anymore, I do not believe we can.

:kick:

[Blue_Tires]

22. nothing new there

for people like me that remember the shadiness that ehrlich used to win in '02

[Riddler]

24. This is nothing but a dress rehearsal for November....

when the repukes will steal just enough elections to keep their illegal grip on power. Diebold should be put out of business, let alone be allowed to meddle in elections.