Voting glitches feared on Nov. 7

[greatauntoftriplets]

Andy Stephenson must be spinning in his grave. I wish I could share this story with him.

CAMPAIGN COVERAGE '06

Voting glitches feared on Nov. 7
More races, bigger turnout will test new machines

By John McCormick
Tribune staff reporter
Published October 19, 2006


With the November election just weeks away, Chicago and Cook County officials have yet to fix some of the problems that led to a virtual meltdown of the new electronic voting system used in the spring primary.

Twice as many voters are likely to head for the polls on Nov. 7, where they will face new voting procedures and test the training of election workers who were often baffled by the machinery in March.

The most likely stumbling block for a smooth election remains a small device that is supposed to consolidate totals from two voting systems and transmit the results downtown via cellular technology. In the spring, many judges couldn't get it to work.

And it will still be possible for workers to accidentally fry vote totals if they forget to disconnect the power from ballot scanners before data cartridges are removed at the end of the night.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0610190125oct19,1,3306549.story?coll=chi-news-hed

[AtLiberty]

1. This was the FRONT PAGE of the Chicago Tribune, no less

!!!

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

2. I have a feeling this is gonna be a total nightmare.

Especially in the close Congressional districts. We'll be lucky if we know who won by Wednesday night.

I was at election judge training last Tuesday, October 10 out in Crestwood. Even though I'm somewhat computer savvy, most of the other participants didn't have a clue. I still don't know if I have an assignment or not. Supposedly, David Orr's office was sending the letters out this week, but I still haven't received mine.

What I'd like to know is if Forrest Claypool is on the list of write-in candidates for Cook County Board President.

I have a very bad feeling about this election.

[LSK]

3. the primaries were a nightmare

I am thinking nothing has changed since March.

[AtLiberty]

4. This is just the beginning of the trainwreck, folks...

You ain't seen nuthin' yet...

[davsand]

5. A little tidbit from our County Clerk's office:

I know several of the employees in the local County Clerk's office. They are fine folks who do the job and try real hard. The other day I was talking to a couple of them and I was asking them about early voting.

Our county went to the optical scan voting system beginning March of this year. I was asking them about how that works with the ballots cast in early voting--were those sent to the precincts on election day or were they added in once everything got back to the county on election night?

"Oh, those are already loaded on the tabulators when they go to the precincts," was the response.

When I asked what happened to the hard copies of those ballots I was told that THOSE stay in office at the County building. "It is just SOOOOOO easy, now," they said. "The Election Judges don't have to deal with any of it."

While I realize that not every County does it that way, there is a certain amount of this stuff that is dictated by state election law. I walked away from that conversation wondering how many "votes" will be pre-loaded on machines when they go out to the precincts in some of these places.

Gives me a very real chill.


Laura

[mopinko]

6. see this thread

poll worker training scared the shit out of me. "run the zero tape, that PROVES there are no votes on the machine already" sssuuuurree it does.
here early voting is all electronic, with no citizen oversight, at all. they are not counted in the precint any more.
and i tell ya, the campaign people do not care. in the final weeks, they have other things to do.
i beg people, please, work the polls, get paid, be a sworn officer of the court, then do you duty, and guard those votes.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x454029

[AtLiberty]

7. Spread the word -- DO NOT VOTE EARLY

Only vote early if you absolutely cannot vote on Nov. 7th.

[mopinko]

8. and then vote on paper.

at least the opscans have a paper ballot that you know is correct.

[AtLiberty]

9. Please read what Brad Friedman said about this article...

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3642#more-3642