Polling places closed in this area, is this a statewide

[doc03]

issue. I live in Belmont County and just received a card changing my voting location. I live in a rural area were we had 3 voting locations and we are going to 1, some people have to drive 6 miles to vote. Our biggest city Martins Ferry (population around 6000) had 7 locations and they are going to just 1. This is a heavily Democratic area, for example we had a special Republican primary to replace Bob Ney and there were only about 350 votes cast in a county of about 70000 people. I wonder if this is a statewide thing to suppress Democratic vote in the general election?

[liberal N proud]

1. They have done that in many locations

Most of our community has to go to one church to vote.
Amazingly the church has a very small parking lot.

[mtnester]

2. Jeezuz this is the SAME thing they did in 2004 in big Dem areas

For the love of god contact the DNC..this is the beginning of vote suppression...how it works, how it starts.

This same thing led to long lines in Franklin COunty, and overloaded phone lines cause people trying to find their polling places.

YES YES YES contact Howard Dean. I WATCHED what happened in 2004 when this stuff happened..it is a DESIGN to set up failure to vote.

[doc03]

3. What I hear is they moved the county election

headquarters into a high rent area at the Ohio Valley plaza and they are closing polling places to pay the bills. Many people are complaining about it and of course the election board claims their hands are tied and don't have the budget to keep them open. I remember going with my parents when they voted 50 years ago at the same location now they can't afford to keep them open. In that time we have gone from a state with a 4% sales tax and a token property tax, to a 6 1/2% sales tax, state and city income taxes along with outrages property taxes and we can't open a polling place twice a year. What many are doing is requesting an absentee ballot since you need to give no reason to do so under the new law.

[AngryOldDem]

6. That is one lame excuse

Sorry, but it is.

It is not your problem that they're moving into a place that they can't afford, and probably don't need in the first place. For what it's worth -- and that ain't much, considering who is in charge -- I would file a complaint with the Secretary of State.

I would also be interested in knowing how Election Day goes. Are the lines long? Do people give up and leave? This is like what they did in 2004, having all sorts of polling places available in GOP districts, and leaving Democratic districts high and dry. How will the ID checks go? Will people be challenged? Will it hold up the lines so that even more people decide to say the hell with it?

Democracy, my ass. :mad:

ON EDIT: And I see "vote absentee" becoming the pat answer to any kind of complaint about polling places.

[Epiphany4z]

4. just double checked

I got our cards last week and didn't bother to look anyway yep they changed where I am to go vote this year.

[femrap]

5. Try to vote early at your BOE....pick a day and

get all of your friends together and car pool! And remember to take ID...driver's license, bank statement, utility bill.

Early voting starts October 3! That's right around the corner.

[Earl from Ohio]

7. Actually, the problem starts "upstream"

The GOP controlled congress critters, voted in many unfunded mandates with HAVA (Help America Vote Act) but has failed to release promised funding. Then the GOPers in the Ohio legislature got in the act, and then You-Know-Who (he who's name I cannot bring myself to type) got involved.

But also remember, precincts are determined by population and we're losing people.

But femrap is right. Take advantage of early voting either by mail or in person. We're promoting early mail voting in our county as "vote in your pajamas."

I think it would be a cool free news bit to round up maybe 6 to 12 activists and on October 3 show up at the local BOE in pj's, bathrobes and slippers (outrageous hair curlers would be good.)

(The women might wear something funny in their hair as well...)

[rrasile]

8. Vote

Anyone in Ohio can now vote an absentee ballot, we fought for people who have problems getting to the polls and you people sure fit the bill. Just make sure that every line is correct and have the post office weigh the envelope. Blackwells office screwed people In Summit County during the last Primaries.
That Bastard doesn't stop at anything.