September 12, 2006
Handful of Voting Glitches in D.C., Widespread in MoCo
We've been hearing from a number of people who encountered difficulty or confusion at polling places in D.C. this morning, though nowhere near the kinds of problems early morning voters in Montogomery County have had today. Those arriving to vote between 7 and 8 a.m. across the county were likely denied the opportunity, as election officials were late in delivering the voter authorization cards required to allow electronic voting to begin, and many polls did not have sufficient numbers of provisional paper ballots to offer as an alternative. Polls in Montgomery County will likely stay open until 9 p.m. to make up for the error, if the Board of Elections successfully petitions to keep them open late in the next few hours.
Here in D.C., the Post is also reporting that voters have run into isolated problems, such as election officials not showing up on time to open polling places and slow-moving lines. An informal survey of DCist staff writers shows that at many other locations, voting took place without incident — several of us reported turning up to polling places that were nearly empty so voting took no time at all, though one of us noticed that even after being mailed a post card with her correct polling place listed, the actual physical address of the location was misprinted in the voting guide. Also, despite being ostensibly tech-savvy, nearly all of us chose to vote on paper ballots when given the option.
How was your experience voting this morning?
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I voted this morning at the MLK Library. The hardest part was actually finding where to vote when you got there. There was a huge line outside of people waiting for the library to open at 10 and nobody outside to explain that you didn't have to wait in line to vote. Then, once I finally got inside (a very helpful Cropp volunteer explained that I could skip the line), the library staff was discourteous and didn't know where to direct me. Three foul smelling hallways, and two stairwells later, I finally found the polls and voted without any problem (or company) with the aid of very helpful and friendly poll workers.
I guess I couldn't expect any more than that when my poll location is the miserable MLK Library.
I was suprised, however, to see tons of Vincent Gray literature RIGHT IN THE VOTING BOOTHS!!
I'm a Ward 2-er and voted at Metropolitan AME on 15th. I arrived at 9:30a and was out by 9:40a. VERY smooth experience.
Smooth sailing for early morning voting in Ward 3 for me, although the worker never asked for or checked my ID (even after I got it out and asked if he'd like to see it, since I was voting special-ballot because of a change of address). Workers didn't seem to be checking any IDs during the short time I was at my polling place, which was a bit disconcerting.
I didn't have a huge problem voting this morning, but the woman in my line could have used a lesson in the alphabet. She was very sweet but kept going the wrong way in the M's so it took about five times as long as it should have for her to find my name. It was empty when I was there--I hate to think about her taking that much time when there's a rush.
Jenny, I've never been asked for ID to vote in my entire life, across three states. You always have to sign the voter roll, but requiring a picture ID to vote isn't really done -- it places an unfair burden on poor voters who may not have driver's licenses.
I chose the paper ballot option because there were 20 paper ballot booths and only one touch-screen machine (with a few people waiting in line to use it).
However, half of the booths were unusable because they had no pencils. I mentioned this to one of the poll workers, and she explained that people kept taking them and they hadn't been able to get any extras. You would think they could have anticipated the need for extra pencils.
Jenny -- I think it is illegal for them to check ID.
It said in the voting material that you would be asked to present a photo ID or paycheck stub or utility bill or other identification types if you had registered to vote by mail. I voted in Adams Morgan at the Baptist Church on Kalorama (I'm overlooking this violation of church-state separation) and there was no line at 7:45 this AM, pencils abounded and things were flowing smoothly. However, there was no I Voted sticker! This was my first time voting (I've always absentee ballotted) and I was pissed.
chrisafer: just a guess, but it sounds like you were at the Bruce Monroe school on Irving & Georgia? Very nice lady, but took her an eternity to manipulate the book & find my name... I opted for paper, and witnessed one user claim the e-booth wasn't working properly, & his vote confirmation was not what he entered, etc. The poll workers seemed politely disinterested. Viva paper & stubby pencils!
It is not illegal for them to ask for id and I believe it is required in some situations by the 2003 election "reforms". Specifically, if you register by mail your identification must be verified once. After that, your signature on the roll is authoritative. If you don't have an ID, you must be allowed to vote on a provisional ballot.
http://electionline.org/Default.aspx?tabid=364
Apparently at Precinct 32 (the latin american youth center), no one cared about the "no electioneering rule". Fenty folks were in clear violation of crossing the line and entering the building (but in all fairness there was no official out there telling them to get out). There were Fenty apparelled (well- not the tshirts but the stickers) older ladies people managing the sign in tables and I counted 5 people in line with me with varrious stickers/pamphlets from other candidates in hand. I even had Fenty literature placed in my voting booth!!! Disgusting.
Ward 4, voted at St. John's High School at 8:10 am and was out by 8:20 (and not earlier only because it was a long hallway to get to the polling place inside the gym). Paper ballot, ID not checked although I had it out (and I even had my voter registration card too!), very smooth process and very empty place. One thing to note though, they had envelope/folder things to cover the paper ballot so that people couldn't see your votes, but when we had to insert it into the machine, we had to take the folder off first bc the machine couldn't handle separating them (although they have done that in the past), so the ballot-box workers could see my votes. I didn't like that, but it didn't keep me from voting.
I was walking to vote and was asked to sign a petition to get video game slots on the DC ballot. When I refused, the worker asked me "What are you, some sort of faggot?" At that point, two other slot-machine petition gatherered around me and started to verbally harrass me. I called the police, and they ran off.
I have to say, however, that the slot-machine petition people right outside my polling place were nice in contrary.
I was at the Latin American Youth Center also--didn't see the electioneering, but I did overhear the woman in charge saying that five people didn't show up in the morning to work with them. Which may explain why the woman who checked me in was a bit slower than usual. They probably didn't have enough staff to police the campaign people--not that they should have to.
does anyone know where the Cropp victory party is tonight?
I was so excited to vote for Linda Cropp this morning in SW DC.
What impressed me was her vision and strategy. is well thought out and will improve our schools, create jobs and restore safety in our neighborhoods.
She is such a dynamic leader and will serve the residents of DC with integrity and determination.
I voted just now at Eliot Jr. High School (I used the electronic booth). No line, but there was someone finishing up at the sign-in table as I arrived, and one just starting as I left. No ID check. There were electioneers outside the polling place, but no one was being pushy, and I didn't see any campaign literature in the building. Pretty much a flawless experience.
Yes, the slots petitioners are up to their usual lying and illegal and unethical behavior. See the first message (after the intro) in Sunday's issue of themail.
The "I voted" stickers were on top of the electronic feeder at the Baptist Church on Kalorama. I missed them too, but my partner snagged one.
Also can report smooth voting at that location at 8am. Also, nearly empty considering the hour of day - a stark contrast to the two hours I waited to vote in Nov 2004. I thought turnout was expected to be high?
I voted this morning at 8 am at Anacostia High School. There was light turnout, all poll workers were in place and it took me 2 minutes. I used the touch screen.
I voted at the baptist church on Kalorama Road. At at 8am there was no line and barely anyone else voting! Jim Graham was shaking hands, and even had time to chat with me simply because everyone else around was a campaign worker.
When I came out of the building it looked like a good number of the campaigners had left because the turnout was so low. Kind of surprising.
Marvin, get real. Cropp is just a politician, not a godlike figure of superhuman goodness (but with messages like yours I'm beginning to wonder whether she's become a cult leader).
I'm supposed to show my ID in MD when I vote later since I registered at the MVA and it's my first time voting.
I totally disagree with Sommer on the ID thing. I'm glad GA passed it and wish more states would pass an ID requirement to vote to help cut down on potential fraud.
Voting was quick and painless. More here:
http://hownow.brownpau.com/archives/2006/09/dc_primary_2006/
I was a bit disappointed that none of the slots clipboarders were around my polling place, as I was hoping to get photos of them in "action." I'll just have to settle for pointing and laughing at the comments from the CroppBots.
I wasn't asked for any type of identification either. You would think that they'd at least ask to see your voter ID card. It made me uneasy to think that anyone could have walked in and said they were me and then voted in my place.
Am I the only one out there who voted for Marie Johns? My experience in Dupont went well this morning, no problems whatsoever.
I voted without incident this morning around 8am at the JO Wilson school in NE. The poll workers were slow, but since there were few people there, it wasn't a problem. Hopefully they'll be up to speed when the after work crowd shows up.
A colleague of mine, though, did have a problem. He tried to vote at Hines Jr. High (near Eastern Market) and no poll workers were there when he arrived. He'll have to go back after work. Whoops.
KCinDC...
I don't view Linda Cropp as some cult hero.
She simply has far more experience than Adrian Fenty.
It would be shame that DC is deprived of her leadership ability at such a critical time in our city's history.
Linda has so much to still give.
voted at 7:15 at the church at albermarle and 42nd street. very, very empty. in '04 at that time i waited 30 minutes. no wait this time. in an out in under 5 minutes. there were a bunch of campaign people out front but nobody bothered me as i didn't make eye contact and was in a half sleep/half zombie like state.
i do wonder what turnout is going to be like.
A. - no, you're not.
general question: where's the best place to get results tonight. tv coverage (if any?), post online?, DCist?, etc....
You were not the only Johns voter. Lots of obnoxious compaigners at our spot on 6th and K, NE,(though Marie's guy was fairly low-key comparatively speaking.) Quick and easy experience, except for the special ballot being needed since my name didn't make it to the list somehow. Very empty polling place, though, no line to speak of at 8 AM. A light turn-out will certainly be bad news for Fenty and Cropp.
Senator Paul Strauss was actually INSIDE my polling area when I voted today. Nice respect for the law, Senator.
Deja,
It's not electioneering to bring flyers you were given into the voting line with you or wear stickers when you vote. Although, I'm pretty sure the poll workers shouldn't be wearing stickers and ought to clean up campaign materials left behind by voters.
Voting has always been smooth at the Watkins School at 12th & Penn SE, but we weren't there until almost 9 am today. Oddly, the "no electioneering beyond this point" signs were all the way inside next to the machine that takes the ballots. I didn't notice that the campaigners were any closer than usual so it mustn't have been too bad. Democracy, it's just people . . . That's why I like it.
A.: nope, you're not alone on the Marie Johns boat.
Overall, it sounds like the turnout was crap in many districts, which should make a nice souffle outta those poll numbers...
No, you were not the lone Johns voter.
I voted at 7:15 on 16th and P NW at the Methodist Church. In an out in about 5 minutes. Very seamless. However, there was only one touch screen machine, and a line was starting to form for it, but there were no lines for the paper ballot booths.
Very good experience.
Marvin:
Do you have any actual substantive thoughts on Linda Cropp that didn't obviously come straight from her campaign literature?
"She is such a dynamic leader and will serve the residents of DC with integrity and determination." Please. This is meaningless drivel. If you're going to support a candidate, fine. But dear God, try to actually do something other than parrot their campaign literature.
Maia, was Strauss electioneering? Maybe he was a poll watcher.
Another Johns voter here.
Voted at Jefferson Jr High in SW at 1:15pm. No lines at all, paper ballots only. By the way, I was the 7th Republican to vote in that precinct (I know I had nothing to really vote for, but I think the act of casting a ballot is still pretty important).
Paper ballots are the only way to go. There are too many problems with the electronic voting machines -- and way too much room for error or vote manipulation. There needs to be a paper trail.
Anyway, I was expecting the worst when voting at 15th and R after work. I walked right in and was on my way in less than ten minutes. Voter turnout must be very low. I think that's evidence that most people are pretty unimpressed with all of the candidates.
Voted at Payne School (Precinct 87) at 8:30am. Took about 5 minutes to register, pick up the ballot, vote and turn it in. The only problem was the elderly women who had difficulty trying to pull the top off the ballot so I could put it in the machine.
Another Duponter for Marie. Voting was quick and easy at the Episcopal church on 18th and Church, NW. Electioneers were out, but not too obnoxious. No slots folks though. Staff inside didn't really know how the touch screen machines worked (their words, not mine), so I opted for the good old paper ballot and had no problems.
I would just like to point out that, as of 10:41 pm, Jonathan Rees' groundswell of support has garnered him an astonishing 15 votes. Well done, Mr. Rees!
Yep, Rees managed to get 18 votes with 16 of 18 precincts reporting. That is .18% or round it to 0% of the vote in Ward 3. I guess he did get 17 of his imaginary friends to vote, or it was just voting errors? No hanging chads, but people do make mistakes. Perhaps he'll just slink away now. Not likely, but we can hope.
Given his dangerously disturbed temperament, there's little doubt but that The Unnameable won't/can't clam up, even in the face of humiliation. Though apparently 99.2 percent of Ward 3 wish to God he would.
But it's immaterial. Justice was served today. We managed not to find ourselves represented by Pure Sociopathic Evil. A toast, ladies and gentlemen of Ward 3, to reason and decency. Long may they prosper!
Place your bets, gang. Will he blame:
1. The Gays
2. The Commies
3. The Media
4. Snobs, The Politically Correct and People Who
Think They're SO Smart
;-)
I voted late tues afternoon in Ward 1 using the paper ballot. Well actually I was given two of the same ballots - but upon realizing their mistake returned one instead of using it dishonestly.
Also, did anyone notice that the paper ballot did not fit its companion sleave? Maybe dcist could look into that before the pretend election in november when the primary winners are officially declared the Winner.
erahk
From the Marc Fisher Wash Post Election Night Chat:
Glover Park: I'm all for concerned citizens running for public office, but don't you think it's interesting that for all the people posting in community message boards, forums and blogs in support of Jonathan Rees in DC's Ward 3, right now he only has FIFTEEN votes?
It's almost as though he was posting all those messages himself! I, for one, am utterly embarrassed that the city gave him $500 to run the campaign he did. Goodnight Jonathan Rees.
Marc Fisher: Thanks, Mr. Rees.
I am a high school teacher and I noticed that the Fenty campaign along with the Grey campaign paid many young people to get out the vote on election day. They literally solicited the students to work the elction the day before. At least 5 students I teach claimed to be paid to help get out the vote. Two of them actually claimed that they voted. I could not tell if they voted in some sort of mock election or in the actual polls, but they were both adamant about voting when I pressed the issue. Was there any documented evidence of voter fraud in the DC primary? If people aren't asked for their IDs what checks are in place to prevent voter fraud?
I find it troubling that candidates were paying many people to "get out the vote" in cash on election day and am surprised that no one inquired into this story.