Early returns on voting machines

You can count on reading these stories all day today, but here is the first batch of reports on how the electronic voting machines are faring … with a balky Web site thrown in for variety.

Quote of the day: “We got five machines — one of them's got to work," said Willette Scullank, a trouble shooter from the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, elections board.”

Moments ago this post was listed first on Google News among some 434 online articles about electronic voting. Needless to say, that’s a good thing in terms of generating traffic. … Then news broke that Britney Spears is divorcing what’s-his-name. … Election? What election?

We’ll soldier on figuring that a few of you still care.

A call to you lawyers out there: Is there any chance this fellow can claim self-defense? From the AP: “A man was arrested at a polling site Tuesday after election workers said he smashed an electronic voting machine with a paperweight, police said. Michael Young, 43, of Allentown, will face charges of felony criminal mischief and tampering with voting machines, Assistant Police Chief Ronald Manescu said. … "He came in here very peaceably and showed his ID, then he got on the machine and just snapped," volunteer Gladys Pezoldt told The Morning Call of Allentown. On the other hand, even this layman is pretty sure that poll workers are forbidden by law from choking would-be voters. But again, lawyers, correct me if I’m wrong.Things got off to a rocky start in Ohio – needless to say – but appear to be getting better.   From the Cleveland Plain Dealer: “As of 12:30 p.m. all polling places in Cuyahoga County were using electronic voting machines, a Board of Elections spokesman said. However, it’s not clear whether all machines are working at every polling place. … This morning, more than 40 polling places in Cuyahoga County reported problems when the polls opened.”In Denver, you just don’t want to be an IT professional involved in running this election: From the Denver Post: “Democratic party leaders are planning to seek a two-hour extension for voting in Denver, due to massive computer problems which have created long lines, and kept many from casting their vote. Party spokesman Brian Mason said a motion is being prepared, in response to ‘the huge problems in Denver this morning.’ ”  

Maybe there are reports out there of these screw-ups benefiting Democratic candidates at the expense of their Republican opponents, but I just don’t come across them. From TPM Café: “My wife just came home from voting here in Webster Groves MO. She used the electronic touch-screen voting system. . . She touched Claire McCaskill's picture and the machine recorded a vote for Jim Talent. She then called one of the people running the polling center who helped her correct the problem. My wife then had to call the person over another time after it recorded her vote a Republican again. In her frustration she asked the person who was responsible for the design of this system. The polling person leaned in very close to my wife and whispered, 'We're f----d.' "

No liberal conspiracy, this distaste for electronic voting machines. Why Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman and conservative commentator Bob Novak have been caught with their hands inside the paper-ballot box … despite having the option to e-vote, according to Talking Points Memo.

At the risk of appearing to be fair, it’s worth noting that optical scanning equipment didn’t do much better at one Ohio polling place, where a member of Congress attempting to vote for herself (presumably) was both thwarted and filmed.

The Daily Advertiser in Louisiana leaves no malfunctioning voting machine unturned: “A mechanic is on the way to the former St. Antoine Elementary School to check on a voting machine that is reportedly malfunctioning, said Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court Louis Perret.” … We’ll be sure to keep an eye on the situation at St. Antoine Elementary School.From the AP: “WASHINGTON — Voting machines began wreaking havoc the minute the polls opened Tuesday, delaying voters in dozens of Indiana and Ohio precincts and leaving some in Florida with little choice but turn to paper ballots instead.”From The CourierPost in New Jersey: About 30 of Camden County's 700 voting machines have experienced problems today, according to Phyllis Pearl, superintendent of elections.”

From Pittsburgh.com: “A few hours after the polls opened, there were problems reported with electronic voting machines.”

From CBS4.com in Florida: “Voters are urged to cast their ballots carefully as scattered reports of election machine glitches have been reported around South Florida during early voting. CBS4’s Dave Malkoff spoke to early voter, John Mabe who claims when he cast his vote at the Lemon City library early voting facility for Jim Davis, the machine registered Charlie Crist as the correct vote.”From The State in South Carolina: “The first known technology glitch in today’s election has occurred, and that in the state office responsible for overseeing the election. The S.C. Election Commission’s Web site, www.scvotes.org, went down shortly before 8:30 a.m.”

From LancasterOnline in Pa.: “Voters at several polls around Lancaster County have reported issues using electronic touch-screen voting machines. Reports from Lancaster’s 9th Ward, fourth precinct; 2nd Ward, first and second precincts; 6th Ward, first precinct; 8th Ward, eighth and ninth precinct; and Manheim Township’s 7th district had reports of malfunctioning machines and/or voter confusion about how to use the electronic machines.”

Update from NBC in Columbus, Ohio: Even efforts to address the problem are causing problems … “A flood of election-related calls knocked out the phone system serving Franklin County offices on Tuesday morning. County Elections Director Matthew Damschroder said the phone lines were overwhelmed by voters wondering where to vote and poll workers needing help with electronic voting machines.”

Another update: From Central Florida News 13: Seems that spring ahead/fall back stuff was too tricky for some of the machines. “Glitches are showing up on touch screen voting machines in Volusia and other counties around Central Florida. The Volusia Supervisor of Elections says the problems started showing up when the automatic clock inside the machines did not reset to make up for Daylight Saving Time.”

One more: They’re voting in California now, which, of course, means that the machines are balking there, too. From SignOnSanDiego.com: “Computerized voting machines in several parts of the county weren't working early Tuesday morning and voters were forced to use paper ballots instead. But a county spokesman said there had been no reports of widespread problems with the machines. Voting machine glitches were reported in Birdland, City Heights, South Park, La Mesa and National City.” 

Can’t call this one a “glitch:” From WMC TV in Memphis comes news of a major snafu where the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate has already filed a challenge: With Tennessee voters going to the polls, Harold Ford Jr. claimed this morning that polling locations in Memphis and in Jackson shut down because their voting machines weren't working. 'They told all the polling workers to go home and the election officials to go home without giving any real guidance to voters. We've already leveled one (challenge) on behalf of voters who have been told they'd have to wait until later today to vote,' Ford said."

More trouble out West, this one steaming those who like to vote before getting to work. From The Daily Herald in Utah: “Encoder problems at most, if not all, of the 118 voting stations left early morning voters standing in line for more than an hour waiting to cast their electronic ballots. There were problems with the encoders at most, if not all, of the polls in Utah County, said Sandy Hoffmann, elections coordinator for Utah County, but all of the problems have been remedied.”

This one seems to qualify as an exception to the rule in that it cites only a single problem. From the Roanoke Times in Virginia: “Turnout in today’s election was steady in the Roanoke and New River valleys, with at least one voting machine glitch causing a slight backup.”

In South Carolina the problems are causing bad-hair days. From MyrtleBeach.com: “Sandy Martin, Voters Registration & Election director for Horry County, said she felt like pulling her hair out because of the chaos of Tuesday morning. I don't have a lot of hair, and I don't need to be pulling it out," said Martin of her blond-brown locks. "It's been chaotic. It's been a hectic morning."

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