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Electronic voting machines confound some around nation

By Associated Press

Last update: November 7, 2006 - 3:14 PM

New voting machines confounded some poll workers around the country on Election Day, and a combination of electronic glitches and human error forced some precincts to extend voting hours or switch to paper ballots.

More than 80 percent of the nation's voters were expected to cast some type of electronic ballot Tuesday, which was the deadline for major reforms mandated by the federal Help America Vote Act, passed by Congress to prevent a rerun of the 2000 election debacle.

With one in three Americans voting on a machine they had never used before, the effort to improve the integrity of the election system got off to a shaky start in hundreds of precincts from the Rockies to the Poconos. Long lines formed.

In Denver, up to 300 people stood outside some polling sites. One was Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter, who waited an hour and 40 minutes.

"It's actually heartening," he said. It means people "understand the process is important enough to be patient and wait in line." Nonetheless, Democratic Party officials asked a judge to extend poll hours because of the delays.

A long ballot and new machines caused the disruptions, according to Colorado secretary of state spokeswoman Lisa Doran. "Despite the training, some of the election judges are intimidated by the machines," she said.

Computer glitches and poll workers' unfamiliarity with the new equipment were also blamed for long lines in such states as Tennessee, South Carolina and Illinois.

In North Carolina, about 100 voters were left waiting at a church because the poll worker who had the key showed up nearly an hour late.

In Pennsylvania, a computer programming error forced some to cast paper ballots. In Indiana, 175 precincts also resorted to paper. Counties in those states also extended poll hours to make up for delays.

As of midday, none of the stumbles seemed to signal a voting disaster, said poll watchers.

"Lots of fender-benders, but no major tie-ups," said Doug Chapin, director of electionline.org, a nonpartisan group that tracks election problems. "It's been a steady drumbeat, but nothing that rises to the level of 'This could compromise the results."'

Nevertheless, some of the mishaps raised the frustration level.

In Cleveland, where some voters in 2004 waited in 14-hour lines, problems with ballot-reading machines caused big delays. For the first time, all 88 counties used electronic voting either touch-screens or paper ballots that are electronically scanned.

James Marquart said he walked out without voting after poll workers said his name wasn't on the rolls, even though he was holding a postcard from the elections board that told him which precinct to vote in.

"They did offer me a provisional ballot, but I have absolutely no faith in provisional ballots," he said. Such ballots are only counted if election officials can document the voter's registration.

Voter reform advocates had feared widespread confusion over this very issue. New, statewide registration databases were supposed to in place by Election Day, but clerical errors as simple as a typo could knock someone's name off the list.

Activists also feared that last-minute changes in voter identification laws would mean even more confusion.

In Missouri, for example, a judge recently overturned a state law requiring voters to produce a government-issued photo identification. In Kansas City on Tuesday, some voters nevertheless reported being asked for photo ID.

"We've had people saying they were turned away," said Edward Hailes of the Advancement Project, a voting-rights group monitoring polling sites across the country. "We've been trying to contact the board of elections, but the phone lines are jammed."

In Virginia, election officials contacted the FBI over complaints about voter intimidation. Jean Jensen, secretary of the Board of Elections, said her office received reports of phone calls apparently encouraging voters to stay home on Election Day. Other calls directed voters to the wrong polling place.

In Kentucky, a poll worker was arrested after allegedly choking a voter and throwing him out of the polling place. The two had argued over a ballot issue.

"That about tops off the day," said Jefferson County Clerk spokeswoman Paula McCraney.

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