



Voting Machines Fail

The most persistent problems were those that crop up every election cycle, such as closed or relocated polling stations, confusion over new voting requirements, and faulty voting machines. Those and other problems led to long lines in North Carolina and Texas during the popular early voting that preceded Tuesday's balloting.

By mid-afternoon Tuesday, problems being reported included long lines and delayed poll openings in New York; malfunctioning voting machines in Virginia; and confusion with closed or delayed-opening polling places in Georgia and Texas. Among the specific incidents:



In Dover, N.H., misinformation that polls would close at 8 p.m. led officials to extend voting an hour from the pre-planned closing time of 7 p.m. The city is a Democratic stronghold in a crucial battleground state.



In Maricopa County, Ariz., Democratic officials asked a judge to keep polls open for two more hours following problems with voting machines and provisional ballots that caused long lines. The request, like that in Colorado, was denied.

In Washington County, Utah, election officials had to scramble to get electronic voting machines back up and running after machines at many precincts failed to operate immediately after polls opened at 7 a.m. Only 99 of 380 machines had memory cards programmed correctly. Voters were given paper ballots instead.



In Philadelphia, would-be voter Chris Calvert tweeted that both voting machines were broken at his polling place. No one can vote in our district today. Hundreds of angry voters, he wrote. Federal law requires election officials to give voters provisional paper ballots in such cases.

In a Detroit precinct in the battleground state of Michigan, the machine that counts ballots was not working from the very beginning of the morning, causing confusion and anger among voters. Workers at the precinct told voters they could either leave their ballots in a secure box to be counted later or wait for a technician.







http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/11/08/voting-polls-election-day/93201770/



Long article but I just wanted to focus on the voting machines sections for the post but there were many issues that played out this election that must be addressed or we can expect more problems in the future. We know the GOP will continue with its war on voting.



(Snip)Voting Machines FailThe most persistent problems were those that crop up every election cycle, such as closed or relocated polling stations, confusion over new voting requirements, and faulty voting machines. Those and other problems led to long lines in North Carolina and Texas during the popular early voting that preceded Tuesday's balloting.By mid-afternoon Tuesday, problems being reported included long lines and delayed poll openings in New York; malfunctioning voting machines in Virginia; and confusion with closed or delayed-opening polling places in Georgia and Texas. Among the specific incidents:In Dover, N.H., misinformation that polls would close at 8 p.m. led officials to extend voting an hour from the pre-planned closing time of 7 p.m. The city is a Democratic stronghold in a crucial battleground state.In Maricopa County, Ariz., Democratic officials asked a judge to keep polls open for two more hours following problems with voting machines and provisional ballots that caused long lines. The request, like that in Colorado, was denied.In Washington County, Utah, election officials had to scramble to get electronic voting machines back up and running after machines at many precincts failed to operate immediately after polls opened at 7 a.m. Only 99 of 380 machines had memory cards programmed correctly. Voters were given paper ballots instead.In Philadelphia, would-be voter Chris Calvert tweeted that both voting machines were broken at his polling place. No one can vote in our district today. Hundreds of angry voters, he wrote. Federal law requires election officials to give voters provisional paper ballots in such cases.In a Detroit precinct in the battleground state of Michigan, the machine that counts ballots was not working from the very beginning of the morning, causing confusion and anger among voters. Workers at the precinct told voters they could either leave their ballots in a secure box to be counted later or wait for a technician.Long article but I just wanted to focus on the voting machines sections for the post but there were many issues that played out this election that must be addressed or we can expect more problems in the future. We know the GOP will continue with its war on voting.