Bomb threat, ballot troubles as Ohio votes

An elections official in Ohio predicted the state would "shine" in tabulating results for Tuesday's primary elections, despite the state's history of voting problems. However, there had been scattered reports of confusion and delay by early afternoon.

One of the most dramatic problems Tuesday had nothing to do with ballot designs or electronic voting machines. A polling place at a northeast Ohio school closed for 90 minutes because of a bomb threat.

The threat was called in around 9:30 a.m., and about 14 voters were turned away while a bomb-sniffing dog searched the school, according to the Associated Press. All 14 voters said they would return to the polling place later Tuesday. No bomb was found and the school re-opened around 11 a.m.

Cleveland-area voters were told Tuesday morning to remove a tab on their ballots that specifically says "Do not remove at some polling locations. Cuyahoga County elections chief Jane Platten said there was no reason for concern, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer's John Caniglia:

Platten said a tab on ballots that's used for accounting purposes became a minor issue. She said some of the tabs were removed by accident. Voters who lost the tabs should not worry. Their votes will count.

At least one voter was confused by the ballot design Tuesday and says he accidentally voted Dennis Kucinich for President. Romano asked how to correct his ballot and he was told to drop it into the box, which he did before requesting a new ballot.

"They told me I couldn't get another ballot because I had already put one in the box," he told the PD's Donna J. Miller. "I've voted for 50 years. This was the worst ballot I've seen."

In southwest Ohio, the Dayton Daily News was collecting voters' tales from the voting booths on Tuesday. Most voters reported a pleasant experience, although some trouble persisted. "About 40-50 people in line and 1 of the voting machine were down," one commenter wrote. "Waited to 7:00 AM and the line didnt move 3 more machine went down, now 4 0f the 8 machine not working. The poll worker didnt offer paper ballot and seemed overhelmed by the process. Let get rid of these Diebold machines and get something that works! I will be back tonite to vote, hope the machines are working by then."

"The district I am in had a line the full length of the gymnasium and there were 4 voting machines down that had been report[ed] 1 1/2 before but no one had been there to look at [them]," said a commenter from Beavercreek, Ohio. "I talked to several people in line, and everyone seemed to be enthusiastic."



