Voting concerns - what are you experiencing?
I've been hearing various concerns from across NY-23 today about various challenges at the ballot box. Some stem from poll workers being out with the flu -- others from new electronic voting machines.
Here's one email:
I did not see a screen nor get a receipt to confirm my vote. I was expecting this because it was reported in the media. When I asked, I was told that I needed to request that before I voted. I was not given that information before I voted.And here's another:
The bottom line: Give yourself some extra time to vote today, ask lots of questions, be sure you're comfortable with your vote before you leave.I was at the polls at 5 to 6 this morning. It was a pretty disorganized scene, with the new machines and many poll workers out sick. A process that usually takes 2 minutes took 20 minutes. The workers were huddled around the black scanners until 5 after 6. It appears they got one working by the time I left but nobody seemed all that confident.The referenda are on the back of the ballot. I only found them because I was looking for them. The permanent marker they gave me bled through the ballot slightly. The instructions say the ballot won't count if there are any extraneous marks.
And comment below about your experience? Did you have problems? Was it smooth sailing? Let us know.
Labels: election09
posted by Brian Mann @ 11/03/2009 09:05:00 AM
15 Comments
15 Comments:
I just voted at the Harrietstown Town Hall in Saranac Lake. My concerns with the paper ballots relate to privacy. We were told to sit at a table to fil our ballot out, and then to bring it to the machine and feed it in like a dollar in a sode machine. Little plastic table screens had been set on the tables, but to look over one would be easy - likewise, to stand behind someone & see how they marked their paper would be easy. Also, standing in line waiting to feed the paper into the machine, I felt almost like I was standing in my underwear, because anyone passing near enough could glance & see my ballot. Then, when I set the paper to be fed into the machine, again, someone with quick eyes could easily see how I voted. -I did not get any paper confirmation.
I do not believe anyone in that room today would knowingly look at anothers' ballot - the atmosphere was respectful, and people stood a good distance apart. BUT - if it were a smaller room, a larger crowd, a hostile environment - even the feeling that someone *might* see the ballot could cause some people to vote a certain way. If I were small, or frail, or frightened - and in a hostile crowded room with people all bent in a certain direction polititcally, it would be scary to feel so exposed.
My only concern was that the boxes to be filled in were rather small. If you are near vision challenged (like me) you will need your reading glasses. The workers explained the process to me fully before I voted including that the propositions were on the back. The "receipt" is a notice on the digital screen that your vote was successful, not a paper receipt and nothing to show that what the scanner recorded was what you marked. Is that a problem? We never got confirmation with the lever machines either. At least now there is a paper trail for an actual recount. With the lever machines a recount consisted of looking at the totals on each machine again. Short of showing your choices on the screen before finalizing the ballot and giving each voter a printout of their vote I don't know how it could be improved. At some point we have to trust that our neighbors manning the voting station are honest people.
At Lisbon just after 6am my wife and I were voters #3 & #4 and the whole thing was a chinese fire drill. Everyone there, and I think there were 11 or 12 poll workers was confused and it took nearly 20 minutes before we were out.
I assume during the day they will get their procedures straightened out. I agree with previous poster that the boxes you are to fill in are quite small. It's easy to see how mistakes could be made and the potential for recounts arguing over the new equivalent of "dimple dchads."
I agree with Susan re lack of privacy. I felt like the whole process was being done in public view. And yes, make sure you have your reading glasses. I would like to have received a receipt that confirmed my ballot selections - I don't trust technology so much. The big positive is that there is a piece of paper for when the technology does fail. Interesting that as modern technology is brought into the ballot process, we are still relying on the trusted paper ballot.
A good point on the paper record. We never actually had that before I don't think.
I was a little concerned about the requirements for marking the ballot. All I could think of was whatever the equivalent of a "hanging chad" would be on our new ballots.
Maybe we should just go with a show of hands next time.....
We were very pleased with our voting experience. The poll worker thoroughly explained the ballot and even said "don't vote for Dede as she has withdrawn". The scanning went smoothly. I was expecting something to show up on the screen verifying my vote, but guess I'll just have to trust the process. No line at all when we voted. Let's hope everyone gets out and votes! It's our democratic duty!
Dogs Rule said "The poll worker thoroughly explained the ballot and even said "don't vote for Dede as she has withdrawn."
I think the poll worker overstepped bounds. A poll worker can't say "don't vote for" anyone whose name is still legally on the ballot. As I recall, even candidates who were dead have been elected to office.
I am also concerned about the lack of privacy. The person ahead of me at the scanner had his ballot rejected. The attendant picked it up and LOOKED AT IT, and told the gentleman that some of the marks had been made incorrectly. She then held it up in full view of myself and others in the area and called someone over to assist the voter in getting a replacement ballot. Nothing very secret about that particular ballot!
I made a mistake on the ballot and asked for a new one. The poll worker then took my original back to the registration table, opened it up and wrote "spoiled" on it in front of the entire group of poll workers. Since my ballot only contained one error, it was obvious what my vote was in almost all cases.
The lack of privacy helps to make the exit polls more accurate. We should be more thankful for this vast improvement.
I agree completely with Dale, whoever that poll worker was should be reported, quietly, so that proper instructions can be issued to him. There was probably no harm intended, but that's dead wrong.
Things like that are what contested elections swing on.
they should have stayed with the lever machines. They worked perfectly fine. It was a waste of money to have them replaced.
"They should have stayed wit hthe lever machines..."
Typical North Country statement, because God forbid we move forward and catch up with the times.
Really folks, these ballots are not "rocket science" and I do not recall getting a "voting receiprt" to confirm all my votes from the lever machines. As for the privacy, walk to the machine and slide it in, don't wave it around and follow simple instructions.
Really folks, it was not that hard!
the old machines were better, my vote was kept private, now you vote where everybody can walk behind you and see what you are doing, and after you run it thru the scanner it falls into a box, and its kept where? for how long? and just who has privvy to my selections, the ballots are identifiable, they had to search for mine before I could vote....I don't like this system at all...
My concern is validation, when I voted in the primary in September I asked is there a way to see if who I voted for was actually recorded correctly a lady from Canton pushed a few buttons and then my votes were visibly on the screen and I left secure knowing that the person I did vote for was the one recorded. When I asked for this same validation in the regular election I was told no it couldn’t do that! Did they shut off that part or were the Election inspectors not trained in that area of use!
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