Advertisement
by Bob Fitrakis
November 4, 2008
Columbus, Ohio, 10:45a.m.: Election observer Werner Lange reported from Trumbull County that there was a “major problem in my precinct, 3A.” Lange wrote, “All of the votes cast using a paper ballot between the hours of 6:30-8:15am (when I pointed out the flaw to the pollworkers) are invalid because none of the voters were asked, as required, to sign the pollbook.”
Lange estimates that anywhere from 30-80 voters lost their vote due to a pollworker’s “colossal mistake.”
Observer Robert Bowers reported from Lucas County (Toledo) that he was being physically intimidated by a precinct judge. Bowers, an appointed observer from the Constitution Party, was stopped from observing machine security seals and recording machine serial numbers. Ohio law allows appointed observers like Bowers to record various serial numbers since they are public record. Bowers told the Free Press that the precinct judge, who he identified as Matthew Perkins, raised his hand to Bowers’ face. Bowers left the polling site and went home. He called reporters and plans to return to the polling site with the reporters.
Green Party observer Jane Schiff reports the main problem is that a disproportionate amount of voters’ names are missing from the voting rolls. Schiff also told the Free Press that some Hamilton County voters are targeted in the pollbooks with the designation “provisional” without any explanation. Even though they have current ID that matches their address, they’re being forced to vote provisional in their precinct. The Obama campaign and the Democratic Party are urging those voters to vote a regular ballot at the Hamilton County Board of Elections, according to Schiff. Most, she reports, are voting provisionally at the polling site or refusing to vote. This has been observed in Franklin County as well.
A central Ohio Free Press reporter wrote: “I reached the polling place at 6:10. There were 30 people ahead of me in line. By 6:30 there were more than 100 waiting. The first person to vote started at 6:40. I finished voting 7. At that time the tech still had 14 machines to get up and running. I only saw 2 people fill out paper ballots. When I left there were about 200 people still waiting to sign in and vote.”
Observer Robert Bowers reported from Lucas County (Toledo) that he was being physically intimidated by a precinct judge. Bowers, an appointed observer from the Constitution Party, was stopped from observing machine security seals and recording machine serial numbers. Ohio law allows appointed observers like Bowers to record various serial numbers since they are public record. Bowers told the Free Press that the precinct judge, who he identified as Matthew Perkins, raised his hand to Bowers’ face. Bowers left the polling site and went home. He called reporters and plans to return to the polling site with the reporters.
Green Party observer Jane Schiff reports the main problem is that a disproportionate amount of voters’ names are missing from the voting rolls. Schiff also told the Free Press that some Hamilton County voters are targeted in the pollbooks with the designation “provisional” without any explanation. Even though they have current ID that matches their address, they’re being forced to vote provisional in their precinct. The Obama campaign and the Democratic Party are urging those voters to vote a regular ballot at the Hamilton County Board of Elections, according to Schiff. Most, she reports, are voting provisionally at the polling site or refusing to vote. This has been observed in Franklin County as well.
A central Ohio Free Press reporter wrote: “I reached the polling place at 6:10. There were 30 people ahead of me in line. By 6:30 there were more than 100 waiting. The first person to vote started at 6:40. I finished voting 7. At that time the tech still had 14 machines to get up and running. I only saw 2 people fill out paper ballots. When I left there were about 200 people still waiting to sign in and vote.”