Tuesday, November 07, 2006

I expected this

I would have mentioned it in my prediction post if I would have thought about it.

Seems as if they're having problems with electronic voting machines because they weren't tried out first.

Ya know, it seems like it's mosly the blue states that have the problems.

Programming errors and inexperience dealing with electronic voting machines frustrated poll workers in hundreds of precincts early Tuesday, delaying voters in Indiana, Ohio and Florida and leaving some with little choice but to use paper ballots instead.

In Cleveland, voters rolled their eyes as election workers fumbled with new touchscreen machines that they couldn't get to start properly until about 10 minutes after polls opened.

"We got five machines — one of them's got to work," said Willette Scullank, a trouble shooter from the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, elections board

~snip~
A precinct in Orange Park, Fla., turned to paper ballots because of machine problems. Voting was delayed for 30 minutes or more at some Broward County precincts, where electronic ballots were mixed up and, in one case, a poll worker unintentionally wiped the electronic ballot activators.

In Illinois, some voters found the new equipment cumbersome.

"People seem to be very confused about how to use the new system," said Bryan Blank, a 33-year-old librarian from Oak Park, Ill. "There was some early morning disarray."

~snip~
In one of the worst fiascoes, Maryland election officials forgot to send the cards primary voters needed to activate electronic machines at their polling places, and some voters had to cast provisional ballots on scraps of paper.

Baltimore County election director Jacqueline McDaniel said the poll workers had a few problems on Tuesday — one left part of the equipment in his car; another was looking in the wrong place for the electronic poll books.

Several Florida counties stocked up ahead of the election with extra voting machines, paper ballots and poll workers on standby. Apart from the state's infamous chads in 2000, Florida voters have struggled with poorly trained poll workers and precincts opening late or closing early.

OK-

Aren't there SUPPOSED to be adults in charge?

I know that when I install brand spanking new and unfamiliar equipment- I make sure it works before I show it off to anyone. That includes walking my people through the entire procedure from clicking the button (or turning the valve) all the way to the final click (or turn).
Then we do it again.
Then they explain to me what they're doing and why.

Then we go over it one more time.
THEN we get it going.

But what should I know? I didn't graduate from college. I guess I'm just not "nuanced" enough to believe in magical cures.

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