Pennsylvania - Voting problems and irregularities

This is going to be a busy and exciting day in Pennsylvania.  The Democratic primary this year is expected to draw record voter turnouts.

Hopefully everything will go smoothly, but with any major election, there are going to be some problems.  It is also important, IMHO, to track any major problems that arise during the voting process.  Hopefully these problems can be identified and corrected immediately, but it’s also important to create a record so that problems can be prevented in the future.

I have started a summary of problems that I will try to update throughout the day (every hour or so).  

UPDATE 11am - A few problems are trickling in...

Please comment on any problems you encounter.  

Voting problems and / or irregularities by district:

District 1
No Problems reported

District 2
No Problems reported

District 3
No Problems reported

District 4
No Problems reported

District 5
7am Workers had voting machines plugged into a paramedics truck because they did not have any other power source.

District 6
No Problems reported

District 7
No Problems reported

District 8
No Problems reported

District 9
No Problems reported

District 10
No Problems reported

District 11
No Problems reported

District 12
No Problems reported

District 13
Sample ballots (lacking Obama's name) were being distributed within 10 feet of a polling station. A cease order was delivered by a sheriff's officer to the 10th St. polling place. The sample ballot was paid for by the Friends of Ward 1 and urged voters to support Hillary Clinton, Bob Brady, John Dougherty and William F. Keller

District 14
No Problems reported

District 15
No Problems reported

District 16
No Problems reported

District 17
No Problems reported

District 18
Power outage in Green Tree.

District 19
No Problems reported

Miscellaneous

1. As always - there are serious concerns about the equipment being used to record and tally the votes.

2. The Bush Administration has sent the DOJ to monitor the election.  

3. A few long lines are being reported.

4. Scattered reports of students having trouble voting with just their student ID. This is likely confusion on the part of poll workers.

5. Reports of broken machines and voters leaving the polls without voting in Delaware County, South Philadelphia (both voting machines were broken at 4th and Ritner), Spring Garden (both machines were down at St. Andrews Lithuananian Church at 19th and Wallace).

If you are having trouble finding your polling location, go HERE

Here are some tips from ProgressPolitics:

Potential problems and solutions Pennsylvania voters may face at the polls today:

1. Voters without proper ID.  Voters need to bring valid identification.  New voters are required to bring identification, but all voters should bring id just to be safe.  Such identification can be a Pennsylvania drivers license or a picture student or employee id.  Acceptable non-photo ID must have a name and address, such as a current utility bill or current paycheck.  

2. Another potential problem is voters names not appearing in the poll books. If a voter’s name doesn’t appear in the poll book, Common Cause advises voters to ask poll workers to check supplemental voting lists that are sometimes printed up after the main poll books are printed, and ask the poll workers to call the county board of elections. As a last resort he or she should ask to vote on a provisional ballot.  

3. Voters arriving at the wrong precinct.  If a Pensylvanian voter shows up at the wrong precinct "their vote can still count as long as they cast their vote anywhere in the correct county, even if they are at the wrong precinct in their county.  To have their vote count, they need to complete a provisional ballot and have the correct ID."  

4. Voting machine malfunction.  If a voter is at a polling place where voting machines have broken down or failed to start up, he or she should request an emergency paper ballot to vote.  

5. Voters arriving at the polls near closing time.  Voters who arrive at the polls and are in line before 8pm must be allowed to vote according to Pennsylvania law.  Voters cannot be turned away if they are in line by 8pm.

Voters who experience problems at their polling location should call Pennsylvania’s voter hotline: 1-877-VOTES-PA (1-877-868-3772) and/or the Common Cause national election protection line: 1-866-OUR VOTE (1-866-687-8683)

•  Tips?

  by BoBo2020 on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 07:10:02 AM PDT

  •  Try to vote without provisional ballot, right?

    Because provisionals aren't counted the same day. Only counted later if the vote is close.

    What do you think, bobo2020?  (Though I have quite low regard for the electronic invisible-vote machines.)

    by joan reports on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 07:25:22 AM PDT

    •  I agree

      Provisional ballot should be the last resort but it is DEFINITELY better than not getting your vote in at all.

      by BoBo2020 on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 07:33:29 AM PDT

•  Thanks for this

  Here's hoping it can remain for Reporting Problems Only, and not turn into a flame/spam war.

  by Pariah Dog on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 07:15:03 AM PDT

•  ditto that, Pariah Dog and

  hope this stays on the rec list today.

  by Scubaval on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 07:21:36 AM PDT

•  on Stephanie Miller Radio

  a person calling in said 'somewhere in Philly ' I didn't catch where..... that Obama's name doesn't appear on the ballot; and Stephanie said that someone sent her a picture of it;..... she is waiting to confirm what she is hearing in this case;

  by pollwatch on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 07:41:09 AM PDT

•  Rumors are Obama's name isn't on NE Philly Ballot

  Is this true?

  by HouTxLib on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 07:42:14 AM PDT

  •  Seems so

    Quoted from Philly.com blog...

    As of 10 a.m., only one complaint had come into the Election Court at City Hall. A voter from the First Ward, 8th Division, said she was handed a sample ballot when entering the polling station at 1736 S. 10th Street.

    Judge Glenn Bronson issued an order saying it was not legal for the judge of elections or any person to hand out sample ballots within 10 feet of a polling station. The order was delivered by a sheriff's officer to the 10th St. polling place.

    The sample ballot was paid for by the Friends of Ward 1 and urged voters to support Hillary Clinton, Bob Brady, John Dougherty and William F. Keller

    by Snipe6ib on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 07:47:33 AM PDT

    •  That's not what HouTxLib was talking about

      unless I'm mistaken.

      That address is not in NE philly, and that's a report about a sample ballot being handed out without Obama's name, not the actual ballot.

      by fearwig on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 08:17:07 AM PDT

•  WARNING - read the fine print on the ballot

  Not sure how the ballot is organized in all precincts but in mine (with push button electronic machines) the 5 Barack delegates and 5 Hillary delegates are jumbled together. You have to read the fine print under each name to see who they support.

  My wife, in her morning haze and haste, assumed the 5 names which happened to be in "Barack's column" were all his delegates.  I'm not sure why they were in that sequence - alphabetically?  I believe she voted for 3 Barack delegates and 2 Hillary delegates.

  So if you're voting after work, don't be hasty!

  It seemed to be taking people a long time in the booth; when I got in, it took longer than I expected to go through the ballot, as the delegates are not grouped by whom they support so you have to go through and look for the right ones.

  Encourage people to go early rather than later!

  by Alan Arizona on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 08:12:02 AM PDT

•  South Philly Campaign Literature

  I posted this in the I voted thread - here it is again w/ a picture of the Democratic Ballot I received at the door.

  I just voted for Obama and Farnese in South Philly - not many people were there : four poll workers, maybe 2 other voters, and then about 5 or 6 people standing right outside the door handing out campaign flyers.

  There was also one other person there.  When I was waiting to go into the voting booth to push those buttons, the poll worker between the booths said "Here he comes again" to the other workers.  "It's that Obama guy."

  A well dressed, middle-aged man with a clipboard walked in and got a little close to the table with the voter rolls.  The ladies at the table said "You can't look in these books, you have to get away from the table."  To which he responded, "How many Democrats have voted ?" The same poll worker responded - "Can I see some ID ?"

  He acted somewhat apologetic, explained again that he just wanted to know how many Democrats had registered, and left.  The poll worker said something to the effect of "you can come back all day and ask, we just can't let you see the books."  This all happened in the time I was voting and I basically followed him out - he went off to his car.

  Not sure who the guy was.  Also it seemed to me that the five or six guys distributing campaign literature were a bit close to the door - as in right next to it.  All in all though fairly easy but somewhat disconcerting for me to just push buttons and not see any paper trail - I used to vote in Florida and definitely felt better about my vote being counted on the optical scan machines than on this thing.

  Link to picture of Democratic Ballot (Obama's name isn't on it)
  Picture of ballot

  by matt64 on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 08:22:04 AM PDT

•  USE THE PA SEC STATE WEB SITE FOR POLL LOCATIONS

  Don't rely on campaign web sites - either Obama or Clinton.

  by ProduceMan on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 08:47:29 AM PDT

•  It looks like

  someone else's PA Voting Problems diary hit the rec list, so I am going to discontinue this diary and redirect everone over there.

  by BoBo2020 on Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 08:53:45 AM PDT