There are widespread reports of voting problems already this morning in Virginia. The Election Protection folks have had a steady stream of reports of polling places opening late, enormous lines, machines not working properly, insufficient ballots, and other problems. Other groups are getting widespread reports of voting irregularities and polling place problems across the state.
If you are a Virginia voter who has had problems, please report them to the hotline numbers below.
Also, please call:
– Gov. Tim Kaine at the Virginia Governor’s office at (804) 786-2211
–
The Virginia State Board of Elections at Telephone: 804 864-8901 Toll Free: 800 552-9745 FAX: 804 371-0194(Apparently, they’ve been flooded with calls. Just call Gov. Kaine’s office for now. thanks!)
Request that they ask the courts to allow polls to stay open an additional two hours today to give voters additional voting time to remedy these errors. Only the courts in Virginia can order the extended hours for voting — but they can do so at the request of Gov. Kaine or the State Board of Elections.
Please ask that they do so — every vote needs to be counted, but for that to happen, people need to be able to vote.
As a public service reminder for today, you can report any voting problems to the Election Protection hotline. Write this information down, just in case you or someone you know needs it:
• For immediate assistance, call the nonpartisan 1-866-OUR-VOTE hotline.
• To report problems to Election Protection’s state teams through Twitter, use these guidelines.
Also, these resources will allow anyone to track Election Protection’s breaking news as it happens on Election Day:
• OurVoteLive.org (http://OurVoteLive.org) – A live map and full database of all the reports received through the hotline
• OurVoteLive Blog (http://blog.ourvotelive.org) – Breaking news and analysis on the state of the vote
• 866OurVote Twitter account (http://twitter.com/866ourvote) – Breaking news and reports as they happen
Also, the Obama campaign has set up its own election hotline:
• To report problems at your polling place or your vote to the Obama campaign, call 1-877-US4OBAMA.
• Also, you can find information about your polling place on the Obama/Biden website.
Additional information can be found via the Brennan Center, the ACLU and we’ll certainly be updating all day long here at FDL. Now, get out there and vote!
Voting problems reported thus far today: Dozens of callers in Virginia are reporting serious polling place problems, including broken machines, long lines, and a lack of parking. Some polling places are not even open yet.
Stay tuned for more updates at http://blog.ourvotelive.org
OTHER REPORTS (http://blog.ourvotelive.org/?p=220):
* More reports of absentee voters not receiving their ballot in the mail from Florida, Colorado, Illinois and Louisiana voters.
* Indiana, Virginia and Pennsylvania – flyers and calls giving voters serious misinformation, like instructing people to vote on Wednesday
* Blacksburg, VA: Voters reporting that there are too few voting machines to handle the large crowds.
* Danville, VA: the relative of someone living in a nursing home reported evidence that nursing home residents who do not have family members present may have been intimidated and influenced while filling out absentee ballots.
* New Jersey: Voting rights experts report that voter registrations in at least twelve counties will not be processed by Election Day and voters from across the state may have to cast provisional ballots as a result.
* Mississippi: A caller reported that she collected 500 registrations and submitted all of them. She checked the status of several of them today and evidently none were processed.
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Morning, Christy – one of the things that I dearly hope comes out of this election is that something FINALLY gets done about the voting system in this country. This is just a total mess.
MORNIN in America
Got the good news here, huh, Christy!
a joke,and we want to spread our democracy…the plutocrats say no
Peggy Noonan needs to retire
wazzzup
Just returned from voting. No problem here in my little CNY town. And, no new-fangled machines. Push down the lever, open the curtain and you’re done. I have absolute confidence that my vote will be counted. Can’t believe that it’s not that way everywhere.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was intentional.
If everyone could refresh the page, I’d appreciate it — I added in some needed action info for Virginia above.
wazzzup.
This leaves me speechless
you back already?
Just got back from voting. Number 220. Every page of the sign-in book was filled with signatures or “already voted” stamp for absentee voters. 25 minutes from truck to truck. 5 lines for sign-in with 3-4 people in each line. Constant. Largest turnout I’ve seen in my 25+ years here. Smooth, efficient operation. One guy in front of me didn’t know he had to register to vote. Provisional ballot meet Mr Not Payin’ Attention.
It was a cakewalk at our polling place when we walked by with the pupsters but our neighborhood is pretty politically aware so I’m not sure whatup elsewhere in Athens.
lol, nader was on cnn
Jesse Jackson Jr being asked by the MSNBC clowns about being appointed to Barak’s seat if he wins.
Pat B looking suicidal
Who I’m voting for.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/timtimes/3000019255/
Enjoy.
I might add that this is a very small precinct. 2 precincts, one very very small, vote in the same place. Little Nazarrene church. Voted there for many an election. Everybody friendly, happy. I’m hearing horror stories out of Hillsborough County, where the Rethug supervisor, Buddy Johnson, has done just about everything he can to get himself unelected. Some precincts with no ballots. Scanners not working. Poll supervisors asking lawyers to exit the premises. Lots of scandal surrounding this guy. Used official mailings to pimp himself.
We are calling into Virginia from the Obama campaign office in Towson MD (40 W Chesapeake). We need 75 more people as of 9:15 AM – bring cell phones + chargers, laptops + chargers. We also need people to drive campaign lit plus signs to the polls. All hands on deck.
Voted this morning in Queens, NY. Got to the polls at 5:58, the doors were opened promptly at 6, and I was back in my apartment at 6:15. NY State does a boatload of things wrong, but voting is just not one of them.
Morning all !!
I can’t wait to go place my vote, will be heading out soon
Voting problems in a battleground state?
My, what a surprize!!
in my perfect world, Jeremiah Wright would be the next junior senator from Illinois :D
Right f*kin’ on!!
I’ve Scar on delay and I can’t believe he just asked JJ Jr. “How could we find ourselves 43 years after the voting rights act without a black person in the Senate?”
Like his party has worked hard to make that happen.
Not one Black Republican in the House, let alone the Senate.
I was thinking the same thing recently.
This time, it would really mean something.
Dems haven’t been exactly stellar in getting an AA into the Senate.
I’m anxious to hear what he an Ayers have to say when this is over.
Just dropped my early ballot at the Polls in my precinct (I’m a PC so yes it is mine) and for the first time in 10 years…. I saw lines…… the church parking lot was full and people were parking on the street…. had to walk quite a bit and the line wove around and out the door at 7:10 am….. IN Arizona….. All ages…..
Thankfully with my early ballot, I just crashed the line and dropped it off in the box….. WOW there were 20 plus voting stations…… Did not catch how many scanners were assigned…..
I’m psyched ,it’s finally here, I’ve waiting so long for this day.
Gonna help make history today !!!
I don’t think I’ll run into any voting issues ,except for long lines and too many McCain supporters
It’s time to go do my small part,man this is so cool!!!
Be back later!
Are the poll closing times at the bottom of the screen on MSNBC confusing
any pups other than me? I see the chart below for each time zone, but the time above is in ET.
May need more coffee.
Just back in from lily white capital R Atlanta precinct.
I took my 6 year old at 6:45 and the line was 50 yards long, an hour wait.
So I took him on to school and was back in line at 7:45. Took an hour and 15 minutes.
Poll worker, high school friend’s mom, said 1 machine for 185 voters.
I’m wondering if that ratio is for the whole state, county, city, precinct or what?
Any Georgia residents have any idea?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.– That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object envinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.– Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.
VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE
I voted today in suburban Philly. I don’t know how many people can vote at the polling place I go to, but 500 had already voted, which seems like a lot.
We seriously need to get our acts together as far as voting goes in this country.
Hey, check out this video….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1exiyBYnJ00
Thanks so much!