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11 PM: Long Night, Long Campaign
By now, many of you are ready for the results. It's been a long campaign and a long day. Returns are coming in but slowly, even 'though the turnout in Ohio ran closer to 60 percent instead of the higher predictions set earlier. No matter how you voted, chances are you're somewhat disappointed in parts of this election and perhaps your voting experience. The challenge for boards of elections is to overcome the many issues you have brought to our and their attention, to come up with solutions.
10:26 PM: Poll Worker Training
One of the issues boards of elections will have to consider is training for poll workers. Counties increased the number of hours of training this election cycle. Hamilton County poll workers had to spend four hours in class. Yet, Ohio's Secretary of State has come out and said there were many, many errors on the part of poll workers today. Cyndi tells us the poll worker at her precinct kept tearing the bar codes off the ballots. This caused huge lines at the scanners, which wouldn't accept those ballots. Cyndi says she called the board to notify them of the problem. She's not sure if her and her family's votes will count.
10:08 PM: Voting Machines Switch Votes
Kentucky officials are going to need to check those voting machines. Earlier today we reported problems with Kenton County's eSlate machines. A voter in Alexandria says when he chose a straight ticket, the machine he used highlighted the opposite side. I've gotten several emails about this issue. Voters who emailed caught the problem but wonder how many might not have done so.
9:53 PM: Hoax Message?
Christina from Erlanger, Kentucky reports she got a text message that said "Due to extremely long lines at voter polls, all Obama voters please come back on Wednesday." I did not see this text personally. I do have a leaflet that was distributed in parts of Virginia earlier this week, with an official-looking seal, citing the Virginia Board of Elections. It reads: "Due to the larger than expected voter turnout in this year's electorial (sic) process, an emergency session of the General Assembly has adopted the following emergency regulations: All Republican party supporters and independent voters supporting Republican candidates shall vote on November 4th.. All Democratic party supporters and independent voters supporting Democratic candidates shall vote on November 5th." Of course, this is nonsense.
9:15 PM: Voters Denied; Registrations Dropped
Another continuing issue: dropped registrations. Voters say they're not on the rolls at all in places where they've voted for many years. Annette of Colerain Township says she's been voting in the same location for 11 years, including the presidential primaries earlier this year, when she had no issues. "Today I went to vote and they could not find me in the books under my married name or my maiden name. When we called the Secretary of State's office, they could not find me there either." Annette's upset she didn't get to vote in what she calls one of the most important elections ever.
9:05 PM: Upset Voters
The anger and disappointment over the provisional voting mistakes rings loud and clear. Kathy from Forest Park says she's voted every election at the same place. Today she was forced to vote a provisional ballot because poll workers insisted she wasn't in "the book". She says it turns out they were looking in the wrong book. Her husband pointed out this mistake, she says, and was able to vote normally. Kathy says, "I am upset I had to vote provisional in the most historic election of our time." The only theory I can posit is that perhaps Kathy voted at a location that had several precincts and she stood in the wrong line. That happened to many voters today. But Kathy insists she's voted at the same place 27 years and knows the routine there.
8:50 PM: Monday Morning Quarterbacking
It's obvious that long after Election Day, boards of elections across our region will be investigating problems voters are reporting.
Daryl says his ballot didn’t have all the candidates on it. We've had previous reports of people who got one page of a two-page ballot.
Angela says the scanner at her polling place was broken both times she went to vote. Boards of elections have made provisions to take those ballots and scan them back at their headquarters. That will mean delays. By the way, Angela, your vote was not provisional; it will be counted as soon as it's scanned, unless there's another issue involved other than the broken scanner.
And Sarah reports a faulty voting machine at Taylor Mill elementary, one of many such reports in Kentucky today.
8:25 PM: It's Legal Outside
We got a lot of complaints about what was going on outside polling places. Chrystal from Cincinnati called to complain about people standing outside the Hamilton County Education Center handing out “I voted for Obama” stickers. "Isn’t that illegal?" she asks. No, it is not. Anyone can stand outside a polling place, as long as it's far enough from the door, and hand out any literature they want. You don't have to take it, but it's legal for them to be there.
8:15 PM: Polls Closed; Voting Continues
The magic hour has passed and all polls officially are closed in our three states, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. That's doesn't mean the vote is over. Polling places with voters in line at 7:30 PM in Ohio or 6 PM in Kentucky are letting voters in line at those times vote tonight, with their ballots counting tonight. That may delay some results.
8:00 PM: It's not All Bad
B.C. wanted a counter to all the other blogs, with his positive experience, and I want to make sure you know I've gotten a dozen or so emails from people who had a very pleasant voting experience today. B.C says he lives in Colerain township, went to vote at 5:45 pm and found no lines at all. He says all his neighbors report no lines to 15-minute waits.
7:45 PM: Tale of Three Counties, Three Provisional Voters
The problems with provisional ballots continue. Listen to three tales of voters in three counties.
Cassandra says she moved to Adams County last May and went to the Board of Elections office there to update and change her registration. She never got any campaign letters or phone calls so she called the Board yesterday to check on her registration. She says the worker told her that in June Adams County had been notified by her former county, Butler County, that she was "a duplicate voter". So today she had to vote a provisional ballot.
Another voter in Clifton says he also had problems after sending a change of address form to the Hamilton County Board of Elections months ago. The Board didn't switch him. Today poll workers in Clifton incorrectly gave him a provisional ballot for the wrong district. If that had gone through, his vote would have been thrown out. He says his wife and a poll watcher intervened at the 11th hour and called the Hamilton County Board of Elections, which stoped him from voting incorrectly, but it was a close call. "Obviously, those poll workers need WAY more training," he says, "Their incompetence is unacceptable."
And then there's Scott in Mt. Orab who says his poll worker at Precinct 70 insisted he wasn't registered even 'though he knew he was. He left and then called the Brown County Board of Elections. He says the lady there fixed the problem in minutes and told him to go back to the precinct, where workers now had his information. He got to vote a provisional vote, but that was better than none at all.
That's a snapshot of many other stories I've heard today.
6:45 PM: Campaigns Calling those who haven't Voted to Come Now
Barbara from Northside is upset that her son is getting calls from one of the presidential campaign's volunteers asking him to vote. She asked how the campaign worker knew. The state and county record and release public records of who has voted thus far. They produced such a list today. The records are not always accurate, but that's what both campaigns use to try to get out the vote of their likely voters. Barbara says her son now lives in California, where he voted. She was surprised to learn he was still listed on the Hamilton County voter registraion rolls. As I reported last night, federal law forces states to keep inactive voters on the rolls for two presidential cycles, so unless you personally inform your board of elections that you no longer live at a former address, you remain on that roll for up to 11 years.
6:40 PM: Read the GOP Lawsuit
Earlier we reported about the GOP lawsuit earlier today over provisional ballots. Here's a link to the suit.
6:30 PM: Chief Tickets Firefighters Outside Polling Place
Newport Police Chief Robbie Hall says, in retrospect, he probably shouldn't have ticketed members of the local firefighters' union who were holding signs outside a polling place today. The chief says he probably should just have asked them to move. The firefighters were standing outside a large retirement home with signs. The union isn't backing some city commission incumbents. The chief showed up, measured the distance between the firefighters and the home and ticketed the firefighters for being too close. The firefighters say they were standing at a space allowed by state law.
5:55 PM: You can Vote if You're in Line when Polls Close
Polls close in a few minutes in Kentucky and Indiana. We've heard no complaints from Indiana voters today. The biggest complaint in Kentucky was over the malfunctioning voting machines and long lines, seemingly longer than the lines in Ohio, where the polls remain open for another hour and 40 minutes, 'til 7:30 PM. If you're in line by then, you will be allowed to vote past that hour.
5:45 PM: Voter Denied
I've heard from several voters with this problem: They were "dropped" from the rolls at their longtime polling place. Lynda from Mt. Washinton says she went to vote today at the Baptist Church on Sutton Rd along with her grandson who lives with her and was voting for the first time. He received a post card several weeks ago notifying him that this was his polling place. She has voted there for 15 years, she says, and "I vote in every election and primary and have done so since I turned 18 many years ago." Lynda was shocked to see neither her or her grandson's name on the books. They were forced to vote with provisional ballots. "This is outrageous!", she says.
I called Sally Krisel, the head of Hamilton County's Board of Elections. She says she'll call the precinct and try to find out what happened, but obviously it's too late for Lynda and her grandson to re-vote tonight. their provisional votes will count, but not tonight. Krisel says she can't explain what happened without talking to the folks at the precinct.
5:30 PM: GOP Sues over Provisional Ballots
With provisional ballots playing such a big role in the complaints we've heard today, it's no surprise to see a lawsuit filed over them. The Ohio Republican Party asked a U.S. District Court judge in Columbus to let it to amend a lawsuit it had filed previously challenging how the state counts provisional ballots. Many voters today said they were forced to vote these ballots, which are counted within ten days after Election Day, as opposed to ones that will tally tonight. The GOP is challenging the right of individual county boards of elections to decide voters' intent.
4:25 PM: Sample Wait Times to Vote
As reported by voters:
Ed - 2 hours in Erlanger at Tichnor Middle School
Debbie - 2.5 hours at the Independence Firehouse on Cox Road.
Shawna from Monroe Ohio - 2.5 hours at TurtleCreek Township Fire Dept
John in Boone County at Florence United Methodist Church in Florence, KY - just over an hour
Julie in Erlanger, KY - 1 hr and 45 minutes. I pay taxes
Dana in Batavia - Precinct Batavia-D - more than one hour. Precinct K even longer
3:55 PM: eSlate Problems Answered
The eSlate problem in Kentucky is making many voters worry if their votes cast before the machines were yanked will count. Michael from Covington says he called the Kentucky Secretary of State and was told that all votes cast on eSlate machines should have been recorded properly and will be counted, 'though it will take a more involved process than usual. He says the problem appears to have been in those who voted a straight ticket option. The eSlate wasn't properly recording the Westwood/Groob race on those straight-ticket ballots, Michael says the Secretary of State told him.
3:41 PM: Could have Voted Twice?
A warning to folks who voted early: Don't vote twice. It's a felony. John in Boone County was upset when he voted today at Florence United Methodist Church in Florence, KY. He says while signing the roll book he took a quick look at his wife’s name just above his and saw no notation to indicate she had voted at the board of elections in Burlington a week and a half ago. He asked the poll worker and she said they had no record of his wife voting so if she came in on Election Day, they would allow her to cast a ballot. John finds that troubling. Noting that his wife voted early because she knew she'd be in Columbus, OH, today, he wonders "How would we know if it happened on a large scale? And how could we fix it after the fact? I feel strongly that when the integrity of our political system is at stake, there is no excuse for this kind of incompetence. Didn’t we learn anything from the last presidential election?"
3:35 PM: Wrong Lines; Wrong Places; Political Signs Outside
We're getting calls, not just emails. Lance says no one is directing voters to the right lines at Fairfield High school. He waited in the wrong line for an hour, then had to start over. Be aware of your precinct number and look for it before you get in the wrong line.
Other voters, like Rob of Lebanon, say their polling locations got moved and they didn't know. Boards of Elections send notices when they can but in this season of too much political mail, it's possible you missed that notification.
Finally, Barbara called to complain about a huge sign for one candidate. Barbara, signs are allowed outside, and so are campaigners handing out material. You just can't have that inside the polling place.
3:20 PM: Campaign literature inside Polls
Know your rights. Kimberly says her husband was given a sample ballot outside his polling place but a poll worker inside told her husband he couldn't bring it into the voting booth. That is not true. Hamilton County Board of Elections supervisor Sally Krisel confirmed to me just now that you're allowed to bring in any "cheat sheet" you want to help you vote. You just can't wear a shirt or button or otherwise advertise for a candidate or position. But you can bring in a sheet of paper that helps you vote.
3 PM: Poll Workers Made Mistakes
Hamilton County's Board of Elections Director has confirmed what we've reported on our blog since this morning: that some judges at polling precincts were issuing provisional ballots in error because they were confused about whether state drivers' licenses with outdated addresses could be used as proof of identification.
Sally Krisel says the judges forced those voters to use provisional ballot, which are counted for the official final vote tally, but not tonight. Krisel says her office is contacting poll workers to remind them of the rules.
2:45 PM: eSlate Machines Malfunction
Some voters in Kentucky are worried after the eSlate machines malfunctioned. The machines at Precinct 34 in Kenton County were removed but Michael from Covington worries if his vote will be counted and if so, if it will be counted properly considering the machine malfunctioned. We have a reporter covering this issue on our newscasts so stay tuned.
2:30 PM: Half a Ballot Only
Tracey from Clermont County echos Shawna's claim that she only got half of a ballot. Tracey says she contacted Clermont County Board of Elections at 7:30 AM to let them know there was a problem in the Union I precinct. "They were not handing out the second sheet to the ballot. My husband and I both didn't get it."
She says no one called her back so she called at 1:30 PM and was told that they did discover a problem there this morning, that it was taken care of, and that no one left without getting the second sheet. Tracey says "This is not true. I know for a FACT that there were a MINIMUM of two people who did not get it." She says hers was the third ballot placed into the machine and she watched as the two people before her put theirs in the machine and each only had one sheet. Tracey saus the Board of Elections says now that it's corrected the problem, there's nothing it can do.
2:10 PM: Voter Fraud Possible
Just yesterday I aired a report about the potential for voter fraud with people registered in more than one state voting in both states, especially now that it's easy to vote by absentee ballot. I just got an email Deanna in Clermont County. She votes at Boyd E Smith school off Branch Hill Guinea Rd., where her daughter also is registered to vote. But Deanna's daughter lives in a dorm at UC and early voted there yesterday. Deanna told the poll worker her daughter would not also be voting in Clermont County today, but says it's obvious she could have voted twice. Keep in mind, it's a felony to vote twice, if you get caught. Here's a link to my national investigation yesterday: Voter Fraud Investigation
Check your ballot
Beyond long lines, some voters are reporting they're not getting entire ballots. Shawna from Monroe, Ohio, says after waiting 2 hours and 45 minutes, from 6:30 AM to 9:15, the poll worker first gave her the wrong ballot. She realized the error before voting and went back to get the correct ballot. But when she read, it she realized some issues weren't on that ballot. She asked the poll workers, they looked and Shawna says they found her precinct had two ballots. She says only then poll workers realized "that the form numbers were off and that they had given some people only the first ballot and some people only the second ballot and nobody both ballots." Check the ballot you receive to make sure it's complete.
Final Word on Licenses as ID
This has become a huge issue today: people who've moved and are using valid driver's licenses. The final word is this: If you updated your registration with your board of elections before 20 days ago, your name is in the poll book. Then you can use your license as your id, provide the last four digits of your social security number and vote today. If you didn't officialy re-register or did so less than 20 days ago, your name's not in that book and you must vote provisionally.
No Privacy for Some Voters
Boards of Elections ordered extra machines, tablets and privacy curtains and hoods to try to accomodate the expected flux of voters, but it's still not enough. Voters are overwhelming even the extra resources. Miriam of Cincinnati says she voted at Crossroads Church in Oakley and there were too many people for the number of booths. Voters are sitting at tables, some with privacy, some without it, voting on clipboards. She said it's easy to see some people's votes. If you're concerned about privacy, shield as best you can. The alternative is to wait for a private booth to open.
Lines/Campaigners Outside
I'm hearing from voters who are experiencing short or not lines and people who are experiencing very long lines.
Sheri in Fort Thomas, KY, says she votes at the Boone County Co-Op building in Burlington and it took her two hours to vote. She got there at 9 AM and voted at 11. On the other other Mary who voted at Branter Elementary and K. Ryan who voted at Hamilton County Precinct 4F - Fire Station 46 report smooth sailing.
There are also comments on campaigners at the precincts. Andy in Greenhills says he voted on Winton Road at Cromwell Rd and the Issue 5 "NO" supporters were positioned in the driveway to the poll parking lot. "I understand such a presence to be disallowed." All sides are allowed outside the polling places, usually in designated positions but it's public property for all to use. They're just not allowed inside. That's another complaint we've heard from a few places, that there was campaign literature inside. That's forbidden.
Machine Breakdowns
I'm hearing a lot about electronic ballot machines not working. Be assured, your ballots will be counted, just later. Boards of elections knew they'd get equipment failures and this is part of the package.
If You've Moved/Provisional Votes
I've heard this from several voters now, voters who moved and now are being forced to vpte provisionally. If you changed your address, you were supposed to get a confirmation from the Board of Elections you were supposed to mail back. Some voters like Jennifer Hunsche of Cincinnati say they only got those confirmations two days ago without enough time to mail them back. So she had to vote provisionally. I'm finding this to be a common theme with many complaints.
License with old address/Precinct Locations
This issue is coming up again and again. You can use your driver's license as an ID at the polls, even if it's an old address, IF you tell them the last four digits of their social security #. Gayle Putt reports that she was almost turned away at her polling place because her driver's license had her old address. She had filed the change of address with the Board of Elections and was on the precinct log. She says the precinct worker politely told her "to go home and get a utility bill or other acceptable ID." But the worker then showed her a paper with the acceptable forms of ID and "Right there, in bold print under "Driver's License" it said that incorrect addresses on a driver's license were acceptable if poll workers recorded the last 4 digits of the license number." Gayle read that to the worker who conceded she was wrong and allowed her to vote. However she heard poll workers say they'd turned others away for the same reason. So hold your ground, voters.
Some voters are reporting what they deem to be intimidation. Julie Bley says she went to the Hyde Park Medical Center on Brotherton Road at 6:40 this morning. She's voted there for the past 10 years, so she was familiar with the setup of the location. But once she arrived, she noticed "how confusing the lines to the polls were and the frustration from people with the lack of organization. The person who was "directing" the flow of traffic could not figure out how to tell people which line to stand in." She says he asked me to stand outside and when she refused because she'd been waiting inside for 25 minutes, he said that he was going to call the police and have her removed. She complied.
Please note that many precincts have changed locations and are in buildings with many precincts in one place. At least in Ohio, you must vote at the proper precinct. Get in the wrong line and your vote won't count.
Regarding the lines, we understand some are actually decreasing now that the morning rush of people heading to work has passed. Ashley Luken reports that she and her fiancée went to their Hamilton County precinct Silverton D at THE RESIDENCE AT GARDEN GATE, on Ohio Avenue at 7 am "to find lines wrapping around the facility exceeding at least 100+ people. Discouraged, we left and went to our jobs in Blue Ash." She plans to return to the polls around 1030 am to try again.
Here's a rare report: Brandy says she lives in Madisonville and found only 5 people in line at her precinct. Sounds like a good way to sign off this post.
Careful where you vote
Another problem we're hearing involves changes in voting locations. Several precincts have moved locations. For example Mary Carol Clark says Highlands High School in Fort Thomas has changed where to vote on the school campus but there's "not proper signage", according to her. Be careful. You must vote at the right precinct or your vote will not count, according to new laws this election year.
While many people in the immediate Cincinnati area are using paper ballots, some counties use touch screen machines. The machine actually prints out a ‘receipt’ type record of your votes. A voter in Trenton says the paper in her machine got jammed and "the printout was just an ink blob." She reported this to the poll workers who assured her that her vote still counted correctly on the memory card of the machine, but she's still worried in case her vote was not recorded correctly.
By the way, even with paper ballots, each precinct has just one scanner. They're scanning in votes as fast as they can. But that's worrying some voters. Izolla White voted at Skyline Community Center at 6:25 this morning and reports "a perrfect example of mass disorganization. The limited parking area was already overfull with people double parking. It took me until 7:45a.m. to get my ballot -- #83. Then the scanner went down." Boards of elections do have extra scanners so that will be replaced and all the votes will be scanned in -- eventually.
Ron Lawson reports a problem that may be unique to his precinct. He says he waited at the Hands Pike Fire Station in south Covington about an hour and a half, starting at 6:40am and that he witnessed a problem with "Write In" voting. "The election workers on hand did not know how to allow write in votes. It became such a problem, that a voter said he was filing a protest." Ron says he believes the conflict in this case was for Kentucky (Kenton) Water and Soil Conservation. "You had to pick four and only three were running. As in all selections, it left space for write in votes. But, at this polling place, there was not a process in place and no one knew how to do it. They tried to get the Kenton Board of Elections on the phone, but could not get through when the voter was there."
Update 10:05
I'm getting information from all over the Tri-state.
First and foremost, long lines everywhere: A woman just emailed to say her husband voted this morning at the Mason Early Childhood Center. He arrived at 6:35 and waited 1 1/2 hours. There are just four booths there. She says she wouldn't be able to wait that long and is worried some voters will get discouraged and leave.
From Locust Corner Elementary in Pierce Township this morning, a voter says another voter was wearing a Hillary 08 sweatshirt and no one said anything to her. Keep in mind, you're not allowed to wear any kind of campaign gear.
Another person whoI voted this morning at New Life Temple Church in Madisonville says he was directed to the wrong line once inside the building not once, but twice. "Two different poll workers sent me to the wrong line." He says as a result he had to wait to vote 1 hour 25 minutes after arriving at at 6:45am.
A voter at the Community Center in Harrison, OH 45030 Precinct B says poll workers aren't writing the voter numbers down next to people's signatures, as they're supposed to do. He's concerned whether those votes will count at the end of the day.
From Erlanger, a voter says someone stole his and three other Obama signs overnight
Problems Already
Good morning everyone. The complaints started flowing almost from the moment the polls open. Voters tell us there were lines as early as 6:20 AM. We're also getting complaints about confusion, especially with proof of identity. One voter says she and her husband "weren't allowed to use our proof of ID and/or address to verifiy our names and addresses once it was discovered that we were listed in the 'book' under an address that does not even exist." She says they were forced to vote provisionally and that the poll worker wouldn't accept her utility bill as proof of address/ID. To be clear, you must bring to the polls a valid photo ID showing name & address or a military ID showing voter's name or a current utility bill, bank statement or paycheck showing name & current address. Another voter reports problems at the North College Hill precinct at Hilltop Baptist Church. He says the poll workers didn't ask him to verify his address but worse, he says the ballot scanning machine was jammed and when the pollworker unlocked the back, there was a gym bag at the bottom of the cabinet, jamming the machine. More complaints coming in by the minute. Will update soon.
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