Guest Blogged by John Gideon of VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA.Org
The normal primary turnout in Shelby Co. (Memphis) Tennessee is right at 30%. That means that close to 110,000 voters will attempt to vote on 1300 Diebold TSx voting machines on an extremely long ballot that has as many as 141 races on it. If each voter takes only 10 minutes every voter can vote in a normal 14 hour day. If the voters average 15 minutes, the election day will stretch into 20 hours. That, of course, assumes that no voters walk away because of long lines and that no voting machines break down during the day. Of course, if the county used precinct based optical scan machines voters could mark their ballots while sitting at desks or on the floor and there would be no long lines and if machines broke down ballot boxes could be used….
NAtional: Pew Survey Finds Voter Registration Processes Stuck in Place LINK
NAtional: AutoMARK Gets A Patent For The “Ballot Marking Device” LINK
NAtional: Do Americans Get the Election System We Deserve? LINK
AL: Ads big part of Worley spending LINK
AZ: Pima County – Opinion – Touchscreens raise questions. Pima County staff responds to community debate (Diebold TSx) LINK
CO: Pueblo County – Getting in on the Voting Act (Sequoia Edge) LINK
FL: Sarasota County – Guest columnist – Voter group calls for verifiable paper ballot system LINK
FL: Sarasota County – Put election system to a vote LINK
FL: Volusia County – Machines win vote of confidence in Volusia LINK
NV: Many eager to be the first to be heard in election 2006 (Sequoia) LINK
NY: Greene County – Greene won’t have new voting machines this year LINK
MI: Oakland County – Editorial – Government fumbling may lead to Election Day fiasco LINK
MO: Local election judges train to use equipment LINK
TN: Shelby County – AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH: New machines + extra races = more than long lines LINK
TN: Shelby County – Early voters can’t avoid long lines. Two-hours-plus wait not uncommon at Agricenter LINK
TN: Sullivan County – Voters may have to take a stand – in line LINK
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This also assumes that the poll workers, usually elderly and computer averse, are able to help with the process when voters see the machines for the first time. I had to spend hours at my polling place in Cuyahoga County OH teaching the workers how to use the Diebolds that were new to them, too. Some actually had to be dragged to the machines. Some couldn’t read the print, their eyes were so bad. I doubt anything will be different anywhere else. BTW, the poll workers never voted on the machines. They handed in absentee ballots.