By Terri L. Enns
A quick summary of election day issues in key states.
Election Issues Possibly Leading to Litigation
Governor’s Races
AK – Alaska permits all voters to return ballots online, but not problems reported.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/11/04/barbara-simons-online-voting-problems/18461679/
Hand-counting of ballots in 137 precincts, then sent in via modem: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/why-election-day-could-drag-beyond-tonight-n241066
CT – 2 polling locations in Hartford had extended hours due to ‘delays and other problems’
http://time.com/3556828/voting-rights-ballot-problems/
KS – Voter Registration Issues: http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article3504228.html — Over 21,000 voters’ registrations may not be counted due to a lack of proof of citizenship. A law that went into effect Jan. 1, 2013 requires people registering to vote for the first time to provide proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport. Voters could vote provisionally; however, a provisional ballot cast by anyone who had not provided proof of citizenship by the day before the primary election would not have counted. Server Crash causes delay: http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/election/article3548449.html Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article3504228.html#storylink=cpy Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article3504228.html#storylink=cpy A server crash in Sedgwick County prevented votes to be counted for a short amount of time Tuesday night. Results were able to be printed minutes later. The voting experience crawled by thanks to dead touch screens or machines that logged their voting choices incorrectly. More issues have been reported with the electronic voting machines on Tuesday in Kansas than in recent elections. Rejection of Voters without ID: http://kcur.org/post/will-voting-problems-give-kansas-election-night-limbo Because of the Secure and Fair Elections Law in Kansas, many voters were turned away from the polls leading up to and including Tuesday night. In 2010, Kansas rejected .03 percent of voter registration applications. To compare, in 2014, Kansas has suspended or rejected almost 20 percent.
Call to Action for KS Secretary of State: http://www.americanprogress.org/press/release/2014/11/04/100372/release-following-reports-of-barriers-to-voting-cap-issues-letter-to-kansas-secretary-of-state-calling-for-immediate-action/ The letter is within the article for viewing. Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/election/article3548449.html#storylink=cpy
MA – No significant issues reported.
MD – Some reports of flipped votes due to calibration issues:
http://dailysignal.com/2014/11/04/maryland-republicans-lookout-voting-machines-flip-democrat/
http://www.wboc.com/story/27269391/maryland-voters-report-25-vote-flipping-machines
http://dailycaller.com/2014/11/04/vote-flipping-reported-machines-taken-out-of-service-in-maryland/
ME – Snow storms forced some polling places to change location at the last minute–these changes were listed on their state website and a sign hung on the door.
–http://www.centralmaine.com/2014/11/03/thousands-still-in-the-dark/
VT – No significant issues reported.
Senate Races
AK – Alaska permits all voters to return ballots online, but not problems reported.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/11/04/barbara-simons-online-voting-problems/18461679/
Hand-counting of ballots in 137 precincts, then sent in via modem: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/why-election-day-could-drag-beyond-tonight-n241066
NH – No significant problems reported.
VA – Virginia: Voting Machine Problems in over 40 precincts http://www.13newsnow.com/story/news/politics/elections/2014/11/04/rep-rigell-voting-machine-problems-in-2nd-d/18455653/ http://wavy.com/2014/11/04/rigell-campaign-demands-paper-ballots-in-va-beach/ http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/11/04/va-gop-voting-machines-malfunctioning-in-several-precincts/ Representative Scott Rigell and the state GOP are calling on the Virginia Beach Supervisor of Elections to switch to paper ballots at the precincts where problems have been reported, including switching votes upon review of the ballot. Rigell’s campaign have said if the election is close, they will explore all legal options to ensure there weren’t any miscast ballots. Any voting machines showing signs of issues or problems were taken out of service immediately