Minor problems reported in Indiana

http://www.katc.com/global/story.asp?s=8277446

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Officials in Indiana are reporting a few minor problems as voters turn out to choose between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton in the drawn-out Democratic race.

One clerk says Democratic ballots had not been delivered to two Indianapolis locations, but voters did have the option of using touch-screen machines at both sites.

Two polling locations did not open on time because inspectors were late in arriving. Both of them are open now.

Many voters already were in line when polls opened this morning, and officials are expecting heavy turnout throughout the day.

http://www.wnct.com/midatlantic/nct/news/local_news.apx.-content-articles-NCT-2008-05-06-0014.html

(SNIP)

Bartlett said there have been about a dozen instances of voting machine problems. He said that compares with about 120 problem reports in 2006 when most counties had new voting machines.

Bartlett also said there had been fewer than 10 complaints from unaffiliated voters who said they couldn't get a Democratic ballot they requested.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/NEWS02/80506031

Shortly after noon today, 17 men and women were lined up to vote at the Jeffersonville Precinct 18 table at Wilson Elementary School.

At times, the line had stretched out the door and down the sidewalk, several election workers said.

“It’s a little hectic,” said Carmen Croudep, the precinct’s inspector.

She was working as an election inspector for the first time, Croudep said, and was enjoying the process, although it was busy.

The main problem the poll workers had run into was voters’ names not appearing in the voter registration directory for the precinct, she said. She estimated that she and her fellow precinct workers had checked on about 20 such cases by noon, with the problem generally resolved by a call to the county’s voter registration office.

Generally, the voter registration office confirmed that the voters were in fact registered. Croudep doesn’t know why the voters’ names weren’t in the directory at the school, acknowledging that making so many calls to the registration office had delayed voting. But she said voters remained patient.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20080506/pl_usnw/election_protection_off_to_a_great_start_assisting_primary_election_voters_in_north_carolina_and_indiana

WASHINGTON, May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Election Protection, the nations largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition, together with a diverse group of partners, is in high gear helping voters in Indiana and North Carolina cast meaningful ballots through a comprehensive voter protection program. Volunteers will be available throughout the day to continue assisting Primary Election Day voters with questions and to ensure that all voters know their rights. Voters in both states can call 1-866-OUR-VOTE toll-free until 8 p.m. EDT with any questions or issues that arise at polling areas.


Election Protection is monitoring issues surrounding Indianas photo identification law. This morning, in South Bend, Indiana, a freshman student at St. Marys College, excited to vote for the first time, left the polling place in tears because she only possessed a private college ID and was unable to vote. The poll workers, nuns at a local convent, were trying to help the young student through her problem. While they were helping her, they realized that some of their fellow nuns, who had just arrived at the polling place, also could not vote because of the photo ID law. Not only was this group of nuns disenfranchised, but so would be four floors of retired nuns in their convent.


The situation this morning in South Bend is a glaring example of why Indianas onerous photo ID law erects an unnecessary barrier to the ballot box and disenfranchises legitimate voters, said John Borkowski, Esquire, a partner at law firm Hogan & Hartson and Lawyers Committee board member who witnessed this incident firsthand.

Vote-frauding nuns?? Holy cow! I bet his state is just crawling with them.

Anyway, he sure likes VoterID -- even if 90 year-old nuns are disenfranchised.

http://www.in.gov/sos/press/2008/042808.html

And he is the current president of NASS (National Assn. of Secretaries of State) until July when my SOS Pedro Cortés takes over.