I just got word from a good friend that there are some serious voting issues in the Bloomfield and Lawrenceville sections of Pittsburgh. And now I'm also seeing that KDKA and the Post-Gazette are reporting some different (more minor) problems here and here. And now here too: http://www.philly.com/...
More below the fold:
According to my friend, and ardent Obama volunteer, new voters were sent cards in the mail with the wrong polling place. Her voting site was a construction area, and she subsequently spent 40 minutes wandering the streets with other would-be voters. Eventually they got the number for campaign headquarters and found the polling area several blocks away. When they finally voted, they had the place pretty much to themselves. They also found out that this problem was being reported elsewhere in the city. Now this is problematic for several reasons:
- New voters may not be as dedicated as my friend, nor will they have the time to seek out their polling place.
- This is an increasingly young and urban section of Pittsburgh, which will most likely break for Obama.
- This is affecting new voters, which we know there are a lot of, and they will also most likely break for Obama.
The good people at Obama's headquarters are apparently all over it, and sending volunteers to all of the areas where people might be looking to vote. This election is already seeing "astronomical" turnout, and every vote will count. So, if you know of anyone having similar trouble voting, please visit this website. Also, the Obama campaign will need all the help they can get, so consider calling some folks.
UPDATE 1: According to papundit, this happened to him too. Hmm.. what is this all about? (HERE'S THE PROOF: http://www.dailykos.com/... )
I am one of those voters who recently changed my affiliation from Independent to Democrat. My wife did the same.
Having voted for years in Lancaster we knew exactly where our polling place was but the new voter registration card sent to each of us directed us to the community park which, of course, was not the correct location.
Fortunately for us we went directly to our usual polling place and they had our names in the roll book waiting for our signatures. The turnout was unusually low so...
Out of curiousity I took a ride over to the community park to see if there were confused voters to be found. Well, there were cars driving around aimlessly and people, mostly younger in age, walking around confused.
Of course I directed them all to the little church a couple miles away where I knew that if they were not registered to vote there, someone would certainly help them find the correct polling location.
Because there was never even the slightest intention of setting our park up as a polling location I certainly have to wonder what went into the decision to include it on our new voter registration cards.
UPDATE 2: Since this made the rec list, I'm also going to share a similar peronal story...
We all know that our voting systems are garbage. Voter rolls are inaccurate or out of date, voting machines are unreliable and vulnerable to cheating, and one vote does not always equal one vote. Now, thanks to a lovely letter and a phone call to mom and dad, I'm the newest example of a broken and easily manipulated system.
I always knew the system was flawed, but I recently got conformation that I could have voted not once, not twice, but three separate times in three separate states. Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to have voted for Barack Obama three times, but unfortunately my conscience is just too overbearing to let me get away with something like that. After the 2000 election it was pretty clear that we would see major election reform in this country. We have not, and it may be time to reopen the doors on this issue.
Lou Dobbs: If you're reading this, please keep on reading for a real example of a broken government...
Since the 2004 election I have moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia to Massachusetts (all Commonwealths if you're keeping track at home). At each new residence I went through all the proper channels and got a new drivers licence, re-registered to vote, changed my car's information, etc. I really never considered that I could be on the voter rolls in my old states or that it was my responsibility to make sure I wasn't on them still. That was, until a few weeks ago Arlington County sent me a letter asking if I had moved or not. How interesting I thought; I had already voted in MA and now, weeks after the VA election, I was getting word that I was still able to vote in VA. Now, three years since I've lived in PA, a new whopper has come to light, and it appears as if I'm still on the voter rolls in PA! Perhaps even more awkward is that when I went to caucus for our MA Obama delegates, I was told that my name wasn't on the voter rolls, despite having voted just two months earlier. After a 20 minute wait, some party honchos took me to a side room and just sort-of let me sign in anyway. Nothing official. In fact, others who were in my position were not allowed in, and did not get to caucus at all. Strange and broken indeed.
And I'm not alone. According to this little gem of an article, voting more than once is not uncommon and very hard to catch, and sometimes it's even legal! Given my aforementioned story, and the realities of an already broken system, it is clear that we need to bring back a dialogue about serious and comprehensive election reform. And if nothing else, we need to build a government that has responsible leaders who seek to make the system work, rather than extract what they can from it.
I must ask, when is this election reform going to take place?