05 March 2008
12:15 a.m. Update from Cuyahoga County
Our observer on the scene of the ballot counting process in Cuyahoga County describes it as "pure chaos."
Ballot boxes are being thrown around the warehouse. A data card fell out of a handicapped voting machine and went sliding across the concrete floor. Vans holding ballots from precincts are lined up outside in a line several blocks long. Ballot boxes are coming in without security stickers. Officials are predicting 12 more hours of counting in Cuyahoga County.
We also have reports that the board "hired" a group of kids to carry the ballot boxes into the warehouse, but the kids are leaving because it's late so the boxes are only 50% in the room. 200 precincts aren’t even in the building. source: ohiogop.blogs.com
Brunner botches Election Day ballot security
From The Plain Dealer:
In a statement, the Ohio Republican Party called on the Cuyahoga County prosecutor to investigate an apparent violation of state election law in the collection and transportation of ballots during polling hours.
According to Ohio Revised Code Section 3505.25(E), ballots are required to be transported by "members of different political parties," the statement said. But county elections officials now acknowledge those guidelines were not followed, it stated.
The chairman of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections acknowledged to reporters that it appears ballots were not transported today in accordance with state law, the GOP said.
"This is a serious breach of ballot security," said Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine." Jennifer Brunner took full responsibility for implementing these policies in Cuyahoga County, and she failed to follow through on the basic procedures for protecting the vote. An investigation of this neglect is critical to restoring voter confidence."
Attached to the GOP's e-mailed new release were five photographs that the GOP statement said " demonstrate the unsecure ballot collection process, including loosely taped cardboard boxes, the chaotic ballot counting process and ballot collection forms clearly indicating Republicans were not involved in the transportation of ballots.
The statement said that a Republican observer at the central count location reports 10% of the boxes of ballots arriving are showing stickers not affixed over the slots (meaning ballots could conceivably be inserted). Officials have cut down the access to the observers and they are not allowed in and around the process.
Few voted at places kept open after 7:30 p.m.
Posted by Mark Rollenhagen March 04, 2008 22:55PM
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner said just five voters cast ballots as a result of a judge's order to reopen some Cleveland polling places until 9 p.m. She said the order was issued, at the request of the Barack Obama campaign, shortly after 8 p.m. and 10 polling locations were able to be reopened.
She defended the voting on Cleveland's East Side, despite the complaints from the Obama campaign.
"I think that has more to do with the legitimacy of the complaint," Brunner said.
She described the Obama campaign's allegations as "somewhat sketchy" and said it appeared that the campaign picked precincts where they could "pad votes."
Brunner said she had no information to indicate that any Cuyahoga precincts ran out of ballots.
She suggested the Obama lawsuit caused unecessary problems in Cleveland.
"Cuyahoga County for once was going smoothly," Brunner said.
Ohio GOP calls on Cuyahoga County prosecutor to investigate ballot handling
Posted by PD staff March 04, 2008 23:12PM
In a statement, the Ohio Republican Party called on the Cuyahoga County prosecutor to investigate an apparent violation of state election law in the collection and transportation of ballots during polling hours.
According to Ohio Revised Code Section 3505.25(E), ballots are required to be transported by "members of different political parties," the statement said. But county elections officials now acknowledge those guidelines were not followed, it stated.
The chairman of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections acknowledged to reporters that it appears ballots were not transported today in accordance with state law, the GOP said.
"This is a serious breach of ballot security," said Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine." Jennifer Brunner took full responsibility for implementing these policies in Cuyahoga County, and she failed to follow through on the basic procedures for protecting the vote. An investigation of this neglect is critical to restoring voter confidence."
Attached to the GOP's e-mailed new release were five photographs that the GOP statement said " demonstrate the unsecure ballot collection process, including loosely taped cardboard boxes, the chaotic ballot counting process and ballot collection forms clearly indicating Republicans were not involved in the transportation of ballots.
The statement said that a Republican observer at the central count location reports 10% of the boxes of ballots arriving are showing stickers not affixed over the slots (meaning ballots could conceivably be inserted). Officials have cut down the access to the observers and they are not allowed in and around the process.
Cuyahoga County voters complain ballot secrecy was compromised
Posted by By Patrick O’Donnell March 05, 2008 00:13AM
How secret was your ballot Tuesday?
Well, that depends.
Many Cuyahoga County voters complained their privacy was compromised as they turned in their ballots. Many voters had no way to shield the filled-out ballot from spying eyes, whether they were poll workers or other voters in line.
"My ballot was exposed for the 20 feet I carried it back to the precinct table, easily read by the poll worker who removed the receipt, and easily seen, or even photographed by a cell phone camera, by others," said Charles Hoppel of Broadview Heights, who said his wife filed a complaint with poll workers.
In Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood, voters were told by poll workers not to fold their ballots, but many -- concerned about privacy -- did anyway or at least tried to shield their exposed ballots before depositing them into the security box.
Ohio law calls for all voting to be done in "absolute secrecy" and to be set up so "no person can see or know for whom any other elector has voted or is voting, except an elector who is assisting a voter."
Laughlin McDonald, director of the Voting Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, said he is not familiar with the ballots used, but stressed that ballots should be private.
"I think a secret ballot is very important and critical," he said from Atlanta. "If people know how you vote, they can retaliate against you."
Ballots can be easily shielded by popping them into a sleeve that hides the markings. But that differed widely from polling place to polling place. Some voters received sleeves with their ballots. Others had to ask for them. Others simply uneasily lined up without them.
Jane Platten, director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, said each polling place should have had sleeves for voters who wanted them. Procedures did not call for voters to receive one, but anyone who asked should have gotten one, she said.
Poll workers at two Cleveland polling places said they started the day giving them out. But few voters wanted them and others had trouble using them. So poll workers just waited for voters to ask for them.
But some voters, like Rodney Tharps and Kay Van Ho, who voted at two different locations in Euclid, just shrugged it off.
"I figured nobody could look at it," Van Ho said.
Plain Dealer reporters Rachel Dissell, Michael Scott, Joe Guillen, Joe Wagner and Mike Sangiacomo contributed to this story.
Do you know where your ballot is?
Jennifer Brunner's board of elections in Cuyahoga County doesn't. From a ORP press release:
An official observer at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections confirmed early this morning that the Board is currently searching for approximately 20 missing ballot boxes.
The observer reports that election workers are leaving their posts and going home, further delaying the final count. The scene at the Board of Election tabulation warehouse has been described as "pure chaos."
"Last November, Cuyahoga County was essentially done with its entire ballot count by 1 a.m.," said Ohio Republican Party Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine. "We're being told it could take another four hours to get to a final count. This is an embarrassing failure for Jennifer Brunner."
According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "about 99 percent of the county's precincts were counted by 1 a.m. early Wednesday morning," the day after the election last November. After Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's forced changed to optical scan ballots, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections could only report results for fewer than 50 percent of precincts by 1 a.m. today.
OHIO VOTING NEWS ....P1
- Complaints of problems in Lucas County
- Cuyahoga County election integrity questioned
- More for Ted Strickland's Turnaround Ohio file
- No interest in paper ballots
- Worst ballot in 50 years
- Paper ballots disenfranchise voters
- Fear & Intimidation at the ballot box
- Completely Unacceptable - Franklin Co. Pollworkers..
Thank you for vlogging, Brian. Here’s a two-fer, both worth watching:
March 05, 2008
Why the AP hasn't called Ohio
From the AP:
The AP has withheld a call in Ohio because of concerns about fluctuations in Cuyahoga County, which apparently will not finish counting for hours. We are also checking on provisional votes in Ohio.
Written by: George Nemeth
Brian Layman’s video: Counting at the BOE
