The Enquirer

Trouble in Hamilton

Hamilton resident Dustin Malcom, said he wasn't allowed to vote at his polling place -- Lincoln Elementary at 701 NE St., Hamilton -- even though he arrived three to four minutes minutes before the polls closed, according to the clock on his cell phone.

Malcom said he had to take a break from work to go vote and arrived at 7:26 p.m. The poll worker told him he was too late to vote. He walked away, went back to his car and saw the clock in his car read 7:27 p.m. He said he went back to poll worker and asked if the polls closed at 7:30 p.m.

"She shrugged her shoulders," he said. "I never got to vote."

Malcom said he didn't want to cause problems so he walked out, but the situation left him disappointed.

"I think it's pretty crazy," he said. "I feel like one of my rights was taken away."

Turning people away in Madisonville

Jessica Brown reports:

Victoria Martin, of Madisonville, said several voters were being turned away around 6 p.m. at a polling place in a Ward Street church.

There was a lot of confusion and people being told they are at the wrong polling place, she said.

For example: A couple came in. The wife voted there this morning. The husband -- who lives at the same address -- tried to vote and poll workers tried to turn him away, saying he was in the wrong spot, Martin said. Eventually, after some discussion, they let the man vote, she said.

Poll workers told another Madisonville man he had to go to Mariemont to vote, Martin said. She said she watched about six people be turned away.

Martin says she's voted at the church herself for years. This year, however, she got a letter saying she was supposed to vote at a polling place in Pleasant Ridge.

Instead of heeding the letter, she went to her old polling place to try to vote. It's a good thing she did, she said.

"I went to the church and my name was there. If I had gone to Pleasant Ridge, they might have turned me away," she said.

Martin also said there are too few voting machines and there were as many as 150 people in line to vote at 6 p.m.

Switch to Jordan Crossing problematic

Janet Greenwold of Roselawn reports that, as of 7:01 p.m., she's been waiting more than an hour to vote at the Jordan Crossing Worship Center in Bond Hill. There are only five booths set up, she said.

And that's after she went to her previous polling place -- the Lutheran Church in Roselawn -- and was told her voting location changed.

Voting too slow, so voter walks away

One caller tried to vote at a polling place on Cheviot Road near Westwood. She reports:

The "parking lot is ridiculous." More than 100 cars are crammed in. And there's no place to sit while you wait.

She said that for the first time in 60 years, she did not vote.

Hamilton County: What card?

From Barbara K. Baker of Wyoming:

I tried to vote today (at the Civic Center in Wyoming) but was given a provisional ballot instead.

I was told that my name was highlighted in yellow because some sort of card that was mailed to my home address was sent back to the Hamilton County Board of Elections. I have lived in my home in Wyoming for almost three years.

What's most interesting, is my husband, who is out of town today, was able to vote with an absentee ballot. His card was not returned in the mail. Why was mine returned and his not?

More questions:

What were/are these "cards" that were mailed out? Did every county in Ohio do this or just Hamilton County? I spoke with the woman at the Hamilton County Board of Elections and she basically said that because the postal service did not deliver my "card," I had to vote "provisionally!"

Will my vote count? It better.

Has anyone else had this experience? How many other voters had to vote provisionally because some sort of card was not delivered by the postal service?

This is one angry Hamilton County voter.

Long lines at Golden Leaf

Maureen Ward of College Hill said she experienced long lines and some confusion when she went to vote at the Golden Leaf Baptist Church.

"They directed me to the wrong line," she said. "And when I got here, it then took a half-hour, which is long."

On the inside of the church, lines were about a dozen people deep. A poll worker stopped voters to ask them their street and then directed them to the proper line.

Ward said she was surprised that the pen to fill in her ballot was a simple ballpoint and not a specialized marker.

"But they put it through the machine, and it worked," she said.

-- Jennifer Mrozowski

Yelling poll workers distracted her

Joy Galbraith wrote:

My main complaint is about poll workers who shouted at each other from across the room. There was so much instruction and cross checking going on, that it was hard to concentrate. One lady's cell phone went off and 4 poll workers started yelling, "Turn off the cell phone". Their yelling was louder than the phone.

Conflicting information

Fred Ragland of Delhi Township said the scanner broke down at Precinct M at the Delhi fire station on Greenwell.

Ragland said poll workers told him his ballot would be counted later with provisional ballots.

He called the board of elections, which said the uncounted ballots would be scanned tonight at the board of elections, Ragland said. He was unhappy with the confusing answers.

"We'd be better off with hanging chads than this stuff," Ragland said.

Upset over election board's mistake

From Stacey Gunckle, Middletown:

I was made to fill out a provisional ballot, as well as my mother and father, at Precinct 4 Ward 4 in Middletown today. We were afraid we might encounter trouble, because we moved a couple of streets away last October. However, after reading on the Secretary of State's website and with the fact that we had already voted last November at this exact polling location from our new residence, we were confident we
would be allowed to vote regularly. This was not the case! Not one of our three names was in the book! And so we were denied our right to vote regularly because the Butler County Board of Elections made a "mistake" by not including our registered Democrat names in the book. Perhaps I could have voted regularly if I pushed the poll workers to confirm my registered voter status with the Board of Elections, but I didn't have time to wait an extra hour.

Problems with poll workers, IDs

Michael Ebbs, of downtown Cincinnati, voted at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. He writes:

I arrived at the Main Public Library voting precinct # 6010 (Garden Lobby @ 8th & Walnut) in downtown Cincinnati at 9:30am. There were not many indicators either outside or inside this was the voting location. Having never voted here before, I was not sure where inside the library to vote until I walked around for a moment. The registration tables were surrounded by polling booths and not easy to see where a voter was to begin the process. Everything was very cramped as the voting area was placed in a small area.

As I approached the registration table, one poll worker inquired to my address. I provided the address and immediately another poll worker indicated I had to vote at another precinct. Then the two poll workers discussed this while I waited. I finally interjected and volunteered my driver’s license to confirm my location and voting precinct. It appeared they thought I said "avenue" not "street." Had they asked for my ID in the beginning, the confusion, nor the line that was building behind me, would have lasted as long. As I voted, they continued to be inconsistent with requesting I.D.s

While I voted (by filling in the boxes with my less than perfect government issued pen), I was so close to the poll workers I could hear them complain about the set up of the voting area. They felt it was not laid out very well. What surprised me even more was how many times one poll worker used the word "asinine" to describe the situation.

Once I finished voting, I got quick instruction regarding placing my sheet into the reader. I asked if both sides were to be read and was told my vote would be counted.

I felt good about doing my civic duty by participating in the democratic process, but not with who was running that process.

Children, cell phones distracting to voter

Barbara Blum of Mariemont writes:

Shortly before 4 p.m., my husband and I voted in the library of Mariemont High School - 3812 Pocahontas Ave. When we entered, there were at least 3 children of elementary school age by the voting booths. Once we had gone through the line and actually had our ballots in hand, I took my place in a voting booth behind "Jane Doe". My husband chose a booth a few booths away from Jane, and found her daughter scribbling on the walls of the voting booth with a pen. He had to ask the child to move so that he could use the booth to vote. As I was attempting to vote, Jane's daughter had wandered behind me and was talking loudly to prospective voters waiting in line for a booth. Then, Jane's cell phone rang and she answered it. I/we found all these occurrences irritating and distracting. Some of this could have even been prevented, because the grandmother of the child had accompanied "Jane Doe" -- and the women could have taken turns occupying the child while each other voted.

It seems like the solemn civic duty of voting has been trivialized by cell phones, noisy children, and (from what I read in the Enquirer) news cameras inside the voting areas. It's unfortunate that we have to state the obvious but why not insist that cells phones be turned off, and children not be allowed past a certain line. As for the cameras, we do not feel they are appropriate inside the voting area (where the booths are)...and are at least an unnecessary disruption and at worst could be an invasion of privacy.

Absentee ballot is the way to go

Marge Duffy of Miami Township, Hamilton County writes:

... if all the voters would have done absentee ballot they wouldn't have had any problems. This is very simple and one can take time to READ issues and vote, and submit. Personally, I think this is the way to go.

An attaboy in Hyde Park

Caller reported that workers at Hyde Park Fire Station are doing a great job helping people vote. She had no problems whatsoever.

Forced to vote provisionally in Hamilton

Voter Kevin R. Maxfield writes:

When I arrived at the polls this morning in Hamilton, OH I was told that my
voter registration card was reported as "undeliverable" even though I had received the card at home. They told me that I had to vote by provisional ballot. After filling out the ballot and sealing it in the envelope, they provided, I gave it back to the poll worker. When my wife finished voting and we were discussing our votes I realized that they had only given me the first page of the provisional ballot meaning that I did not get to vote on several of the State issues.

Given bad info on Issue One

Kathleen A. Gronefeld of Sycamore Township voted at 6:30 a.m. and said she was told that if she voted for Issue 1 that our whole ballot would be null and void. There seemed to be confusion among staff as to procedures to be followed.

Note from Government editor Carl Weiser: If you voted on Issue One, you're fine. That proposal was declared invalid - though only after ballots were already printed.

Boards of Elections simply will not count for the votes for or against Issue One.

Scanners not working at Lake Isabella

David Johansenn reported that the scanners were not working at Lake Isabella polling center. Poll workers were taking the paper ballots and putting them into envelopes to be taken downtown to the Board of Elections.

Why wasn't his ID requested?

Voter David Kilgus of Sharonville reports that he voted at the Sharonville Fire Station on Crescentville Road about 10:30 a.m. Here's his account:

I thought the poll worker(s) was supposed to ask for I.D. They weren't. I had my "driver's license" ready. I gave it to the first women looking up the names in the "Voter Registration Book" for this polling place.

Then the woman had trouble finding my name. She kept putting my name backwards. Several people in front of me also gave them their "driver's license" without her asking. Then several people just after me who were wearing "Ted Strickland" campaign pins gave their names to the same woman, but never were asked for an I.D. or other documentation required to vote. What a sham!

No minimum wage on ballot

Erin Delaney of Madisonville voted at 3:24 p.m. in Cincinnati Precinct 2-T (New Life Temple Church). She said Issue 2 was not on the ballot. She didn't know if it was just hers or everyone's ballots.

Civil rights lawyer sees provisional ballot confusion

Jennifer M. Kinsley, one of the city's top civil rights attorneys, cites confusion about the provisional ballot process by some poll workers:

I have just come from voting at Cincinnati Precinct 14-H in Pleasant Ridge. This, among several other precincts, votes at Nativity Church on Ridge Ave. My husband and I thoroughly researched the provisional ballot process before going to the polls because we moved and had not updated our address with the Board of Elections. After some confusion about which precinct we are in (our street apparently divides two districts), he was permitted to vote without incident and had a very positive experience given the change in address. He was walked through the process and given an 800 number to call to confirm that his vote was accepted.

When I went to the polls, I expected to have the same experience as my husband. However, the workers I encountered -- although friendly -- were totally uneducated about the provisional ballot process. Despite the fact that I told them upfront I had moved and was not registered in that precinct, they were going to turn me away because my name did not appear in their ballot book. Only when I asked for a provisional ballot was I given the envelope and asked to fill it out. After I voted, I had to tell the poll worker who witnessed my ballot that I was providing a drivers license with my current address and had to show him where on the form he needed to check to ensure that my ballot would be counted. Had I not instructed him how to complete my provisional ballot, I doubt that my vote would have been counted. I also was not given any information on how to follow up to ensure that my ballot was accepted.

I feel 100 percent sure that I complied with the law because I had the resources and wherewithal to familiarize myself with the law beforehand. However, I am concerned that the fact that the poll workers are obviously not trained in the provisional ballot process may discourage other less knowledgeable people in my situation from voting. It is extremely troublesome to me that a law that places obvious obstacles upon the exercise of the right to vote would become even more discouraging because it is being enforced by ordinary citizens with no training or education on the law.

Didn't get complete ballot

Voter Joe Bockelman writes from Springboro:

Being allowed to vote was not the issue for me, that was fine. It was what I was given to vote on. I was given only page one of a two page election ballot. And now I can't go back to vote the second page (which has issues 3+ on it). I know I am not the only one to have this happen. While there, I asked what happened to issues 3-5? The reply was that they thought there were more issues too, but they guessed there were only 2, so I did not get page 2.

I ask, why does one of the most important civic duties we have as citizens have to be archaic, rife with problems and embedded incompetence?

I live in Springboro (45066) and vote at Jonathan Wright Elementary School (I don't know the precinct number).

Will my vote be counted?

Sandy Lainhart of Clermont County writes:

When I went to vote this morning at Precinct K in Clermont County (Fox Run Trail Clubhouse), I wasn't listed in their book any longer. I have previously voted at Precinct K for many years. I had sent in a change of address over 60 days ago. Since I only moved approximately one block I knew I was in the right place to vote and the people at the polling place said I was at the right place.

Since I had my driver's license with me I was given a Provisional Ballot. Upon completion I had to fold the ballot in order to fit it into their envelope. Since my ballot was folded, I'm not sure it will read properly. However, at this point, I'm not sure my vote will even be counted!

I also thought there would be a delegate from each party at the voting area to insure that all votes would be collected - there was none.

Concern about privacy, provisionals

Mark Strecker, of Miami Township, Clermont County, sends this via e-mail:

Our voting method changed a little this year, we still have a scantron sheet to fill in, but now we place it in a vote counter (looks like a big printer). We used to have plastic shields for the ballots, but now you just walk around with your ballot in hand.

Having an open ballot isn't a big deal to me, but my wife said that when she voted the child of the woman behind her in line remarked that she voted for all of the choices her mother didn't!Also, I witnessed a provisional ballot counted in the machine instead of being placed in the provisional ballot envelope. The provisional ballots are exactly the same as a normal ballot, so if someone doesn't stop them, then provisional ballots can be placed in the vote counter ... and in this case it was. Seems like a big mistake to me. Why aren't provisional ballots rejected by the vote counter to eliminate mistakes?

Concern about vote being counted

From Robert Siegel, Clifton:

When I went to vote this morning, the scanner failed. I had to fold my ballot several times to place it in an envelope. I'm concerned it will not read correctly after it is folded and that it will really be counted. I vote in Cincinnati 15-K, Calvary Episcopal.

Mason voter finds experience 'unfulfilling'

Mark Haynes, 28, of Mason voted early this morning at Hope Evangelical Free Church, which has split precincts. He writes:

Upon arriving at the voting location at 6:30 a.m., the entrance and church itself were extremely poorly lit and without having known exactly where it was I might have missed it. There were no signs or lighting pointing to the polling location. Once inside there was a small line and two tables with no designation as to which tables were for what purpose. I came to find that there were two different tables for what street you lived on. This was only determined after I noticed several other people inquiring about this by the poll workers who seemed confused and unresponsive. A ballot was given to me and I proceeded to fill in the bubbles using a pencil at the voting booth. While I was voting, the poll workers announced (to the group that was already voting) that they had forgot to give out the second page of the ballot. They also forgot to mention there was a front and back to both pages. Maybe this should have been common sense, but I caught it only when turning the ballots in. When finished, I was instructed to put them into a machine that read the scantron but gave no indication that it was accepted or scanned properly. I found the entire experience very unfulfilling and I have no idea whether my ballot was counted correctly or not.

University of Cincinnati researcher gets ID hassle

The following complaint is remarkable in that the author, as the director of the University of Cincinnati's polling and research institute, has more than a passing familiarity with election procedures:

I vote in the "Columbia G" precinct in Columbia Township at the Mariemont Florist Showroom on Wooster Pike.

I went to my polling place this morning at around 8:00. I showed my Ohio driver's license with the card BMV 2523 issued to me by the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The card reads, in part, "The name and address on the front of this card [my current address for over two years] shows the changes that have been made to your Drivers Record at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Please carry this card with your Drivers License....Thank you, Franklin R. Caltrider, Registrar."

A poll worker then attempted to give me a provisional ballot and told me that I had to use it because the address on the original license was different from their voter rolls. I explained to her that, in Ohio, this is how the state changes the address on one's drivers license; they don't issue a new license, but, instead, issue you this card and you use it with the original license to show your current address.
She told me (repeatedly) that the law had changed and they would not accept my documentation. I explained that I knew that the law had changed, but that these two documents together are the state-issued positive identification with my correct home address and that they should be accepted so that I could "vote like they are" (I said this while pointing to the people using regular ballots in the booths.). A man who seemed to be supervising the poll workers backed her up, but I stood my ground and said that I had a right to vote and that I was not going to vote with a provisional ballot because I was entitled to vote the regular way.

After a few minutes they asked me to step out of line and she and he continued to tell me that I must vote with the provisional ballot they kept trying to give me. I asked them repeatedly what kind of documentation they would accept and told them that I would go home and get it and come back and vote. They never answered that question; they showed me the law and I kept telling them that I understood the law and that my documentation met the law's requirements and that I wanted a regular ballot. I also asked them several times how they dealt with people who had no drivers license at all, but they did not answer that question either.

After about thirty minutes of disagreement, they tried to give me the provisional ballot again and pointed out the phone number I should call later to 'see if my vote was counted'. I refused the provisional ballot again and told them that they should call the number because it was not just my vote that was being affected; undoubtedly there would be more people throughout the day -- including my husband who had not been in to vote yet -- who would be affected by their misunderstanding of the law. At that point, the man in charge placed the call, explained the documentation I had provided, and in just a moment (apparently acting on what the person at the other end of the line had told him) hung up and turned to the worker who had been denying me my ballot and said, "Give her the ballot." I was then given my regular ballot and I voted. As I was leaving the polling place, the woman who had initially refused to give me the proper ballot thanked me for helping them.

Later my husband went in to vote and a poll worker tried the same thing with him until another poll worker told her that "this is the same as the other one" and let him vote with a regular ballot.

Beth Walter Honadle, Ph.D.
Director and Professor
Institute for Policy Research
University of Cincinnati
47 Corry Boulevard
Edwards Center 1, Suite 3110
PO Box 210132
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0132

Locked door, no ID in Clifton

Voter Jim Owen of Clifton said the door to his polling place, the Scioto Lounge at the University of Cincinnati, was locked at 9 a.m. He found a manager to let him in through another door. No one at the polling place was asked for identification, he said. And one voter, who showed up asking to "register to vote," was allowed to vote provisionally, he said.

"So much for process changes," said Owen.

Important message for Kings voters

Kings Local School District reminds voters to make sure they are getting the right ballot -- one that has Issue 13 on it -- if they are voting in a split precinct.

"Early this morning at least one precinct was not following proper procedure and was handing out the wrong ballots without ISSUE 13. Since this morning we have had reports similar problems at the other precincts. Please make sure that you are receiving the correct ballot," district officials said in a statement released today.

Board of Education v. Board of Elections

Michael Goldman, chairman of the Charter Committee of Greater Cincinnati, tells the Enquirer that he was threatened with arrest for campaigning on the grounds of Clark Montessori School in Hyde Park.

Goldman, wearing a red T-shirt supporting Democrat David Pepper for Hamilton County Commissioner, said he was outside the prohibited area, but still on school property. He said polling officials said he was within his rights, and a phone call to Board of Elections Chairman Timothy M. Burke confirmed it, Goldman said. But school officials called Cincinnati Police, who threatened trespassing charges, Goldman said.

"If it would have been an odd-numbered year, I would have gladly gotten arrested," Goldman said. (As a traditionally Cincinnati-centric political party, Charterite candidates usually run in city elections, though the Charter Committee sometimes endorses candidates in county races.)

There are four precincts at the polling place.

Voter ping pong in Forest Park

Cynthia Williams reported at 2:58 p.m.

She moved to the area a year ago and checked her new address on website to find polling location but when she arrived at Winton Forest School, she was not on the list. They sent her to a local senior center, where she was in turn sent back to Winton Forest School.

Signature mixup

Voter Shane Johnson reports:

I voted at the Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church at approximately 9 a.m. The signature that was next to my name on the registration was not mine. My signature is unique and what was on the registration was very different than mine. The poll workers did not know how to respond to this claim. However, I was able to vote and did so.

Couldn't vote in Clifton

Lyn Loughlin, 55, of Clifton, writes about her problems voting:

I am a 55 year old white female who has been a registered Democrat for as long as I've been voting (some 30 years now). For the past nine-plus years I've been the resident of a predominantly Democratic neighborhood (Clifton's Gaslight District).

In that time I've voted at the same location (The Unitarian Church 320 Resor Ave.) with no difficulty. This morning, as I attempted to vote, I was informed of the following:

1. My polling location had changed (Clifton United Methodist Church -3416 Clifton). There was no prior notice of this by mail or any other means.

2. That I was not on the voter list at this new location.

3. After going on-line, I discovered that I WAS NOT REGISTERED, PERIOD. I find the timing of this interesting and maddening for the following reasons:

1. Those going through this same difficulty, at BOTH polling locations, appeared to be my age or above.

2. For many, the weather, change of location, and the new voting method, were voiced as extremely problematic.

3. I'm concerned as to whether these instances were experienced across party lines and counties or restricted to Democratic/Independent demographics.

4. Am I to assume that these same "difficulties" are to be expected when attempting to vote during the upcoming Presidential election?

If this were an isolated incident I'd have been tempted to cast my provisional ballot and let the matter rest. However, as we're all well aware, it is not. I'm incredibly dissatisfied with the Republican handling of this country and will not have my voice tampered with - content to write the event off as a bureaucratic, coincidental glitch.

Contradictory advice on ID

Dina Sorn went to vote this morning at Hope Lutheran Church, on Blue Rock Road in Colerain Township. She checked the voter registration site for Hamilton County beforehand and it said she would need id from a current or former address. When she got there with her former address, they wouldn't let her vote - sent her (and the gentleman ahead of her with similar id) to the polling place of her current address where they voted on provisional ballots.

I voted twice

Matthew Korte, 34, tells his Northside story:

I had to cast a provisional vote today because I wasn't on the list at the polling place where I've voted for the last two cycles... Or was it?

As I was walking towards Chase School in Northside I looked towards the side entrance on 4151 Turrill and saw no activity, no yard signs, nothing. On Chase Ave. there were tons of signs saying "vote here", so I went into what I thought was a different entrance to the same building. Turns out it was the wrong polling location.

Unfortunate that the poll workers didn't catch my mistake, but ultimately it was my responsibility. The League of Women Voters told me it was OK, that my provisional ballot would be counted, but the Board of Elections instructed me to vote in my proper precinct. I'll have to vote again on my lunch break, but I can brag at least that I voted twice! Let my mistake be a lesson...

Miami Township, Precinct L

Mike and Renee Yablon report from Miami Township:

My husband and I voted in Miami Township, Clermont County, Miamiville, Precint L this morning. We have open paper ballots with ovals to be filled in with ink pens. When you come out of the booth you feed them into a scanner which is out in the open and right next to the waiting line so people standing there look over your shoulder at your ballot. You had to make an attempt to hide it. We didn't even know if those people were voters but they seemed to be making an effort to look at our ballots.

When we were given the ballots, there were no instructions as to what to do with them after you had registered your choices and we both had to ask for direction with the open ballot flopping around in our hands. The scanner was new in our precinct and should have been explained. Wandering around the building with an open ballot in your hand didn't seem quite ethical.

Glitch in Butler County

Jamie Holly tells her story in Butler County:

This morning while voting in Butler County, we experienced ballot problems. I voted without any incident. Ohio state issue 1 was on the ballot, as I was aware that it would be. I also knew my vote wouldn't count for it, as the courts ruled against the signatures on the petition.

Next my mother voted on the same machine as me, with the same ballot number. Her ballot started off with a blank blue screen and then went on to the candidates. Issue 1 was not on her ballot.

The pollworker explained it has been happening to some of the machines; however we used the exact same machine with different outcomes. The problems have been reported to the authorities. As a programmer, I can safely say this was a glitch within Diebold's software. All human variables were conducted exactly the same, and the hardware was exactly the same (including the ISO card that tells the machine which ballot the person is to vote on).

The League of Young Voters offers ID help

Mervyn Marcano of the League of Young Voters offers this citation:

Voters in several precincts in Franklin County are being made to vote on provisional ballots if the address on their IDs does not match the address on the poll books.

This is a clear violation of the Ohio Revised Code:

3505.18: (A) (1) If the elector provides either a driver's license or a state identification card issued under section 4507.50 of the Revised Code that does not contain the elector's current residence address, the elector shall provide the last four digits of the elector's driver's license number or state identification card number, and the precinct election official shall mark the poll list or signature pollbook to indicate that the elector has provided a driver's license or state identification card number with a former address and record the last four digits of the elector's driver's license number or state identification card number.

"Hostile" poll workers

"This year we had to color in tiny boxes then run them through a scanner to be read. This is a completely new method and the poll workers were downright hostile to my wife and me when we asked details about whether we should color in the boxes or if an "X" would work. Another voter was having problems having the machine read his ballot, so the "helpful" poll worker, came over and proceeded to read his votes out loud for all to hear before he finally asked her not to do that. When my wife was in the voting booth she wanted to ask me a question about an issue and the workers got into a disagreement about whether that was allowed or not. It was determined that it wasn't and I've been spending the morning looking for confirmation, because I think the lady was just being mean.
Christian Boyles
St.Peter's United Church of Christ in Pleasant Ridge.

Governor candidates missing from ballot?

John Humphrey of Columbia Township voted at the Howard Johnson at Ridge and Highland and reports:

Ballots are the scan-tron type. Two of the challengers in the governor's race that were supposed to be on the ballot weren't--the two major candidates were on there but the other two were not. I spoke to friends in other precincts and all challengers were listed on their ballots, but not ours.

Delay might mean no-vote

I tried to vote this morning at the polling station at Fox Chase Apartments in Clermont County. When I arrived I discovered that the workers had arrived late and did not have the paperwork in alphabetical order so they were not allowing people to vote yet. After standing around for 15 minutes (with no mention from the workers when they planned to open) I left. We are called upon to go out and vote but it is very hard to do when the system is in such a disarray. People work for a living. We have a schedule to keep. Why can't the government keep to their schedule. If polls are supposed to open at 6:30 then they need to open at 6:30. Late arrivals by the poll workers is not acceptable. I may not get to vote today and I blame the system.
Tara Johnson

Slow voting in Colerain Twp.

My husband and I went to vote at St. John's on Dry Ridge at 7:00am. It took us 40 minutes to vote in our designated area as the line was extremely long. There were two other voter areas within the school gym and they had minimal to no lines to wait for voting. Voting machines were going unused in their sections while each voter in our section had to wait for an open booth. Are the voting sections not divided evenly making the lines so uneven? Was the number of voting booths not properly dispersed based on number of voters in that area? Why couldn't voters from our lines use the voting booths in the other areas that were open?

Tracy Martini

Scanner problems lead to worries

Scanner wasn't working when I got there this morning at 7:45. A pollworker collecting the ballots was putting them in envelopes and placing them in a slot on the side of the scanner so I suppose those ballots will be counted, but some voters there were worried that their votes will not count. There was a technician working on the machine, and by the time I voted a half hour later it seemed to be working ok.

Mike Tucker
Montgomery A Precinct

Communicate ID requirements clearly

Seems like there is a lot of confusion on the requirements for the ID to vote. I saw that Steve Chabot had this problem as discussed on your website. The Ohio elections web sites (state and Butler Co., where I live) both say: Ohio Drivers license or State id showing either your current or your former address, as long as the id is current. When I voted this AM, at Fairfield West Baptist Church, in Fairfield, Ohio this morning, the poll worker was not sure what to do with my driver's license address being out of date. After explaining to her that I HAD updated my address at the BMV, she let me vote. It appears Steve Chabot was not allowed to vote due to a business address on his driver's license. The communication of the requirements could have been better.
Ritchie Price
Fairfield

Poll worker training inadequate in Lebanon

Usually I find the voting process amusing. Today is WAS NOT. I vote at precinct 36-02 located at Coomer's Furniture store in Warren County. I arrived at 6:25AM. We spent the first fifteen minutes waiting in line for the senior volunteers running the polls to call the head office to find out if the "stubs" need to be removed. So voting didn’t actually start until 6:45. After the first voter had finished they didn’t know how to run the ballot through the scanner properly. One of the volunteers called what they thought was board of elections for help only to discover they had actually called another precinct. After running this first ballot through nearly twenty times they end up stuffing it in a locked box to be counted later. I arrive to vote at 6:30 and end up arriving at work at 8:10. I am glad that the county/state bought high tech equipment to be operated by folks who don’t know what they are doing. Money well spent. This is not the first time that I have had this experience at this precinct. Train your folks better or find better help. I left not knowing if my vote would be processed properly given my experience at the polling place. Next year I will be voting absentee.

Brad Peyton
Lebanon Ohio

Voting place too cramped

I voted this morning at Ayer Elementary in Anderson Township, Hamilton County
(11/7/06). The overcrowding today was one of the worst I've seen and has motivated me to finally say something. Two precincts have always been forced to vote in what appears to be a small sports equipment storage room. Entrance lines and exit lines are forced through a narrow doorway. The flimsy voting booths were lined up so close together that I was touching back to back with another voter. The voter in front of me kept backing into my booth and shaking it violently. The other voters could clearly see my ballot. (My understanding was that we vote in secret within the United States.) Upon completing my ballot, I had to break through two lines of people to find the optical scanner amongst the completely chaotic scene. Voting in this chaos made it very difficult to concentrate on reading and completing the ballot, not to mention stressful. I think that these conditions are unacceptable - but maybe this is just normal in Hamilton County (?). I sent an email to the Hamilton County Board of Elections requesting that future voting for my precinct is moved to a larger room.

John Crowley
Cincinnati, Oh

Confusion over voting place

3rd election in a row I have had problems. Apparently my address is wrong again, I was told at my polling place that I was not in the list for my actual district. (Pierce N) and neither was I located in Amelia. 2 people attempted to call the board of elections to look me up and were unable to get an answer. Finally after using my cell phone they were able to get through, and were told that I needed to be at the church on Hopper Hill Rd in Union Township. They had me registered at an address I had not lived at (or voted from) since 1999, and I needed to go to that district to vote. They had the address of the church wrong, the name of the church wrong, and when I finally arrived there I was told my those working the polls at that location that I should have been told to fill out a provisional voting ballot back in Amelia. They had no idea which forms I needed to fill out for provisional voting, or which envelope (and who needed to authorize it) needed to be used once I filling in the ballot. Obviously, since I was sent to the wrong location, some of the local Amelia or Pierce Township issues were not on the ballot. Somehow, I doubt that my vote will even be counted at this point, because I don't think they filled out the envelope for the ballot correctly.
Charles, Amelia

Wasn't asked for ID as Chabot was

Voter Daniel N. Villamagna of Westwood reports that he votes at the same precinct as U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot. "When I went in to vote this morning at 7:30 a.m., I had my ID ready however not once was asked for my ID or any other form of identification.... The poll workers apparently aren’t holding all voters to the same guidelines as others, which should be the real story. Give credit to Congressman Chabot, whether you vote for him or not, for adhering to the new policy."

Ballot "sucked" into machine

I had a problem voting at the Sycamore X precinct on 4650 E Galbraith Rd. My first ballot wasn’t read by the scanner and a poll worker just hit a button that said "cast ballot" and my ballot was "sucked" straight into the machine. The poll worker did say that my vote would be counted; hopefully it will be.

Jon Fossitt

Voting absentee was easy

I voted absentee over a week ago and the process couldn't have gone
smoother. Absentee voters are required to sign the ballot, and
provide ID by writing on the ballot their Ohio Drivers License number
or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Bank
statements, employer pay stub etc. are also acceptable. Much of the
complaining and confusion at the polls would be eliminated if voters
took the time to fill out the simple one page Absentee Ballot Request
Form and voted at home. The Hamilton County Board of Elections
couldn't possibly make it any easier.
P Joseph Stuhlreyer

Absentee ballot too late

My daughter, who is 18 and excited about her first time voting, is away at college in Atlanta. She applied for an absentee ballot in September and has waited and waited for it to arrive. It finally arrived to her yesterday!!....to late for her to vote. She was unable to get the ballot back by 0730 today, so her vote will not be counted. Interestingly, she is registered as a democrat in a heavily republican district. At the expense of sounding paranoid or cynical, it would be interesting to know how many other absentee voters experienced this same phenomenon, and how many of them were registered democrats.

Thomas Tami, M.D.

Short lines, but half-hour wait in Colerain

Colerain Township voter Eric Detzel writes:

I voted at 7AM this morning at Ann Weigel Elementary, 3420 Banning Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45239, Precinct 59100. I believe the problem is with the voters more than the system. I waited 30 minutes to vote this morning with very few people in front of me, but I think it is more of the voters fault than the system. People should understand the candidates and issues before they show up to vote. I voted on every candidate and issue within 5 minutes because I did my homework, while some people were still in the booth for the entire half hour I was there.

Wyoming - a bit slow, but no problems

Carl Weiser, arrived at polling place at 11:10 a.m.

Voted at Friendship United Methodist Church. Despite the fact that it was an "off" hour, there was still a wait since all five fill-in-the-boxes booths were filled. And voters were spending at least five minutes in each booth.

Took about 15 minutes.

I was surprised how fast the scanner slurped up my ballot.

Poll workers reported people had lined up at 6:10 a.m.

Not notified of change

Butler County moved my polling place without notifying me. I have received a total of 2 polling place notification cards in the 11 years I have been at my residence. One of these was last year telling me to vote at the location I went to first this morning. This is the second time they have changed polling places without notification. The first time it was changed several years ago, it took me several hours to find the proper polling location. This time, it was moved back to the original location, and voting went smoothly from there.

I was in line with another person from my street who had the same problem and, like myself, did not receive a post card telling her where to vote.

I live in Middletown Precinct MIDD8W3D, and voted at

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (GATHERING ROOM- WEST SIDE ENTRANCE) 2910 CENTRAL AVEMIDDLETOWN, OH

Jeremy Brewer

ID causes problem with provisional ballot

I went to vote at my polling place at 6:30 am, and we told to cast a provisional ballot because my ID did not have the same street adress as my registration location. My roommate went to the same polling place the same morning with and ID and registration with different adresses and was allowed to vote no problem. This was district 4E in Hyde Park, sip code 45209.

Zach Pittsenbarger

Military ID not good enough

Pat Esswein called in to say that when she went to vote in Union Twp. (on old 74) she was astonished to learn that her military I.D. was not sufficient identification to be able to vote. Luckily she was able to produce another form of identification, but she said, "It's a real shame that poll workers will not accept a Military I.D., which is a very secure form of identification, but they will take a phone bill!"

Mix-up over names nearly turns away Clermont couple

Clermont County voter Jennifer Reed said she went to vote with her husband this morning at the Withamsville Church of Christ. Both she and her husband encountered problems and were nearly turned away from the polls, she said.

She had filled out a change of name form with her board of elections before the deadline, but was told today that the change had not gone through, even though her new signature on the books reflected the name change.

Her husband was nearly turned away because he had the same name and address as his father, who had already voted absentee. It took half an hour and several phone calls, but both were finally allowed to vote, she said.

Long wait at Mason Precinct 131-01

Mason voter Bill Weidus writes:

I waited for 1 hour and 10 minutes to vote this morning at Precinct
131-01 in Mason, ZIP 45040. They only had four booths available to vote
in. The line was VERY long. This is at Mason Methodist Church, 773 S.
Mason-Montgomery Rd. I arrived at 7:00 am. There are two precincts
there. One had no line at all, but we were not allowed to use the open
voting machines for the other Precinct. We "Had" to wait for our four
booths to be open. It was crazy. When I left the church the line was
twice as long as when I arrived.

Elsmere-Erlanger confusion in Kentucky

Voter Jessica Searcy of Elsmere, Ky. has this story:

I went to vote at St. Barbara Church (4042 Turkeyfoot Rd., Precinct Code: Richardson #1) this morning and had a major issue. I walked into the booth and began voting. I has selected my choice for Congress and moved on when I realized that I was set up to vote for ERLANGER, KY. I informed the workers that I needed to be able to vote for the Elsmere candidates and issues (a street tax was the main reason I was there). They told me that they could not fix the problem and I could not vote for the Elsmere Mayor, the street tax, and other issues because I was already set up for Erlanger.

I am very angry. There were three things I went to vote for in particular and because of the mess up caused not by me, I was unable to vote for my city’s issues. I am not sure what I can do about this but I am sure going to try and find out. I still want to vote for my Mayor and the street tax. I wanted to pass this along to you in hopes that this issue can be addressed in some form....

I am very disappointed with the people that were running this location. They checked my ID and then proceeded to put me into the wrong city! I feel that it is the citizen’s responsibility to get to the voting polls. What good is it to go if the people working the voting polls are unable to perform their tasks correctly?

Madeira voters spend more time in booth

Voter Dave Marcus of Madeira reports he spent 20 minutes waiting to vote at the Madeira public library. He said that even though there were only five or six people in front of him, voters were spending nearly 10 minutes in the voting booths. He blamed the delay on the balloting process, which requires voters to completely fill in a box for each selection using only a ballpoint pen.

Scanners now working at church

Early scanner problems at the Golden Leaf Baptist Church are fixed, and voting is proceeding smoothly, election officials said. "Knock on wood," said election judge Richard Huber, rapping at his skull. Huber said the scanner for precinct 23H was down for about an hour Tuesday morning. Technicians replaced a portion of the scanner while officials continued to collect ballots. "It's working good now," Huber said.

Legacy Place issue: Confusion in Green Township

The Enquirer's Jacob Dirr reports that some voters at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Monfort Heights are confused and frustrated that some ballots contained Issue 56 (Legacy Place) and others did not.

An official there was not sure why some ballots included Issue 56 and others did not, except to say "that if you live on one side of West Fork I think you can vote on it and the other side you can not."

The voters said that they live in Green Township and it is a Green Township issue, so they should vote on it.

With no ID, Congressman Chabot turned away

A poll worker checks Steve Chabot's identification at First Presbyterian Church in Westwood.

Enquirer reporter Howard Wilkinson reports:

Congressman Steve Chabot found out just how serious elections officials are about the new voter ID law when he showed up to vote at his polling place in Westwood.

Chabot went into the polling place at Westwood First Presbyterian Church about 9:30 a.m. and pulled out his Ohio driver's license to show the poll workers. They looked at his license, and told the congressman that, even though they know perfectly well who he is, his driver’s license was issued to his business office, not his home, which is his voting address.

Somewhat sheepishly, Chabot went back out into the parking lot, jumped in his 1993 Buick - the one he talked about on his campaign commercials - and drove back to his home a few blocks away to find a proper ID.

"I guess I'll see if I can find a utility bill," Chabot said. "That's the law. You have to have proper ID."

Chabot returned about 10 minutes later with a bank statement and a Social Security Administration statement in hand.

He went inside and voted quickly.

"My wife told me to bring two documents just to be sure," Chabot said. "I guess this just shows the poll workers are really doing their job."

(Photo credit: Joseph Fuqua II)

Torn ballots, frustrated voters in West End

Voter Connie M. Kolita reports from Cincinnati Precinct 16-A, which votes at the Page Towers building at Sixth and Central downtown (619 Central Ave, 45202):

The volunteer workers there were very nice and I thank them for their time, but there was a small problem. You'd walk in and sign your name, then a worker would tear off two sheets of paper for you and you'd go over to the voting stand, fill in the boxes with pen, then feed the sheets into a machine that was supposed to then say, Your Votes Have Been Counted. Well, as we later learned, as the worker was tearing off the sheets she tore off a little too much of the bottom of the papers, which made a tear into the two bar codes that were on the bottom of the sheets. This meant that the machine would not accept the sheets, and we had to fill in our boxes again on a new form. The "re-fill" ticked some people off, which I can understand, but yet if you made the effort to vote I say do whatever it takes to complete the voting process. Nothing is perfect. This one guy was really mad, though: he made a little scene, filling out his new form halfway then throwing it into the air, exclaiming to no one in particular, "Ah, forget it, it's not worth all of this!" then he stormed out. I thought that was pretty funny considering it was not even 8 o'clock in the morning! I hope everyone votes today.

Broken scanner, growing lines at Drake

From voter Neil Goeppinger:

I voted at Drake Hospital (Springfield Township Ward CC)

I had ballot #17 – the e scan indicated that there were only 14 votes counted to that point – and then the machine broke requiring a call to technical support

The staff was distributing emergency ballot envelopes to the growing line as I was leaving

Reporter threatened with arrest

Enquirer reporter Janice Morse and photographer Tony Jones were threatened with arrest this morning at a Butler County polling place, while attempting to photograph and interview Congressman John Boehner as he voted.

Boehner had told the media he would available for interviews this morning, but Jones and Morse were told by poll workers that they could not come into the polling place, which is at the Church of the Nazarene on Tylersville Road.

West Chester Township police had arrived at the church and were talking with poll workers. More details as we get them.

Change of address mixup in Clermont

Voter Kari Hess complains:

I live in Miami Township, bordering the Milford line. I just moved to Miami Township earlier this year from Milford. I completed my change of address forms when I moved in February, and thought that I updated my information with the Clermont County Board of Elections. However, when I went to vote this morning I was not listed in their book of registered voters. The poll worker called and was cleared to let me vote as a provisional voter, which I was weary of because I wanted to be assured that my vote would count. After I left I called to find out more information about this incident and I was informed that when I moved they (the Board of Elections) sent a postcard asking me to verify my change of address, but it was returned to them and marked undeliverable. I was never contacted or notified that this had happened, and almost lost my chance to vote this morning. This is something that should not happen, and although I voted provisionally I still feel like I was cheated in some way. Just wanted to voice my opinion.

Scanners down in Milford G

Voter Sam McKee reports:

The scanner for the G district in Milford was down at the Five Points Building. It was up a half hour later. The ballots were put into another slot on the machine and the workers said that they would be counted at the board of elections. Seemed kind of odd to me.

Another broken scanner

Jane Hamilton of College Hill writes:

I voted this morning at approximately 6:50 a.m. at Golden Leaf Baptist Church. I am in the Cincinnati 23-H precinct. The optical scanning machines were not working, so I had to place my ballot in the side slot without seeing it scanned. I am worried that my vote will not be scanned and counted.

In addition, the poll workers stated that there were not enough booths, as some of the ones they had been given had broken legs and could not stand upright.

Scanners not working in Clifton

Jo Taylor of Clifton writes:

I voted at 6:30 this morning at 15F in Clifton. It took me 1/2 hour and I was only the 6th person to vote. The front door was stuck so we couldn't get in, the scanners weren't working so we had to fill in all those little boxes and we didn't want our votes not to count so we were diligent about filling them in solidly, and the polling place was already running out of pens at 6:45 a.m.!!!

Most people there were fairly upset and I can imagine what it will be like later in the day.

Driver's license confusion in Clermont

Voted in Clermont County, precinct U1U (Union Township). The poll workers and your front page seem to think that your drivers license needs to have your current address on it. This is not true, according to the Secretary of State's web site.

You just need a valid drivers license. A coworker had this same problem in Butler County. In both cases, we knew the rules and pushed them to look it up, and they let us vote. The voters shouldn't know more than the poll workers though...

My fiance (same address as me) was not on the voter rolls, despite having mailed her registration in about 45 days prior to the election. We thought that she was supposed to file a provisional ballot at our polling location, but they told her she had to go to the main board of elections office on Main St in Batavia to do that, which given our schedule today probably won't happen.

Not sure if these problems are widespread or just our bad luck early in the day (I was voter 3 for our precinct), but wanted to pass them on.

Problem with Newport voting machine

Luann Gibbs, Administrative Assistant/Business-News, reports:

I arrived at Newport High School's voting facility this morning at 6:15 a.m., to find there are already problems arising with the touch-screen voting booth.

There are only two booths at this facility: They are both Direct Response Electronic systems, one being similar to a lever machine but with buttons instead of levers, and the other is a touch-screen machine designed for those with disabilities. The first person to use the touch screen machine at 6 a.m. voted, and the machine immediately began to smoke, emit a foul electrical smell, and the touch screen went blank. Poll workers were already on the phone trying to get it fixed when I arrived, and the gentleman who used the touch screen machine was still there, trying to verify that his votes will be counted. He asked for a provisional ballot in case they could not get the machine repaired but the four poll workers were flustered and no one could agree on whether or not he should have one.

I only stood in line for 15 minutes to vote, but I suspect that as the day progresses the lines in Newport will get longer and longer if they cannot get the touch screen machine fixed or replaced, and voters with disabilities will be unduly hindered.