A national voter protection organization said Thursday that Virginia is among several states that are unprepared to handle the anticipated surge of voters in the Nov. 4 election, with the potential for long lines to discourage voting.
The Washington, D.C.-based Advancement Project charged that the six cities it examined in Virginia do not have enough voting equipment or poll workers. The project said similar problems exist in several states it studied.
The group said some minority precincts are most vulnerable to having a shortage of machines and workers. It said, for example, that in Virginia Beach, there were 11 percent more voters per machine and per poll worker in districts that were 25 to 50 percent minority than in districts in which minorities numbered less than 25 percent.
Local elections officials said they do not track the race of voters and instead allocate resources based on the number of registered voters in a precinct. "We don't even know what precincts are minority precincts," said Virginia Beach registrar Pat Harrington.
Judith Browne-Dianis, co-director of the organization, said, "Election officials need to take immediate steps to avert an Election Day meltdown."
Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Newport News were among the six Virginia cities studied because of the active voter registration efforts that have taken place.
"There are potential serious problems in all six cities and counties," Jim Freeman, a staff attorney for the organization, said. "Norfolk and Virginia Beach are certainly at or near the top of the list."
The State Board of Elections and the registrars in Norfolk and Virginia Beach say they're using more voting machines and poll workers than ever before, yet there will still be lines.
"This is an historic election," said Susan Pollard, spokeswoman for the state board. "We do anticipate there will be heavy lines at the polls and voters should anticipate that as well."
Pollard said anyone who is eligible to vote absentee is encouraged to do so. Eligible reasons include disability, illness, pregnancy, work and commuting schedules.
Harrington said 1,700 people have signed up to work polls in Virginia Beach, more than double the number in past elections. The city is putting about 200 extra voting machines in precincts.
Norfolk will nearly double its number of poll workers and is putting 65 more voting machines in precincts, registrar Elisa Long said.
"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do to guarantee you won't have to stand in line," she said.
Long said it should help that the voting process will be shorter this year because there are no constitutional or bond questions.
Freeman noted that the Advancement Project's analysis of resources projects that it would take on average 15 to 16.5 hours to move voters through Norfolk's precincts and 13.2 to 14.1 hours in Virginia Beach. Polls are open 13 hours. That's based on various turnout scenarios, with three minutes allotted per voter.
He also said that between 39 and 46 of Norfolk's 55 precincts could not accommodate the turnout within the 13 hours. In Virginia Beach, it would be 60 to 70 of the city's 94 precincts.
The group wants the state to liberalize the use of paper ballots when lines are long, extend the polling hours, deploy additional polling resources and reallocate resources to better serve minority precincts.
It studied only battleground states - Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia - and only cities and counties in Virginia with strong registration drives: Alexandria, Fairfax County, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond and Virginia Beach.
Advancement Project is a civil rights group founded in 1998.
The group sued to gain access to voter registration forms that the Norfolk registrar's office rejected in the November 2005 gubernatorial elections. The State Supreme Court ruled that the group could inspect the forms if the Social Security numbers were redacted.
Debbie Messina, (757) 446-2588, debbie.messina@pilotonline.com
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In this still free country
In this still free country IDs are not yet mandatory. Therefore it is inappropriate to require IDs to vote. Further, if you are poor and don't have a driver's license, requiring an ID is just one more hurdle that better off people never have to think about. How easy is it to get an ID when you work two jobs and don't have personal transportation? What won't you have time to do if you spend half a day getting an ID? Remember, every errand takes longer and is a bigger hassle -- you can't just pop in your car. I know most people have IDs for other reasons (banking,driving etc) but an ID requirement would likely keep *some* poor people from voting. If that is your goal, to lessen the number of poor that vote, then be honest enough to say so.
Voter registration card
I've never used mine, never asked for it, but I am asked for an ID.
That seems to work fine.
Joanie: I think we agree. Down with them all.
joek43001 "Anybody that shows up to a voting site without a legal form of photo identification SHOULD NOT be allowed to vote."
I vote without a picture ID all of the time. And it's perfectly legal to do so. I use my Voter's Registration card. I figure I went through the effort to get it, I might as well use it the few times I can.
Reading material for Paul Kersey
The latest "shiny object" distraction by the right - ACORN - is debunked here:
http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/10/09/acorn/index.html
But here’s the fact of the matter, something I’ve learned over the past couple of years in conversations with prosecutors experienced in election-related issues: ACORN is not perpetrating voter fraud here. Rather, the fraud is being perpetrated upon ACORN.
The workers turning in these fraudulent registrations aren’t trying to rig the election; they’re trying to wring a little more money out of their employer. These workers aren’t registering fake names that could really be used to show up and vote. They use cartoon characters and NFL players... If any of these fraudulent registrations were accepted, no one would show up on Election Day to make use of them.
NOT READY
Well I have worked the polls before and did so for 9 years or more and...people are going to get ugly but that is life you need to understand some people have NEVER voted in ther lives and that means that the POLLS should be filled with people who can help and KNOW what they are doing..GOOD LUCK and please poll workers take your oath serious.
POOR AND ID??????
What does being poor have to do with getting a state ID. This statement is ridiculous.
How can someone like Ron
How can someone like Ron Paul raise the money he did and have the massive support online but not get a chance. I don't think America is the great Satan, but I do think we have squandered our reputation and we have work to do to put this country on the right path and restore our reputation in the world.
I Demand a Fair Election.
I Demand a Fair Election. Photo ID seems fair, But I'd also like a receipt and a website to go to verify my vote. Civil disobedience will happen if we the people feel that this election is rigged on way or the other, after the past voter problems there is no excuse for any major issues. Also i believe that they need to rewrite the equal time law for candidates to include the third party candidates as far as debates.
If you look at the money being made from the viewing of the debates, massive viewer ship you would think that TV businesses would want to increase the number of debates and adding the third parties would do that and also make them more competitive which would give us better candidates...... but cant have this in this new America, Got to be given a choice between 2 party's who are in effect the same. one will increase your taxes to fight wars in country's that didn't attack us, the other will increase your taxes to help the poor and underprivileged.
Abortion laws will not be changed, its just used to fire up the base and businesses will keep shipping jobs overseas no matter which party is in. How can someone like Ron Paul raise the money he did and have th
Jay
Joanie does not care the political affiliation. Try em all.
Not Ready
Not ready in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024. Shocking!
Stop complaining and sign up to be a election worker
Stop complaining about the election and sign up to be an election site worker. Or would you just like to continue to blame everyone on city council? I'll bet you would rather complain than be part of the solulution...
RENO - As someone mentioned
RENO - As someone mentioned below.... Why is it reasonable to pay $40 to go to an amusement park, wait in line for an hr to ride a 2 min ride..but not acceptable to spend no money, wait in line for 30 min and participate in electing the leaders of our country?
Also, what are you basing your estimate that there will not be enough machines and/or workers for this election? The facts in the article? Certainly not, because there are none. All you're reading is the opinion of two people. Two people who have likely never run an election or participated on the most basic level beyond stirring up muck. I could be wrong about that, but then, the article doesn't mention the credentials of either Ms. Browne or Mr. Freeman beyond saying that Mr. Freeman is an attorney for the group.
Last I checked, it was in an attorney's best interest to back the interests of his clients. What should we therefore expect him to say o
Virginia Beach Will Not Be Ready
In Virginia Beach, a total of 38 candidates are on the ballot. It is going to take an inordinate amount of time for each voter to read through the ballot. Who came up with the brilliant idea of City Council elections at the same time as Presidential elections? The City Council of course. Reelect no one in Virginia Beach, especially the Mayor. It is time to clean house on City Council and the School Board. Many people are going to see the line and walk away. Typical government. Virginia Beach will not be ready. There will not be enough voting machines or workers.
I agree with vabeach757!
Anybody that shows up to a voting site without a legal form of photo identification SHOULD NOT be allowed to vote. I'm not talking about an ID you get out of a magazine and glue your picture to, I mean a DMV ID card or driver's license. Even a passport will do. But no photo ID, no matching info- NO VOTE!
There Will Be No Surge
The same apathetic sense of non-urgency that frames the character of those Americans who could care less about voting every 1461 days out of each Presidential "election year" will again be apathetic this November 4th and 1461 days after that. Even more so if it rains. The very rich and the poor could care less about politics, they have their Federal programs. Has either candidate mentioned anything about the poor in America during the debates? The poor will always be with us and the rich have hedged their mobile wealth overseas, safe out of liberal reach. Those who tell us they have the solutions are those who create the problems. "It's confusing! You're confused! It's all very confusing!" Many, many businesses will fail over the next 180 days because cash, credit, and now consumers have dried up.
The blue finger
With all this illegal voter registration, I think we need to go to the third world voters marking. Permanate blue ink on your index finger after you place your vote. Now, lets see who will scream that this is illegal !!!!
Picture Idenfication............
should be required of EVERYONE in order to vote - no ID, no vote. It's as simple as that. If information (addresses) do not match, they don't vote. If names do not match, they don't vote. It's not rocket science.
re: Treason
joanie06 is right! "As far as I am concerned I believe voter fraud should be treated as treason."
They should start with Florida in 2000, then Ohio/Dibold 2004 and any group in 2008.
Oh wait, do you only mean if it favors democrats?
I want to volunteer
I too have submitted (TWICE) an application to be a poll worker and have yet to receive a response. I have an approved leave request from work in antisipation of being selected. I just need election officials to train me and tell me where and when to report. This election is to important for all of us not to do our part. Next week I start making phone calls.
Careful, Ms. Messina
The tone(oh noes!)of this article on its own could discourage voting.
Re: ACORN. The employees of this organization have no control over what people put on voter registration forms. That is why they, as in Nevada, try to alert the Registrars when a form is suspect.