Election Troubles in Luzerne County

[W-B proud]

Originally Posted by maddie10

In 2008 we should have a system that is understood and no complications, etc. I mean if we can have gambling machines and everyone can figure those out...come on. We need a voting method that is easy, correct and everyone who is registered can VOTE and it is COUNTED! There should not be lines or not enough machines to vote! We all have a right and a voice in the USA...and the means able to vote. Yes, not everything is up to par..but our voting system NEEDS to be RIGHT! Something that needs addressed with the next election for sure. I hope your vote and the one before yours counts as well:-)

Well said. We must have 30 different voting methods in this country from paper ballots to electronic machine of all different sorts to the old fashioned leaver system. We should have one universal, uncomplicated voting machine style that is very easy to understand. For Christ sakes! Look at the EZ Pass system for our highways, how perfectly that works, and it crosses state lines ect. Can't we employ the same technology as they use? I find the electronic machines in Luzerne County to be very user friendly and simple to use, the only thing is that you have to confirm your vote after you press the vote button.

[cathyde]

We had the old-style ballots here in Mt. Cobb. Fill in the circle with the pretty black marker.

Then I walked over to the machine and I, no one else, had to insert the ballot in. The gentleman monitoring that told me what number voter I was, gave me my stub and that was it. Pretty straightforward for me. I did wait in line for about 20 minutes, which was a pleasant surprise.

However, I did see an elderly woman ask for help with her ballot, because she wasn't able to read it. I saw one of the election officials go over and help her. But I did see the woman, not the official, fill out the ballot. I believe the official was just telling her what was written on the ballot. No one questioned it.

Then the woman went over and submitted her ballot. I'm glad she was upfront about needing help, and that help was there for her.

So my duty is done, and I feel pretty good about my choices. Now I have to take my ballot stub over to Starbucks so I can get a free coffee!! I have a feeling we're gonna be up late tonight!

[Toonamatic]

Originally Posted by cathyde

Now I have to take my ballot stub over to Starbucks so I can get a free coffee!!

Ohh, I forgot about that! Thanks for the reminder.

Toon

[EnyaGirl]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Well since you have all totally missed the main point of my thread which was more or less "If the person before me did not have their vote registered then how many others can say the same?" I have edited my original post to assuage these ageist tensions that have arisen. I hate to stereotype, but in all of my experiences with new technology it has always been those in the elderly category who don't know an iPhone from an iPod, for example. At work whenever I tell an elderly customer that there are web sites available that can help assist them with certain topics that I'm not qualified to advise them upon I'm often met with "I don't have a computer."

In any event BESIDES the ageist comment I made and all of your attempts to flare tempers at me, were there any other allegations of impropriety at the polls? Any other instances of non-uniformed training for election volunteers that may alter the outcome of our election? In such a tight race every vote matters, and by golly if Sen. Obama loses by just one vote I'm going to make a big fuss over the person before me who voted for him but whose vote was not registered.

Well Paul, I don't know about the elderly, but this "MIDDLE AGED" GAL didn't notice anything like what you mentioned in Dallas. To the contrary, I had a nice gentleman chaperone me to the voting booth where he walked me through exactly how to use the machine, instructed me to wait for the confirm screen after pressing the red button, etc.

Of course there were also no people in line at my polling station, so that may be why they took such time with me? I initially attempted to vote this morning before work at around 8am. The lines were out the door and there was at least a 30-45 min. wait. I thought I'd really be a glutton for punishment and wait for lunch time, but to my surprise, it was practically empty at that time!

[Summering]

Gosh, our election place didn't give us a stub for a free coffee...........

Lots of long, long, lines in the Coolbaugh area up in Mt Pocono......I guess from the influx of people who moved in up that way.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Summering

Gosh, our election place didn't give us a stub for a free coffee...........

Lots of long, long, lines in the Coolbaugh area up in Mt Pocono......I guess from the influx of people who moved in up that way.

You didn't need any sort of verification to my knowledge. All you had to do was go to your nearest Starbuck's, tell them that you had voted, and your "reward" for performing your civic duty was a hot cup of java!

The lines were long here too in Pittston Twp., but thankfully everyone in line made idle banter with one another to make the time fly by. I had a great conversation with an insurance agent behind me who immigrated here from Italy. She was helping her elderly father, who spoke broken English, to vote. We chatted for quite some time, and she encouraged me to move out of the area once I had my Bachelor's Degree in order to attend graduate school in Philadelphia. It was a pleasure chatting with her, regardless of the minor chaos that ensued with my voting problem a few moments later. Now that I see that our state has been projected as an easy win for Sen. Obama, I don't feel so badly about that one person's vote not being registered since they were also voting for Sen. Obama. Nevertheless if it happened to a person before me and a person before Summering then how many others had similar experiences?