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Florida Voters Report Long Lines, Some Problems

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The Associated Press

Published: November 4, 2008

MIAMI -
Long lines formed, some vote counting machines jammed and fear that ballots would go uncounted lingered Tuesday as Florida tried to repair a reputation still sullied from the 2000 recount.

Scattered problems with optical scan machines, which count the ballots, and malfunctioning electronic signature pads were the most common complaints reported across the state.

Lines snaked out of some precincts, with wait times of up to two hours at sites in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, the state's most populous. But officials said most voters waited just 15 or 20 minutes.

Several polling places opened late, but Secretary of State Kurt Browning, who oversees the election, appeared to breathing a sigh of relief.

"It's been a good day," he said. "I'm almost hesitant to say, it's been eerily quiet."

Minor problems were spotted around the state, it seemed the most marked issue was voters' nagging anxieties that 2000 would somehow be replayed.

"I'm concerned that everyone who comes out to vote, that their vote is counted," said Patricia Blackmon of Miami, who was waiting for her 86-year-old mother and 90-year-old stepfather to cast ballots in one of the city's predominantly African-American precincts.

During the 2000 presidential election, ballot design and vote counting problems led to a contentious, 36-day recount resulted in George Bush winning the state (and, therefore, the White House) by 537 votes over Al Gore.

Since then, voting equipment has been standardized — all of Florida's 67 counties now use optical scan machines — and early voting was introduced. This year, some 4.2 million of the state's 11.2 million registered voters cast early or absentee ballots.

Though officials were optimistic the state would avoid the problems that led to 2000's fiasco, plenty of lawyers descended to watch over the process.

Among the complaints were instances of ballots missing pages, rejected absentee ballots that voters neglected to sign and a power outage at one polling place in Manatee County. More than 1,800 calls flowed into the state's voter hot line by mid-afternoon, but officials said most simply were checking a polling place or their registration status.

Optical scan machines malfunctioned in dozens of places around the state, from Bonita Springs to Orlando to Clearwater. The machines tabulate ballots that voters fill out using pens; problems happen if a voter or poll worker manhandles the ballot and jams it into the machine.

Problem ballots were placed in a so-called "emergency ballot box" — and workers were to feed those ballots through the scanners after the polls close. Voting rights advocates say this is a problem because voters won't be able to see if there are problems with their ballot, or have the opportunity to make changes.

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