Problem-free day at polls erases memories of past glitches, bubbles

SignOnSanDiego ^ | July 27, 2005 | Jeanette Steele

[franksolich]

SAN DIEGO – For the first time in a while, voting in San Diego seemed to go smoothly. During Tuesday's balloting, there was no question of whether people remembered to fill in a bubble when writing in a name. There were no computer glitches to frustrate workers.

The troubleshooters whom the San Diego County Registrar of Voters had standing by didn't have much to do.

"We have a whole troubleshooting hotline where people are sitting very quiet," said Registrar Mikel Haas, about a hour before voting concluded.

Even a power outage in Mira Mesa didn't stop the vote scanners, which have back-up batteries. Out of 713 voting locations, two opened about 15 minutes late Tuesday morning, but only one had voters waiting, Haas said.

"We've had no problems today. The machines are working really good," said Mary Jane Blunt, a precinct inspector in North Park, who stationed herself by the scanning machine to make sure it behaved. It did, she said, except for a few misfeeds that were corrected immediately.

There was some commotion at night, however.

About 10:45 at the registrar's office in Kearny Mesa, a member of a group that monitors elections stormed into a computer room where votes were being tabulated. Jim March, who sits on the board of Black Box Voting, complained about having to observe from behind a window eight feet away. When an election worker opened the door, March bolted inside.

Two sheriff's deputies jumped from their seats, pulled him out of the room and led him to a patrol car.

Thirty minutes earlier, March told a reporter he was going to perform an act of civil disobedience.

The day was markedly different than March 2004, when a new touch-screen system malfunctioned.

Paralyzed by a computer glitch, the touch-screen problems caused more than one-third of polling places to open late and an unknown number of voters were turned away.

The secretary of state later banned San Diego and three other counties from using touch-screen machines made by Diebold Election Systems. Diebold hopes to get its touch-screen machines recertified for the June 2006 election by adding a process that leaves a paper trail. The scanning machines used Tuesday are made by Diebold.

In the November balloting, more headaches occurred, that time because of the fill-in-the-bubble system.

More than 5,500 votes in the mayor's race weren't counted because people didn't fill in the bubble when writing in Donna Frye's name.

This time, there's no question of a write-in fiasco. No one was certified as a write-in candidate, Haas said.

[franksolich]

Why aren't these people in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Boston, &c., &c., &c.?

[franksolich]

More of the same.

[kevkrom]

Is AndyScam's new mission to expose the lunacy of BBV?

[franksolich]

The new purpose of Scamdy has yet to evolve, sir--we're always open to any and all suggestions, to see where we might go--but for right now, we're concentrating upon that scam perpetuated in DUmmieland, making hesitant moves in other directions, about other issues.

But we can go any direction the audience wishes us to.

[luvie]

Ahhhh---how reassuring to know that some things, like BBV, don't change. Gives us plenty of fodder for more humor at their expense. What a bunch of loonies!

[KJC1]

Here is the DUmmie reaction to this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x385783

[Allosaurs_r_us]

Why aren't these people in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Boston, &c., &c., &c.?

 

Because the whole BBV deal is a farce! They don't give a rusty about DemoncRat voter fraud. I had a conversation here at FR with Bev once where she admitted the questions of fraud in Volusia (spelling?) County FL appeared to be Democrat in nature. She said she was pressured by party elite to stand down.

 

This explains the whole thing to me. Why is it BBV didn't cause a royal stink when Dim operatives were obviously interfering with a fact finding, supposedly neutral activist organization?

 

The only answer can be they must control the purse strings. A great number of people would actually have to go back to earning a living honestly!

 

[ReeWalker]

I do kinda like this post:
yowzayowzayowza (1000+ posts)
Wed Jul-27-05 12:15 PM
Response to Original message
11. I'duv been impressed if he'd... sent the chimp in. Otherwise, a felony 'interfering with an election official' wrap for a lil publicity is hardly "critical" for the "movement."

[Allosaurs_r_us]

kansasblue (633 posts)

Wed Jul-27-05 09:25 AM Original message

7-26-2005: Black Box Voting Director Arrested in San Diego

http://www.blackboxvoting.org / Jim March, a member of the Black Box Voting board of directors, was arrested Tuesday evening for trying to observe the Diebold central tabulator vote tallying machine as the votes were being counted in San Diego's mayoral election

 

Now isn't this just precious! Nothing like completely distorting the facts in order to pursue a completely lunatic fringe conspiracy! No mention whatsoever about the lunatic crashing thru a door uninvited. Also no mention that he had previously been watching thru a window not more than 8 feet away from the action. This distortion of the facts is absolutely criminal!

 

 

 

and meeting place of the Lunatic Fringe!

[CAluvdubya]

I suspect that the reason BBV was even down here is because they were summoned. The hippie candidate Frye (she tried to run as a write in in November WITHOUT having run in the primaries) is very heavily backed by the unions here. Hopefully, we will beat her this November (if the Republicans can come together)

[franksolich]

Why, who's all running?

<<not up to date on San Diego politics.

By the way, wasn't Pete Wilson once mayor of San Diego, and a pretty good one at that? If I recall my history correctly, he was one of the youngest big-city mayors in American history.

[CharlesWayneCT]

I don't know why I follow links to DU, those people are so disgusting. In the comments about voting machines, one of their illustrious posters (915 posts) said the following:

Surprised I heard it among the "blond still missing in Aruba" and "wrong person shot as terrorist in London" and "breaking news -- it's summer and hot" stories that filled their "news (not)" segment this morning.

Of course, the San Diego story wasn't bumped by "soldiers butt-rape minors in Iraq -- (no) film at 11:00". Go figure.

Even in a story about voting machines they couldn't resist taking a shot at our troops.

[CAluvdubya]

yes, Pete Wilson was mayor once, as was Roger Hedgecock. Both were good mayors.

Frye (moonbat type) needed to get 50% +1 win this election outright. She got 43.3%. Our two R's were former police Chev Jerry Sanders (27%) and businessman Steve Francis (23.5%, also endorsed by our local R's). Sanders came out on top and will be in the run off against Frye in Nov.

What the press, FNC included< have not said about our situation with mayors is that Murphy resigned not being tough enough to handle the mostly dem city council. The press also does not mention that the indicted councilmen are dems.

This is pretty much the short version but catches the highlights.

[CAluvdubya]

former police Chev Jerry Sanders Police chief! I even used spell check. Guess I need to clean my contacts.

[KJC1]

Here's another DUmmie thread about this thing:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4201956

[ReeWalker]

I noticed Kevin Malace or whaterver his name is showed up to trash BBV real quick....But it seems some other DUmmies are just blowin him off...LOL

[MisterRepublican]

It sure has been a long, hot summer for the folks out in Seattle. And now San Diego, too.

I keep thinking, what next?