Hot line will field calls about problems with voting
By Robert Behre
A national civil rights coalition has cranked up a hot line for voters who want to report any problems they have registering or casting their ballots.
A similar voter hot line recorded about 504 complaints from South Carolinians leading up to the 2004 election.
Voter hot line
The 866-OUR-VOTE hot line will remain active through Nov. 4, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. The Web site is 866ourvote.org.
The problems included long lines, machine glitches and intimidation at the polls, said Jon Greenbaum, director of the Voting Rights Project at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
The committee is one of several nonprofit groups that have formed Election Protection, a coalition that has established the hot line. Those who call can speak with a legal expert about their problems.
"The one area where there is a greater likelihood of problems in South Carolina is the issue of challenges at the polls, attempts to intimidate and deceptive practices, just because we've seen a history of that," Greenbaum said.
For instance, he said a bogus flier distributed in the Columbia area in 2004, purportedly from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, incorrectly said that if a voter had committed any type of offense, they could be jailed if they cast a vote. That's not true.
"The issue of intimidation and deceptive practices is one that has been an issue in South Carolina and could easily be an issue in the November election," he said.
However, Greenbaum said other voting problems, such as long lines at the polls, voter registration issues and machine malfunctions, aren't any worse in South Carolina than other states.
The Election Protection coalition was formed in response to problems in the 2000 elections. Four years ago, it mobilized 25,000 volunteers, including 8,000 with a legal background, to monitor polling places, educate voters and provide other support. Its hot line received more than 200,000 calls from all 50 states.
Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said it is important that voters have a place to turn if they encounter problems.
"All those who wish to vote should be aware of their registration status and their rights at the polling place so they can cast a secure ballot and have it count," she said.
South Carolina voters have until Oct. 4 to register if they want to cast a ballot in the Nov. 4 elections.
Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or at rbehre@postandcourier.com.
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5thGenerationLocal (anonymous) says...
I have a problem with that jacktard Obama being on the ticket. Is there a workaround for this?
August 18, 2008 at 8:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
truthseeker (anonymous) says...
I will have to call them and i suggest every one else call them up on voting day .
Tell them you did not receive a written receipt for your vote.
Tell them you simply pushed a button on a black box and you have no way of knowing if your vote is even being counted - much less that is tallied for the person you hoped you voted for.
August 18, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
PCChick (anonymous) says...
I've worked the polls and this is ridiculous. A lot of the people that claim they are being "disenfranchised" are not properly registered, don't come to the polls with identification and don't follow the proper procedure. The last poll I worked was a minority area. A local political leader was down on the next corner passing out new voter registration cards from a box. Lots of people came in with them unsigned. If a card is unsigned you are required by law to ask the person for a photo id. The poll workers were letting anyone through. They were also going into the booth with them and guiding their vote, such as "press this button if you want all democrats" This was the year they had the sales tax referendum and one poll worker was telling people: "press this button if you want to be able to get your bus" Outrageous.
August 18, 2008 at 11:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ChrisPia (anonymous) says...
Start Locking People up For intimidation practices of Voters and Your Problem will Eventually go away.....things like firing people for having an opposite candidates Bumper sticker,or Putting People on Lie Detector tests,or writing letters telling people if they don't vote for a specific candidate they will be fired.........
August 18, 2008 at 2:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
regroce (anonymous) says...
your story seems very invalid, PCChick. After all, voter registration must be completed 30 days prior to an election in order to be eligible to vote. As a result, there's no way that the incident you cite could have occurred. Those persons could not have been able to participate in the election if they had only registered on that day. Also, voter registration cards are only issued by the state's voter registration office; no "local political leader" would have access to them, let alone be able to officially print them with the necessary information ... let alone have a printer nearby and plugged in while standing "on the next corner." And if you were actually working the polls on the day that other poll workers were actually speaking to voters in that way, why didn't you file a complaint with the state, as poll workers are instructed to do, along with complete instructions on how to do so? Sorry - you're just spreading false information, and with nothing to support your claims.
August 18, 2008 at 2:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ChrisPia (anonymous) says...
http://www.osc.gov/documents/forms/os...
File a complaint.
August 20, 2008 at 9:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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