The 150 foot rule

The Call Center received a complaint that a campaign worker was positioned too close to a polling precinct in Raymond.  The individual was found to be outside the 150 foot prescribed perimeter, although he was visible from the precinct.  The statute is clear that no campaign literature can be distributed or displayed within 150 feet of the precinct door.  In the case of a courthouse, which has precincts housed within it, the measure is taken from the courthouse door. 

Triumph Church precinct plagued with power outage

The Triumph Church precinct on Flagg Chapel Road in Jackson was out of power for a good portion of the day.  Voters were voting on paper ballots.

UPDATE: 455 calls logged

The Protect the Vote call center has logged 211 calls from voters around the state, ranging from needing information on where to vote, to requests for Voter I D, lost voter registrations, and politicking too close to the polls.  Of that number, 34 are still to be resolved.  Lost registrations appear to be trending in redistricted areas where voters may not have received timely notice of voting place changes.  While these individuals are being offered affidavit ballots at their usual polling places, that effort may not result in the individual's vote being counted if they've been moved. 

Update:  3:03 p.m.

The Protect the Vote call center has logged 279 calls.  Of that number, 21 are still to be resolved.

Update: 4:11 p.m.

The Protect the Vote call center has logged 324 calls.  Of that number, 30 are still to be resolved.

Update: 6:24 p.m.

The Protect the Vote call center has logged 432 calls.  Of that number, 54 are still to be resolved.

Many of today's calls have been from individuals whose names did not appear on voter rolls.  Some of these had been moved due to redistricting.  Others were inexplicable.

Update:  7:11 p.m.

The Protect the Vote call center has logged 455 calls.  Of that number, 30 are still to be resolved.

There are a number of calls that are still being logged into the datasystem that are not reflected in this number. 

UPDATE: Voter roll purging surprises some voters

The voter roll purging efforts around the state have resulted in some people finding themselves off their local voting rolls.  Many of the complaints filed to the Call Center are from voters who did not respond to jury duty and were purged.  Here is a call log from Attala County:

 Name was not on the voter roll because she didn't respond to a jury summons. She said that she never received it and this happened to about 7-8 other people. They let them vote by affidavit but was told that it probably wouldn't be counted.

UPDATE: Here is a call log from Hinds County Precinct #6 logged at 2:54 p.m.

Several people have been purged from the voter roll. THese are people who have been living there, voting and registered for years. As of 3 P.M. 27 people have been purged that should have been listed. Worker thinks that this scenario is weird and there may be something wrong. No explanation why so many regular voters should have been purged from the list.

No registration cards at issue for 300 in Scott County

Mississippi Immigrant Race Alliance (MIRA) reports that over 300 Scott Countians the group helped register to vote during the proper registration period did not receive their registration cards with  designated polling places.  MIRA is calling these individuals to help them determine where they should be registered to vote.  The group expects an upsurge in this confusion after shift work closes at 3:00 p.m.

UPDATE: Police presence at polling places should be minimal

UPDATE:  5:39 p.m.  Police presence in and around polling places is viewed as potentially intimidating to voters.  Federal law addresses this issue. Numerous complaints of patrol cars with flashing lights situated outside polling places have been called and texted in to the Call Center.  Traffic control may occasionally warrant police presence; however, it is the position of most voting experts that such "traffic control" exceptions occur only during peak driving times and therefore should not be conducted throughout the day.  Voters who are greeted by flashing blue lights can experience intimidation.  We are urging law enforcement officials to discontinue unnecessary display of police presence in the polling place vicinities.

Update: 5:39 p.m. We have received a report from the Coast that there are seven police officers and cruisers at the Don Snyder precinct who have been advised that their presence is intimidating.  They disbursed, and the caller reports one patrolman is still on site.

Precinct changes pose problems

Precinct changes without proper voter notification are continuing to be reported to the call center.  Here is an example of a call log taken from Quitman County:

Apparently, the precincts have been changed without notice to voters. It seems many voters are registered at dual precincts, and they are not being allowed to vote even when their names appear on the rolls. Instead they are being told that they need to go to the precinct in Marks to vote.

Redistricting may be causing problems

We received notice that 34 voters who have voted in the Forest Hill United Methodist Church precinct for years are no longer on the rolls.  Redistricting may be the issue here ... some of these individuals may now be on rolls at another precinct.  In these instances, voting by affidavit will not fix the problem.  These individuals should make every effort to vote in their correct precincts.  The same issue was occuring in the Woodville Heights precinct on McDowell Road.  The Protect the Vote team has dispatched someone over to Forest Hill to research the issue.

Voter I D reports

We have been receiving numerous calls about individuals being asked to prove their identity.  These calls are coming in from diverse areas in the state, a most recent one from Ocean Springs at the Wesley United Methodist Church precinct.  We are working to make sure the pollworkers there understand that there is no requirement for voters to show I D at this election, unless they registered by mail and this is their first time to vote. 

Again, there is NO REQUIREMENT FOR VOTER I D during this election!

Assistance must be requested

We've received a call or two about overly enthusiastic "helpers" volunteering to assist voters to cast their votes.  This is a reminder that assistance must be requested. Only the voter's employer, agent of the employer or representative of the voter's labor union may not assist.  See Miss Code Ann. 23-15-539.

Update:  Here's an account of an incident in Monroe County...

Poll workers won't let her assist her grandmother in voting at her precinct. Doesn't know how to use the machine. The poll worker ended up helping her grandmother vote. White female poll worker said that she could not help her grandmother vote and "that's the state law." Her vote would be revoked if the grandaughter helped cast her ballot.

Update:  Here's an account of an incident in Quitman County ...

Caller placed complaint on behalf of a disabled friend who needed assistance at the polls. The assistance was approved by a poll worker, but the person operating the machine continued to loudly question the voter about their disability.

Camera crews allowed in precincts

There is no prohibition for news camera crews to be in the polling places.  An incident occurred at the Grants Ferry precinct in Rankin County this morning where a news person was asked to leave.  He didn't, which was the correct action on his part. 


Update:

Here is the Attorney General's Opinion on this topic:

Office of the Attorney General
State of Mississippi

Opinion No. 2008-00136

April 4, 2008

Re: News Media in Polling Places

The Honorable Benton L. Sanford
Chairman
Jackson County Election Commission
Post Office Box 998
Pascagoula, Mississippi 39567

Dear Mr. Sanford:


Attorney General Jim Hood received your letter of request and assigned it to me for research and reply.

Issue

You ask if the news media with video cameras may maintain a presence in polling places during an election.

Response

The news media has no statutory right to maintain a presence in polling places.

As indicated in your letter, we have informally advised that the presence of video cameras in a polling place can be intimidating to voters and should not be allowed on a continuing basis. However, we have also informally advised that a brief video recording of a polling place which would not be disruptive of an election should be allowed.

Applicable Law and Discussion

Mississippi Code Annotated Section 23-15-245 (Revised 2007) establishes a space of thirty (30) feet in every direction from the polls, or the room in which the election is held, that shall be kept clear of all persons except certain election officials.

However, common practice for many years has been to allow television crews to briefly tape voting at polling places to be used in reporting on elections.

Conclusion

We are of the opinion that the practice of allowing televisions crews to briefly tape the activities at polling places may continue, provided the personnel operating the cameras do not cause any intimidation or disturbance and limit such taping to only a few minutes.
Sincerely,

Jim Hood
Attorney General

By: Phil Carter
Special Assistant Attorney General

2008 WL 2043255 (Miss.A.G.)

END OF DOCUMENT

Cell phones are legal in the polling place, just be quiet

It is not illegal for cell phones to be in the polling place, unless an individual is causing a disturbance by talking loudly or otherwise creating a commotion with the cell phone.  The polling place bailiff is authorized to ask any individual who is creating a disturbance to leave the precinct. 

Not on rolls, offered no alternative

A caller reports she moved to Clinton from Natchez over six years ago and has voted at the precinct before but was told that her name wasn't on the roll and she wasn't allowed to vote via affidavit ballot.

Names not recording correctly

A caller reports from the YMCA/Manhattan precinct that his attempt to vote for Congressman Thompson showed Mr. Marcy as the selection.

Lack of registration cards pose problems

Three calls were received regarding the location of polling places for people who moved from Hattiesburg to Jackson.  These callers had never received their registration cards. Phone bankers directed voters to appropriate precincts.  Another call was received by an individual who said he had registered numerous new voters in Scott County who are reporting to him that they do not appear on the correct polling books.  Many of these individuals had  not received their registration cards.   

Call verification

Issues being reported on this blog site are those that have been called in from the field to the 1888601VOTE (8683) number and received by the attorneys who are manning the phone banks.  These calls are accompanied by documentation of the callers' names and other pertinent data.

Voters told to come back later

A caller reports that voters at the Homewood Precinct in Scott County were told to come back later to vote because machines had malfunctioned.

Machines down in Stonewall

Caller reports that voters at the Stonewall Town Hall in Clarke County precinct were given paper ballots because the machines had malfunctioned. 

Where to vote?

There are a number of "find your voting place" links online.  Here is the link to the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office service:

http://www.sos.ms.gov/page.aspx?s=7&s1=1&s2=58

False text continues to cause problems

A text  circulating around the state yesterday is continuing to cause problems, according to some callers.  The email stated:

PLEASE PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO THIS!  In the event that you are planning to vote democrat on Nov. 6, when you go into the voting booths, DO NOT SELECT THE BUTTON “all democrats” first, because Barack Obama will be excluded from the vote.  However, if we choose “Barack Obama” first, and then “all democrats”, he will earn our votes.  People are not being told this information, because they are trying to use every trick in the book.  TELL EVERYBODY YOU KNOW THIS!  PLEASE REPOST THIS!!!

This assertion has no applicability in Mississippi. There is no button on our voting machines that allows a voter to select "all democrats".  The text should be ignored.

 

Caller reports that an individual at the Northshore precinct in Rankin County whose name was not on the poll books was advised by an official that he could vote by affidavit, "but it probably would not count."  The individual left without voting.

Precinct 5, in Sharkey, is still down at 9:15, witnesses report. Voters are being told to come back later.

Update:  Word finally filtered over here to us that the issue in Sharkey was caused by a sprinkler system that went off and soaked the precinct floors. Apparently the floors are dry, and folks are now voting.

A poll worker at Precinct 2, in Scott County, is reporting that machines are down and voters are being told by officials to come back.

Precinct 5, in Sharkey, is reportedly not open yet. Voters have been told to return in an hour. NAACP officials are checking back for updates.

Precinct 94C, in Jackson, is reporting long lines due to non-functional machines and a missing poll worker.

Room filled with volunteers who are responding to needed inquires from the public. The Protect the Vote 2012 operation is in full swing now.

Lots of calls, people needing info on polling place. One person calls to debate the "need" for voter id law. It was pointed out to her that most important there is no voter id law, so the discussion right now is academic.

Our phones were ringing when I arrived at the call center at 6 a.m.  Mississippians are energized and concerned.  They are concerned about machines not working; polling places being locked; poll managers giving poll watchers a hard time....  The phones continue to ring.  Today will be another historic day in Mississippi and national history.

Your Vote Counts

Today is E-Day - Election Day.   Contrary to what you have been told and the rumors on the street, your vote does count.   If your vote was not important, others would not be trying to keep you from exercising your rights.   Think about it!   If YOU were not important, there were no rumors that you had to have voter id which is not true.    If YOU were not important, institutions would not try to take away your right to vote.   If YOU were not important, these candidates would not have spent billions of dollars for your vote.   YOU are essential to the democratic process.   YOU determine who will lead our country, and our election commissions and will become our judges.   The decisions made be these individuals determine what our national and local governments' values are and will have an lasting effect on  you, your children and grandchildren. We not only have an obligation to exercise our right to vote, but to encourage others to exercise their rights and do what we can to ensure that the election process is fair, honest and inclusive.   So at the end of the day, YOU matter.  You are important. YOU mean Democracy.

2008 Archives

You can check www.601vote.wordpress.com for a look at what was happening on Presidential Election Day in 2008.  Follow us here at www.601vote.blogspot.com for up-to-date information during tomorrow's election.