Long lines, machine malfunctions mark today's voting    Original Story Here
UPDATE 8:43 p.m.

By Clay Harden
charden@clarionledger.com

Voters in the tri-county area were still standing in line Tuesday night waiting to vote well after 7 p.m.

At about 8 p.m., some 400 people were still standing in line at Terry High, the largest precinct in District 5, said Sylvia McDavid, a poll worker.

"We're moving as fast as we can," McDavid said.

"We've just had a wonderful turnout today."

Belhaven resident Elise Turner, 45, complained to the Secretary of State's office about her voting experience today.

When she arrived at her polling place at Belhaven College, the voting machines were down and there were no paper ballots.

"I was told I could leave and come back, but I waited for the ballots," Turner said. "Some people left."

When she got a ballot, Turner had to use a pen from a poll worker's purse and sit in a chair with people close enough to look at her votes on the ballot.

"This is just not acceptable," Turner said.

"You would think they would know any electronic device can fail and would have had paper ballots and a box of No. 2 pencils from Office Depot."

Such were the problems Lelia Rhodes, Hinds County Elections Commission chairwoman, faced as voters voted in large numbers in today's general election.

"We had had some problems," Rhodes said. "We have had eight technicians who are trained to correct problems and, in most cases, they are doing so.

"We are using them to empower the poll workers to move forward with the election."

Rhodes said voters must have "complete privacy."

Hinds County Election Commissioner Connie Cochran said she did not know why there would not have been pencils and paper ballots available.

"They are sent out with 100 paper ballots and a bag of pencils and pens," Cochran said.

Hinds County Circuit Clark Barbara Dunn said, in some cases, poll workers were not ready to open polls at 7 and were overwhelmed with more voters than expected.

Rhodes confirmed the problem.

"Our poll workers are trained that they must be at the polls by 6 a.m., but in some case, this did not happen," Rhodes said. "They need to be there to have the lead time to respond to any problems.

"That is why the election commissioners get here by 5:30 a.m., so we can help the poll workers anticipate problems and react to them."

Machines were down and paper ballots were used at the Pinehaven Precinct in the lobby of Federation Towers in Clinton.

All voting machines were down at Timberlawn Elementary in Jackson at 7 a.m., forcing the use of paper ballots.

By mid-morning, two of the machines were still down and voters were given the option of using paper ballots if they could not wait on a machine.

The wait, as long as 40 minutes, was tolerated well by most voters. But at the Northpointe Precinct 46 on Northpointe Parkway, long lines caused impatience in some voters.

John Emery, who was campaigning for District Court Judge Wayne Herbert, said some voters told him they weren't going to wait in long lines.

"I said to them, "Please don't do that," Emery said.

There were no problems with new touchscreen voting machines in Rankin County.

District 2 Supervisor Larry Swales saw nothing but positive in the new machines.

"I was apprehensive because this is one of the largest elections we have," Swales said. "But any problems we had were quickly solved. "Our people are well-trained and doing a good job."

There were lines to the new machines because of the turnout, the length of the ballot and voters becoming acquainted with the new technology.

Madison County Circuit Clark Lee Westbrook reported only minor problems.

"There are a few people left off the voters rolls, just problems you always see," Westbrook said. "But the day is young."