Multi-Precinct Polls Blamed for Mix-Up
 Mislabeled log books at voting stations that doubled up led to some wrong ballots given out in March primary, workers say

By Stuart Pfeifer, Times Staff Writer

Orange County poll workers say breakdowns in training on new electronic voting machines contributed to thousands of voters receiving the wrong ballots March 2.

Literature issued to polling place volunteers gave conflicting instructions about retrieving access codes that voters entered into the machines to obtain correct ballots.  
 
Also, polling place log books listed only one precinct number on their covers when, in many instances, two or more precincts had been consolidated into one polling station.

That led some poll workers to assume they were dealing with a single precinct — and distributing that ballot to voters who lived in other precincts but were casting ballots at that same polling place.

Poll workers unfamiliar with the new voting equipment manufactured by Hart InterCivic of Austin, Tex., gave thousands of voters incorrect access codes that led them to vote ballots from the wrong precincts.

As a result, some voters couldn't cast ballots in races they should have but did so in races in which they were ineligible.

The mistakes are not expected to change the outcome of any of the major state or federal races that were on the primary ballot.

Although the literature urged poll workers to use care in searching through display screens to identify voters' precinct numbers, many poll workers called the training inadequate and said they didn't get enough "hands-on" time with the machines.

"There were two major [election day] changes that took place and they only trained for one of them. They trained for the eSlate [voting machines], but they didn't train for the multiple precincts at the polling place," said poll worker Paul Kay.

"Had they trained for both of them, we probably wouldn't be talking about it."

Multiple precincts had previously been handled in consolidated polling places, but not to the extent that occurred this month.

Brett Rowley, a spokesman for Orange County Registrar of Voters Steve Rodermund, said the office will work with poll workers and county officials to identify problems and make improvements before the Nov. 2 general election.

Last week, Rodermund and Tom Wilson, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, invited 7,000 poll workers to an April 3 barbecue to thank them for their service and to solicit feedback on the voting system.

Local officials have called for investigations by the county grand jury and the county's internal auditor.

The Board of Supervisors has established a subcommittee to identify problems, and recommend and implement improvements.

"We're taking all the feedback from the poll workers and we'll address that with them and the subcommittee to determine how to move forward," Rowley said.

"Working with the subcommittee and the poll workers, we'll find out what issues need to be dealt with."

For logistical reasons, the registrar consolidated the county's 2,055 precincts into 1,122 polling places for the March 2 election.

Many polling places had two or more precincts, some with different ballot styles and different races.

Some poll workers said they didn't realize until hours after the polls had opened that they were dealing with multiple precincts.

Eric Norby, chief of staff for brother Supervisor Chris Norby, said there was some confusion when he arrived to work as a volunteer at a polling place in Laguna Beach.

On the cover of the log book of voters who were eligible to cast ballots at that polling place was a single precinct number.

Norby said he knew there were two precincts assigned to his polling station, so he called the registrar's office and asked where he could find a log book for the other precinct.

He later learned that both precincts were in the same book, but only one number was on the cover.

"I think it contributed to the problem. It was confusing, especially in light of the fact that in the past most polling places had only one precinct," Eric Norby said.

"Those precinct issues, I think, would have gone away if both numbers were on the cover."

Another volunteer poll worker, Darrell Nolta, said the written instructions poll workers received were faulty.

One booklet suggested that poll workers could use a keypad to enter a voter's precinct number.

Other literature suggested the proper precinct number could be ed with arrows on a display screen.

Nolta, who said he has a master's degree in computer engineering from UC Irvine, said that he entered the precinct number with the keypad but experienced problems.

He said he believes he ended up giving some voters ballots from the wrong precincts.

"If I can be fooled by it, God [help] someone who has no concept of it. There were people that went the entire day without realizing what was going on," Nolta said.

Eric Norby, whose brother will serve on the subcommittee reviewing Orange County election problems, said training needs to be improved.

"I think the communication between the registrar and the poll workers needs to be cleaner," he said.

Howard Adler, who volunteered at a Laguna Beach polling place, had a different suggestion for voters who want to ensure their votes are counted:

"Vote at home by absentee. That way there won't be a problem."