Local Polling Places Report Some Problems
WTOP Nov 7th - 9:59am

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (9:57 a.m.) - A power outage in Maryland has knocked out lights at two polling places, but it's not affecting voting.

The Prince George's County Election Board confirms power is out at the Palmer Park Community Center, but the electronic voting machines continue to function on backup battery power.

County Election Director Robert Antonetti says poll workers powered down some of the machines, to conserve battery power, but voting has not been interrupted.

Maryland elections officials say even if the battery power were to run out, the votes already cast would not be lost.

Pepco says a crew is on the scene and working on the problem.

ARLINGTON, Va. (9 a.m.) - Turnout at the polls is heavy. In fact so heavy, the elections chief tells WTOP he expects he'll have to get a court order to keep the polls open past 7 p.m.

At Precinct 41 more than 600 people had voted by 9 a.m.

WTOP's Kristi King reports people are in good spirits, reading the paper and talking on their phones.

ROCKVILLE, Md. (8:30 a.m.) - In Montgomery County, election officials say it's not a problem, but a number of voting machines, including those at Temple Emmanuel in Kensington, are running on batteries.

Power cords are en route, Marjorie Roher, an administration specialist with the Montgomery County Board of Elections, told WTOP at 8:30 a.m.

BALTIMORE (8:40 a.m.) - Baltimore County Election Director Jackie McDaniel tells WBAL Radio that some precincts have reported not receiving equipment and a few are reporting that their electronic voter check-in books are not working properly and voters have had to use provisional ballots.

According to McDaniel, technical people are being dispatched to check on the equipment, but in at least one case the problem was that it wasn't turned on. And she says some poll workers who reported missing equipment didn't look in the correct place.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (8 a.m.) Voting problems occurred at one Annapolis polling place Monday, and emergency ballots had to be used for a while. Some voters left before voting.

At Cape St. Claire Elementary School, election judges accidentally turned off the machines by using the the wrong key card, according to James Praley, a Board of Elections attorney.

He says a supervisor's card was used to print results and it turned the machines off shortly after 7 a.m.

By 7:45 a.m. technicians had fixed the problem.

Election officials are urging those who left to come back and vote.

(Copyright 2006 by WTOP and The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (9:57 a.m.) - A power outage in Maryland has knocked out lights at two polling places, but it's not affecting voting.

The Prince George's County Election Board confirms power is out at the Palmer Park Community Center, but the electronic voting machines continue to function on backup battery power.

County Election Director Robert Antonetti says poll workers powered down some of the machines, to conserve battery power, but voting has not been interrupted.

ARLINGTON, Va. (9 a.m.) - Turnout at the polls is heavy. In fact so heavy, the elections chief tells WTOP he expects he'll have to get a court order to keep the polls open past 7 p.m.

At Precinct 41 more than 600 people had voted by 9 a.m.

WTOP's Kristi King reports people are in good spirits, reading the paper and talking on their phones.

ROCKVILLE, Md. (8:30 a.m.) - In Montgomery County, election officials say it's not a problem, but a number of voting machines, including those at Temple Emmanuel in Kensington, are running on batteries.

Power cords are en route, Marjorie Roher, an administration specialist with the Montgomery County Board of Elections, told WTOP at 8:30 a.m.

BALTIMORE (8:40 a.m.) - Baltimore County Election Director Jackie McDaniel tells WBAL Radio that some precincts have reported not receiving equipment and a few are reporting that their electronic voter check-in books are not working properly and voters have had to use provisional ballots.

According to McDaniel, technical people are being dispatched to check on the equipment, but in at least one case the problem was that it wasn't turned on. And she says some poll workers who reported missing equipment didn't look in the correct place.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (8 a.m.) Voting problems occurred at one Annapolis polling place Monday, and emergency ballots had to be used for a while. Some voters left before voting.

At Cape St. Claire Elementary School, election judges accidentally turned off the machines by using the the wrong key card, according to James Praley, a Board of Elections attorney.

He says a supervisor's card was used to print results and it turned the machines off shortly after 7 a.m.

By 7:45 a.m. technicians had fixed the problem.

Election officials are urging those who left to come back and vote.