Ohio update #2
By Josh Zaharoff
Posted on Tue Nov 04, 2008 at 02:25:05 PM EST
Ohio is facing the same problem they faced in 2006: voters being forced to cast provisional ballots when by law they should be casting regular ballots.
It's a frustrating problem; it's hard to tell how wide the scope of it is, but all signs point to a statewide issue. Here are the basics:
The provisional ballot problem largely stems from a misinterpretation of the state's new ID requirements. Voters can demonstrate their eligibility by presenting identification such as a utility bill or a driver's license, even if the license has an old address, but dozens of voters report poll workers who did not accept such ID and forced them to cast a provisional ballot. While a regular paper ballot would be counted today, a provisional ballot may or may not be counted within ten days. Voters casting provisional ballots are advised to return to their BOE and present additional ID within that time frame - an unnecessary burden for voters who have followed the law and should have their votes counted immediately.
Over 1300 calls have come into Ohio via the Election Protection hotline, and the state has witnessed other problems as well, but the provisional ballot problem is likely the most significant today. And it's
Given that the issue is one of poll workers who are undertrained or not fully aware of the law, it's not an easy one to fix quickly. Again, this happened in 2006, the first major statewide election since the new ID law was passed -- so this ought to be prevented, and meanwhile the Election Protection team in Ohio is working to get the word out to poll workers via the media and through legal volunteers on the ground where the problem arises.
We covered the provisional ballot issue, along with a host of other potential problems, in our Voting in 2008 report that is highlighted here.
Tags: ohio, election 08, voting and elections (all tags)
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