Battle brewing in Ohio over voting-record discrepancies - "The rules for counting those provisional ballots are not entirely clear, said Daniel P. Tokaji, an election law expert at Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law. "If we have a close election in any state, and especially here in Ohio," he said, "the parties will be fighting hard over the counting of those provisional ballots.'" 9/20/08
A Big Week For Flawed Voter Matching Experiments - "But the experience in each state teaches the same lesson: matching data between the voter and driver databases is an inherently flawed process — and one that's far too unreliable to make a successful "match" a precondition to registering and voting." 9/18/08
Voter Database Glitches Could Disenfranchise Thousands - "In the 2000 election, about 1.3 million registered voters said they didn't vote due to trouble with their registration, according to a U.S. Census Bureau survey, which didn't elaborate on the nature of the troubles. In an election when record numbers of new voters are expected to participate, experts say the number of voters who find they can't cast a ballot this year could be higher." 9/17/08
Are You Registered to Vote? Really? - "There's various reasons that a voter might be flagged for removal - clerical errors, data transfer errors, address mismatches with DMV databases, a matching death record in the Social Security database, a match against New York's felon list, duplicate registration records from multiple counties (this last one could easily happen if you have moved from one county to another in the past, and didn't explicitly deregister from your previous county)." 9/16/08
Group says some states may be unprepared for Election Day - "Inadequate state voter databases, strict voter registration and identification rules that could disenfranchise voters as well as too few voting machines are among the biggest problems, the group said in a report." 9/16/08
Lawsuit request to crosscheck ID - Additional proof of residence may be needed at polls - "I would strongly encourage every Marquette student that lives on campus to register prior to Election Day in order to avoid long lines...Register as soon as possible so we can get the information in our poll books." Susan Edman, the executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, 9/16/08
Last minute change in Wisconsin election protocol would disenfranchise voters - "As with other last-minute rules changes and restrictive measures, the burden of this rule would fall disproportionately on the people for whom it would be most difficult to get to the clerk's office, that is, the elderly, disabled, and low-income - all of whom are less likely to have the job flexibility, child care or transportation needed to make a second trip to the poll or clerk's office." 9/15/08
Electronic voter-registration databases put to the test - "[Herbert] Lin [a senior scientist at the National Academies of Sciences, which conducted a study for the Election Assistance Commission] urged state officials to encourage voters to check their registration status before going to the polls and to push voter registration groups to submit information early so there won't be a crunch near deadline." 9/15/08
Will your vote count? - "The biggest thing you can do to make sure your vote counts is to make sure your voter registration is current and up to date." Allen County, Ohio, Elections Director Keith Cunningham, 9/13/08
Voter registration could offer ID thieves opportunity to steal personal information - "ID theft under the guise of voter registration can be perpetrated through e-mail, on the phone, and even in person. And younger voters and first-time registrants need to be especially wary." 9/12/08
Ballot box blues - High turnout threatens turmoil - "In addition to huge lines and new equipment, problems could arise with registration rolls. State officials are already struggling with a huge increase in forms to process. Come Election Day, many voters are likely to show up thinking that they are registered, only to find that they are not." 9/12/08
Our Coming Election Nightmare - "The more likely problems are going to come from registration challenges." 9/12/08
GOP Attempts to Challenge Foreclosed Families at Michigan Polls, Toss Thousands of Voters Over Typos in Florida and Game the Senatorial Ballot in Mississippi - "Before we go into details, please, if you're registered to vote, check on the status of your registration NOW , before you get turned away from the polls this November. You can check your registration status here with our friends at VotersUnite.org. This is even more important if you are African-American, Hispanic/Latino, elderly, a college student, or low income." 9/11/08
GOP denies plans to use foreclosure lists to challenge voters - "Bill Nowling, spokesman for the Michigan Republican Party, said there were no plans to target voters whose homes had been foreclosed. According to a story published Wednesday in The Michigan Messenger, an online political news outlet, Macomb Republican Party Chairman James Carabelli said 'We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure that people aren't voting from those addresses.' Melzer stands by what she wrote." 9/11/08
2008 Season of Voting Meltdowns Begins - "Under federal election reforms passed in 2002, every state is supposed to create statewide databases of its registered voters. The problem is not just that these new mega-lists contain errors but rather, as is the case in New Jersey and a handful of other states, what election officials do with the data. The only remedy is for voters to call local election offices to verify or fix their voter registration information." 9/11/08
EAC Chair Calls on Voters to Prepare and Confirm before November Election - Register Early and Verify Registration Status - "Citizens who have registered to vote this election cycle, and did not receive an official registration confirmation from their elections office, should call their local office to confirm they are in fact registered. It's important to do this before the state's registration deadline to ensure there's time to re-register, if necessary." 9/8/08
Voters wrongly told: You're not registered - "Glitches in the computer data -- some as minor as a missing middle initial -- led to notices going to voters who are in fact registered...One source of trouble was that voters who first registered before a birth date was required are listed in state elections computers as having been born on 01-01-1800 -- which obviously does not match the birth dates on their driving records." 9/8/08
Voter Registration by Students Raises Cloud of Consequences - "Student-registration controversies have been a recurring problem since 1971, when the 26st Amendment lowered the voting age to 18 from 21, and despite a 1979 ruling by the United States Supreme Court that students have the right to register at their college address." 9/7/08
Secretary Brunner Clarifies Challenge Laws to Protect Voters - "Providing guidance to local election officials, [OH] Secretary [of State] Brunner directed that 60-day notices sent by boards of election to voters that are returned as undeliverable cannot be used as the sole reason for cancelling an Ohioan's voter registration." 9/5/08
Nearly 600,000 Subject to Possible Caging in Ohio - How many voter-registration mass mailers are "returned to sender" in the run-up to Election Day may determine how many Ohio residents are eligible to vote - "Unbeknownst to the would-be recipients, the same mailer - just 60 days before the election - has the potential to determine their eligibility to vote, challenged not by election officials but by partisan opposition. 'Mail may be returned for many reasons, including errors in the database from which the mailing is derived, errors in the mailing labels, failure to include an apartment number or poor matching criteria.'" Donita Judge, Ohio staff attorney for the nonprofit Advancement Project, 9/5/08
Warning for College Student Voters - " In 25 years of registering young voters around the country, none of the staff has ever heard of a single incident where a student has lost their tax status or their scholarship because of where they've registered to vote." Sujatha Jahagirdar, program director for the Student Public Interest Research Group's nonpartisan New Voters Project, 9/3/08
Look for big voter turnout in November - "'People need to double check if they have any doubt in their mind. This saves a ton of time and paperwork on election day. If you have changed your name or address since you voted last, you need to fill out a new registration card. You can do that at the driver's license bureau, public library or here at the election board.'" Defiance County elections board director Wayne Olsson , 8/24/08
Fairfax County [VA] Registrar Seeks 'Missing' Virginia Voters - "We did do a public awareness campaign where we tried to inform people if you didn't get a card, it could be that you didn't get a card because we don't have your correct address or you're not registered." Gary Scott, Fairfax County Deputy Registrar, 8/18/08
Paid Voter Registration Drive Causes Headaches for Louisiana Voter Registrars - "...warn voters that if they have filled out a voter registration form but have not received a voter registration card that they may not be registered to vote." 8/14/08
Some Homeless Citizens Face ‘Roadblocks' When Registering - "Local organizations, including shelters, churches and community groups can provide addresses that will be considered valid by registrars." 8/8/08
Georgia County Election Offices Violate Court Order - "...several county election offices are providing voter registration groups with [unlawful] inaccurate and misleading information concerning their rights to conduct voter registration drives." 7/29/08.
Voter surge will challenge states - "'Between the voter registration deadline and Election Day, it could be a question of whether election offices can handle a five-foot-high stack of registration applications. Some might get lost or replaced, or the person didn't fill out all the information, and they're not on the rolls.'" Dan Seligson, electionline.org, 7/28/08
Democrats' Vote Drive in Louisiana Stirs Concern - "Election officials have expressed concern that large numbers of people who believe they are registered will show up at the polls in November, only to find that they cannot vote because their application had been improperly submitted." 6/15/08
Well It's My Birthday Too - Statistical likelihood of same name and birthdate, leading to accidental purging of voter registration lists. 4/24/08
Thousands of Long-time Registered Democratic Voters Knocked off NM Voter Rolls after Outsourcing to Voting Machine Company ES&S - "In interviews with The Associated Press, several voters and volunteer poll workers pinpointed problems with the voter lists at polling places and raised the possibility that the trouble may have originated not with the party but with the voter lists Democratic organizers were provided by the Secretary of State's office and county clerks." 2/25/08