General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOver 600,000 votes in Az have NOT yet been counted! Please HELP this story go viral so it will
catch Rachel, Ed, etc attention.
The story broke this morning and the estimate was 40,000. It's now being predicted that it's up to 600,000+
http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/free/20121107provisional-ballot-woes-swamp-county.html
These are EARLY and Provisional ballots. MY ballot is probably in there
There are groups organizing to fight this.
If you are in Arizona, Please sign!!!! (I will cross post in Az group)
http://www.promiseazaction.org/fair_election_system?splash=1
If you are not in Arizona, please please please get the word out... remember, our SoS is a birther, who tried to keep Obama off the ballot until the story went viral and he walked it back. Arizona NEEDS to be put into the spotlight right now!
I could not figure out some of the results last nite!! Now I understand
On Edit - one of the areas that had lots of problems last nite was in Tempe - one of the few blue areas in Maricopa county - they ran out of ballots!!
SECOND edit - here's the phone number, if anyone wants to call 602-506-3535
Firebrand Gary
(5,044 posts)questionseverything
(9,656 posts)here is the latest blow to fair and free elections...all they were suing for is for the law to be followed
http://weeklyintercept.blogspot.com/2012/11/pima-county-judge-refuses-citizens.html
jillan
(39,451 posts)cally
(21,594 posts)DonRedwood
(4,359 posts)jillan
(39,451 posts)a shock!
BlueMTexpat
(15,369 posts)Hang in there!
vaberella
(24,634 posts)NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)DURHAM D
(32,610 posts)I believe we lost it but it was close last night. I forget the name of her staff member who is in the seat.
jillan
(39,451 posts)DallasNE
(7,403 posts)sweetloukillbot
(11,026 posts)We always seem to take a long time for provisional and absentees - Harry Mitchell in 2006, Gabby in 2010, the stupid recall election in Peoria I covered in 2008, but this is outrageous.
PatSeg
(47,486 posts)DonRedwood
(4,359 posts)nc4bo
(17,651 posts)There's a stench in the air.
Jack Sprat
(2,500 posts)for all states. A rethug state legislature can subvert democracy and deny its' citizens access to fully participate in national voting. Just think of the scores of people who couldn't stand in long lines due to their age or health.
Repubs want a banana republic where they are the plantation owners and the people are their slaves.
libertypirate
(2,677 posts)It could make Arizona look bluer than they project it actually is.
http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2012/results/arizona
President
R 930,581
D 741,236
Separated by 189,345, uh yeah 600,000 additional ballots could reduce that margin quickly if they break for the President.
RedCloud
(9,230 posts)Did somebody just re-add a 200,000 to it?
600,000 makes a huge difference. 400,000 and the odds are greatly against Mr. Obama but should encourage all future Blue state seekers.
AmBlue
(3,111 posts)Obama -682,473
Romney - 873,276
http://www.azcentral.com/elections/
Pretty shocking...
Cha
(297,275 posts)WTH.. how can they determine winners when that many votes have not been counted?
How many did Carmona lose by?
jillan
(39,451 posts)marions ghost
(19,841 posts)southern_belle
(1,647 posts)Le Taz Hot
(22,271 posts)This needs to be front and center for awhile.
Baitball Blogger
(46,724 posts)Sirveri
(4,517 posts)Probably not as deep red as it actually went however.
secondwind
(16,903 posts)KathieG
(2,049 posts)Jisis
(26 posts)and also voted early! And all Blue, of course. This is BEYOND ridiculous!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr
jillan
(39,451 posts)Jisis
(26 posts)GoldenOldie
(1,540 posts)Lots of military in Arizona, many who are serving in Afghanistan and other countries. I want to know if their ballots are also being counted?
It is vital that this be kicked.Kee
kansasobama
(609 posts)If we let any of this go, you trivialize the process and you never knoi when the next 537 is coming from. Maybe, it is AZ next time.
I am still upset about Florida and Ohio. They have not counted all votes.
-Steph-
(409 posts)politicaljack78
(312 posts)Be Carmona's and the house seats blue. Peeps we cannot sleep on this, injustice here is a threat to justice everywhere.
ProudProgressiveNow
(6,129 posts)Damn.....
Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)It would be more effective to read Arizona law. Find out what the checks and balances are on provisional ballots. In Ohio, adjudication of provisional ballots is made at a public meeting. Each voter is also given a means to verify that their ballot was counted. I know Arizona law is similar as to the personal verification; I couldn't easily find information about the process of adjudication.
Calling for processing the ballots by the 13th, when they are not required to process them until the 16th is probably not as effective a use of resources as actually showing up at the public meeting (if adjudication is done at a public meeting) or organizing drives to encourage everyone to verify that their ballot was actually processed.
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)Samantha
(9,314 posts)Kicking your thread.
Sam
argiel1234
(390 posts)and recommended as well
Grown2Hate
(2,012 posts)ProudProgressiveNow
(6,129 posts)rufus dog
(8,419 posts)Man I hate AZ politics.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)Bozita
(26,955 posts)StarryNite
(9,446 posts)Just signed it and will send it on to others here in Arizona.
Thank you so much for posting this. I had not heard about it until I saw your post.
Komiko
(8 posts)GoldenOldie
(1,540 posts)lunasun
(21,646 posts)Trailrider1951
(3,414 posts)Seriously, that is one of the reasons someone gave me for preferring to be a conservative rather than a liberal. WTF???
Sharing with those here in AZ - thanks for the heads-up!
Good info to be had here from the local ABC affiliate:
http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/state/arizona-election-results-400000-early-provisional-ballots-still-to-be-counted
Zorra
(27,670 posts)in almost every county.
Now I'm wondering if they even counted my vote. I voted early, and I called the County Recorder's office, and they told me that my ballot had been accepted.
But what good is the word of a republican? The word of a republican is no good at all.
The words of a group of people whose native language is Lies are nothing but smoke.
eyewall
(674 posts)The republicans are proven to be shameless liars. You cannot trust anything said by an unrepentant liar. There is absolutely NO integrity in the republican party. Their leaders have not disavowed the radical hate mongering or the lies.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)TexasTowelie
(112,226 posts)I'm disgusted to read about this happening in our country.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)el scorcho
(58 posts)I signed and will forward
thanks for the post!!!
ProudProgressiveNow
(6,129 posts)druidity33
(6,446 posts)How can they call the state without counting them?
lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)ProudProgressiveNow
(6,129 posts)Many of the provisiona s are in blue areas. Hmmmmm!
lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)ProudProgressiveNow
(6,129 posts)3.1 million Arizonans are registered to vote. Even with a high turnout, that is a big %. But this is the home of the Papers Please Law.
PABigDaddyDemocrat
(56 posts)Joe gotta go!
SunSeeker
(51,564 posts)colsohlibgal
(5,275 posts)Egregious!
Hannahcares
(118 posts)attached is story and URL for Justice Department Division of Civil Rights plans to send monitors for Maricopa and Pima counties. Included are phone numbers and email contacts for voters who had problems with registration, or being forced to use provisional ballots. Encourage all AZ voters to read the attached article and contact the civil rights division with your complaints, concerns.
Also attached is information from The Election Protection Coalition,including phone numbers and email contact info. Election Protection produced a voter guide for AZ as well as other key information about voting. Voter Guide is key in determining whether the election laws of the state were violated during the voting process. Again encourage all AZ voters to familiarize themselves with these tools and submit complaints, inquires to Election Protection - organization of attorneys dedicated to insuring the right to vote for all. Hope this info helps.
where to report problems with voting in 2012 election:
To report a problem or for general elections/voting questions:
Election Protection Coalition
Call:1-866-OUR-VOTE or email info@866ourvote.org
http://www.blogforarizona.com/blog/2012/11/us-justice-department-to-monitor-election-in-maricopa-pima-counties.html
Recent blog on major voting problems in AZ
Provisional-ballot woes swamp county
Voters across the Valley encountered a series of problems when they tried to cast their ballots on Tuesday at their polling places.
Many complained about long waits for provisional ballots, which are given to those who dont show up on the poll roster or fail to produce proper identification.
Officials with Promise Arizona in Action, an organization that advocates immigration reform and fights discrimination, said they are concerned that poll workers were given pre-election instructions that may have forced the huge number of provisional ballots. They also said numerous voters reported their names were not on lists used by precinct workers.
Petra Falcon, executive director of Promise Arizona, said she was told that 200,000 provisional ballots were cast, as well as 200,000 early ballots. She said counting of those votes will not even begin until this morning and she feared the Maricopa County sheriffs race would be called before then. And it was, with Sheriff Joe Arpaio beating Democrat Paul Penzone to win his sixth term in office.
Four hundred thousand ballots thats a lot, Falcon said. Even if its an Arpaio win, those votes should be counted.
Roopali Desai, Promise Arizonas attorney, said the number of provisional ballots is unprecedented in Arizona or anywhere. Nobody can explain it, she added. Were trying to get to the bottom of it.
Desai said the explosion in provisional ballots appears to be a Maricopa County phenomenon that produced long lines and may have caused some qualified voters to walk away out of frustration or confusion. Desai added that the surge in provisional balloting seemed especially strong in minority neighborhoods. If that suspicion is verified, she added, it wont look good for the county.
The problems appeared to be widespread, though. The Mitchell Park precinct in Tempe reportedly ran out of provisional ballots. It took about two hours to get additional ones to the location, prompting many voters to leave without voting.
Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell said polls ran out of provisional-ballot envelopes, not the actual ballots. She urged a whole lot of patience.
We have a number of precincts throughout the Valley I cant tell you how many that still have lines. Some of them may have lines for a while, Purcell said after polls had closed Tuesday night. At least one precinct, in Mesa, had 200 people in line by closing time, she reported.
Its going to be awhile until we see all the precincts come in, Purcell said. From what we hear from precincts today, there were a number of provisionals. Im thinking it will probably take us 10 to 12 days to finish up our process.
In Glendale, Ray McGuran said he waited 21/2 hours in line to cast a provisional ballot.
I ended up dragging a folding chair around with me, the 67-year-old said. The time it took was unnecessary.
When Jason Whiteside, 32, showed up to vote at the Gathering Place church in Phoenix, he was told he could not fill out a regular ballot because his name was on a list of voters who had requested an early ballot by mail. Whiteside didnt recall ever receiving the early ballot. To vote, he had to fill out a provisional ballot.
Maricopa County Elections Director Karen Osborne said the county had an unusually large number of provisional ballots cast at polling places because many voters ordered an early ballot but went to the polls to vote without it. Provisional ballots ensure people dont vote twice at the polls and by early ballot.
Francisco Heredia, executive director of Mi Familia Vota, said a polling place in south Phoenix opened Tuesday morning 45 minutes late. His group, which has been working to increase the number of Latino voters in Arizona, also received many calls from voters concerned they had to vote by provisional ballot.
They wanted to know if their vote would count, Heredia said.
Lydia Guzman, executive director of Respeto (Respect), a Hispanic activist group in Phoenix, said there appeared to be a lot of voters frustrated by problems involving provisional ballots at the Maravilla Care Center in south Phoenix.
We probably need poll workers with better training, she said. I was inside and some of them are clearly flustered.
One first-time voters case illustrated the extent of the problems, as well as voters determination to make their voices heard.
Gabriel Polanco, 19, said he had to visit the polling site four times before he was allowed to vote.
Polanco arrived to learn that his name was not on the list of registered voters. Polanco, who registered last month, said his voter ID card had not arrived in the mail, so he showed his drivers license and asked to cast a provisional ballot, but he was told he would need additional identification.
Polanco said he went home and returned with his vehicle title, a bank statement and other documents, but was turned away again because the address on his drivers license was for his fathers business, rather than the family residence. I started getting frustrated more down than anything, Polanco said.
Polancos mother, Reyna, pushed her son not to give up. We always teach our children about responsibility to the community, she said.
So Polanco went to a Motor Vehicle Division office and got a new license showing his home address. Again, Polanco said, he was told that he could not vote because his name was not on the registered-voter list. Polanco said he was ready to give up when he got a call from home: His voter ID card arrived in the mail.
On a fourth visit to the polls, workers allowed him to vote but insisted he use a provisional ballot. It was just ridiculous at that point, Polanco said. I kind of understand why people are turned off by this
Its supposed to be a right to vote, and theyre making it so difficult.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)they are?
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Kicking for justice!
This certainly needs to be kept up on top!
StarryNite
(9,446 posts)lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)Gawd I hope we get rid of r pie hole!
http://www.kpho.com/story/20036594/more-than-602000-ballots-in-az-still-uncounted
Jisis
(26 posts)What utter bullshit. I am so very very angry right now. I hope not only hat we get rid of Sheriff Joe, but that charges get filed and whoever thought they could do this gets some JAIL TIME. Seriously. This is just beyond wrong.
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)outsideworld
(601 posts)SammyWinstonJack
(44,130 posts)outsideworld
(601 posts)Campaign so they do something about it ,
A senate seat is at stake
Ptah
(33,030 posts)Never before have so many early ballots been returned on Election Day at polling places,
Roads (chief deputy recorder and registrar of voters) said, explaining the backlog.
<snip>
This isn't the first time Pima County has had problems with provisional ballots and polling-place mix-ups.
The American Civil Liberties Union named Pima County as the worst offender in disenfranchising
voters in 2008 - the county invalidated 18 percent of provisional ballots because voters
went to the wrong polling place in that election.
<snip>
People who voted by provisional ballot on Tuesday can track their ballot online at recorder.pima.gov
or by calling the phone number on the receipt they were given at the polls. Here are the stories of four
voters who cast provisional ballots in Pima County Tuesday.
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/az-ballots-remain-to-be-counted/article_a6068044-12fe-5a43-8bf0-761eb3d73cef.html
WillyT
(72,631 posts)StarryNite
(9,446 posts)gademocrat7
(10,659 posts)lbrtbell
(2,389 posts)Unless they changed the law since then, I was under the impression that provisional ballots weren't counted unless a race was very close.
For instance, my aunt voted straight-ticket Dem with a provisional ballot in 2006, but the only reason her ballot was counted is that the J.D. Hayworth vs. Harry Mitchell election was so close.
FWIW, I thought that law sucked. All ballots should be counted, ALWAYS!
Zorra
(27,670 posts)or does not hold true in this case for sure.
BY: The Associated Press
Published: November 8, 2012 at 8:52 am
Individuals who had insufficient identification when they went to vote at a polling place were allowed to cast a conditional provisional ballot. They have until Nov. 13 to return to their county elections office with proper identification.
In some cases, close elections might not be decided for several days, or even a week. Pima County wont even begin counting provisional ballots until Monday, according to The Arizona Republic.
In many counties, a portion of the ballots that arrived before Election Day werent counted before the polls opened. Some couldnt be counted in time, while others needed to be reprocessed because of overvotes, which occur when voters cast votes for too many candidates in a given race.
Early ballots that were dropped off at polling places have yet to be counted in many counties because voters signatures need to be verified.
....I got an idea. Back when the DOJ focused on the South and we ended up with the Voting Rights Act - and even specific areas within those states. I say that every state where officially sanctioned, overt efforts were made to do anything to try and fu$k voters - suppression, or whatever this one is classified, et al - should now be added to the list with a whole new set of 'acts' added to the list of crap they shouldn't do. Of course a national standard would be helpful but in the meantime some kind of punishment - not necessarily the death penalty like Tweetybird suggested, but a minimum of ten years wouldn't be out of line - starting with the Governors.
Hutzpa
(11,461 posts)I knew there was something wrong with AZ, according to certified polls that I saw AZ was in play big time and Obama should have carried that State.
dbackjon
(6,578 posts)This is a disgrace
Dog Gone at Penigma
(433 posts)Why isnt anyone in jail for this stuff?
Uncle Joe
(58,364 posts)Thanks for the thread, jillan.
napkinz
(17,199 posts)ChaoticTrilby
(211 posts)We can't lose any more seats to THEM.
underthematrix
(5,811 posts)I recall PBO's team saying Arizona was in play.
DONE!
ReRe
(10,597 posts)KICK!!!!
veness
(413 posts)silvershadow
(10,336 posts)azmesa207
(345 posts)and provisional ballots is down to around 100000 now . I was told they have ten more days to count them . I told them that was unacceptable as it could change the outcome of the Senate and the sheriff election he said that was unlikely . I said no wonder the republican control this state .
jillan
(39,451 posts)http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bastard/2012/11/dont_panic_arizona_secretary_o.php
this was from 2 hrs ago.
Yavapai
(825 posts)will sign if pertinent to all counties...
julian09
(1,435 posts)Hutzpa
(11,461 posts)Wait Wut
(8,492 posts)...this state is whacked. TURN IT BLUE, DAMNIT!!
FreedomRain
(413 posts)ABC reports "Helen Purcell said the remaining early votes will be counted over the next couple days."
Not to worry yet, but definitely keep an eye out.
Several local races (school boards etc) are probably still undecided. Pretty sure the count will go on.
Holding breath for Carmona and Penzone!
Nancy Waterman
(6,407 posts)xx
jillan
(39,451 posts)Yes!!!
What I don't understand is why the early ballots were not yet counted. That makes no sense!
lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)Response to jillan (Reply #121)
FreedomRain This message was self-deleted by its author.
harmonicon
(12,008 posts)Teamster Jeff
(1,598 posts)butterfly77
(17,609 posts)nt
madamesilverspurs
(15,805 posts)Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)Response to jillan (Original post)
FreedomRain This message was self-deleted by its author.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Folks there need to organize mass drives to get people down there! Maybe campaign volunteers from nearby states could come in and do sort of a GOTID cdrive.
Response to KamaAina (Reply #129)
FreedomRain This message was self-deleted by its author.
nt
napkinz
(17,199 posts)nt