My Minnesota 5th District (Keith Ellison) 9-2 Precinct Experience

[Tigress DEM]

I went to the polls around 7:40ish and got done about 8:40ish. Included my own vote and vouching for my DIL and waiting for her to vote.

Met some awesome people while waiting in line, but left without knowing for sure my vote or any 9-2 precinct vote would be counted. I voted, but the ballot scanner would not scan my ballot.

SO, even though some lady "observer" said she reported it, I called anyway... the DNC line to see if we could get the machine fixed or replaced. Then I had to go to work.

Called again at lunch to see if any progress, they took my report again. "Don't you think it's weird that a precinct with the HIGHEST percentage of eligible voters who actually vote in the state of MN has a broken ballot scanner?" "Yes I do," said the DEM taking my report AGAIN.

Talked to my sister who voted at 2:30pm and STILL had to stuff her ballot in the bottom of the machine. Talked to my husband who at 6pm was using a WORKING scanner for his ballot... WHOO HOO!!! Then I had to wonder... will all the ballots from earlier be counted? How will I know?

So I called again with the idea that I could at least verify that those ballots had been counted.

I was told I could, but I had to wait for the polls to close at 8pm and then I had the right to watch the votes be counted. So I did. I staked out a place with permission and watched between 7:40pm ish and 11:40pm ish I watched as over 1,500 ballots were fed into a working ballot scanner. So I got to see the final vote tape.

1,800+ votes for Obama out of 2,162 votes cast. OUR precinct had 2,240 registered voters at 7am and 516 ADDITIONAL same day registrations. (1 of which was my DIL who moved in to our house with their family when my Son and she lost their home.)

To put this in perspective... There were 3 precincts in our building. One judge after closing up his side came over to our precinct...... He had 500 registred voters at 7am and added 100 voters today. There were 500+ votes cast on his side.

MAYBE they still would have gotten their ballot scanner repaired in time to get our ballots scanned and included in tonight's totals and maybe not.

Before I showed up there were only 600+ ballots that had actually been scanned. Now I'm sure they still would have been scanned and counted, but as a citizen watcher, I had the privilage of making sure.

MAYBE next race I'll volunteer as an election Judge.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. The scanner was broken in my precinct (8-6), too, when I voted late this morning.

I was assured the ballots would be scanned as soon as they got a scanner. I've never seen that happen before (but maybe those scanners are getting old).

[MineralMan]

2. I really hope you do become an election judge.

We're really short of them, and it's a great way to spend election day. I couldn't do it this year, but will again in 2014.

[Mister Ed]

3. Please do volunteer as an election judge. And please be reassurred...

...that the slot at the bottom of the machine is no dustbin. If the scanner goes on the fritz, the ballots are stored there until they can be fed through either a repaired scanner or a replacement scanner. But they will be scanned.