Referendum #13 on the Texas ballot today

[SilasSoule]

Are you for or against any further efforts to eliminate or privatize social security and medicare. I wonder how the elderly pubs on fixed incomes voted on this.

Also first time voting on a touch screen and I made it a point to be heard about my uneasiness of not getting a paper confirmation of my votes. The voting machines were "Votetronic" or something along those lines. Does anyone who's been following BBV know anything about these machines?

[Ilsa]

1. referendums?

I don't remember seeing any referendums.

[SilasSoule]

2. Yep it was there on my screen.

The second one had to do with Taxpayer protection from increasing property taxes.

[ByRillYAN]

5. yup, those...

were on the ballot, but think only for the Dem. its for a party stance thing i think.

[newyawker99]

9. Hi ByRillYAN!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[yowzayowzayowza]

7. My brother had the same problem.

He can be a wise ass:

Did you vote in the primaries yet. I went and voted Friday after taking <the youngen> to a Lloyd Doggett political rally. Interesting experience.

It was the same electronic voting system as last time. You get your number to enter and the ballet pops up. You get to the end of page one and hit enter and it scrolls to page two. You get to the end of page two and hit enter and it goes nowhere. Must be time to hit the "Cast Ballot" button and be done. Oh, wait, at the top of the screen it says "page 2 of 3". Hmm. "Well, excuse me sir but the screen says there's another page but it won't advance." The poll attendant explained that there was a "glitch in the system". To get to page three you have to hit the "Next" button rather than the enter button once you get to the bottom. Mind you, this is the democratic primary ballot.

Well, on page three, there are just two referendums. One wants to know whether I support privatization of Social Security. The other asks whether I support a law mandating prohibition of the raising of property taxes. Had I not noted the "page 2 of 3" and asked for help I would not have had my opinion on the issue recorded. Once complete, disapproving both, I pressed the "Cast Ballot" button.

I looked under and around the machine but there was nothing verifiable that confirmed my votes were tallied correctly. I asked the attendant if there was a printout. "No, but your vote has been saved to the mainframe." Well, unless there's a glitch, I thought. I offered my opinion that there needs to be a verifiable evidence that my vote was counted. They did offer me a sticker that said I voted. No such effort was made to confirm my vote was counted. I looked back at my ballot machine and a digitally animated image of old glory fluttered in a digitally generated breeze. Below, the message read your vote has been cast. Right, and that's an American Flag.

[silverlib]

10. Please, please call the following number

I reported this glitch on the last day of early voting and the election official told me it was the first they had heard of this glitch. I posted my problem here on DU and VelmaD gave me a phone number, but I was directed to election headquarters at this phone number - Please call it:

854-4996 (in Austin, area code 512)

I was informed that this is a serious problem - and check out the post earlier in this thread - people may have had their votes vanish if they did not make it to the referendums.

Please, please call!

PM me if you need further information.

[theoceansnerves]

3. dude votetronic?

i'd be seriously uneasy about voting on something called a votetronic. that just sounds way too silly.

[Ilsa]

4. We had the old-fashioned lever machines.

That's what I've used most of my voting life. Once I had a chad butterfly ballot, 1984, in Austin, and one chad ballot in Dallas.

[snoochie]

6. I hope I'm wrong

But if I'm not mistaken, those are the same machines they had problems with in the midterms during early voting.

[SilasSoule]

8. Results of the two Texas Reffernda

RACE NAME
Prop 1 Privatize Social Security and Medicare Programs
EARLY PERCENT TOTAL PERCENT
VOTES VOTES
In Favor 49,009 19.25% 115,907 16.79%

Against 205,595 80.75% 574,632 83.21%
--------------- ---------------

Vote Total 254,604 690,539

Early Provisional Ballots Reported 144

Provisional Ballots Reported 525

Precincts Reported 6,715 of 8,491 Precincts 79.08%

Statewide Turnout 5.63% 12,264,663 Registered Voters
--------------------------------------------




RACE NAME EARLY VOTES PERCENT TOTAL VOTES PERCENT
Prop 2 Prohibit State Mandates that Require Tax Increases


In Favor 156,969 58.84% 402,831 59.03%

Against 109,798 41.16% 279,638 40.97%
--------------- ---------------

Vote Total 266,767 682,469

Early Provisional Ballots Reported 144

Provisional Ballots Reported 525

Precincts Reported 6,715 of 8,491 Precincts 79.08%

Statewide Turnout 5.56% 12,264,663 Registered Voters

[redqueen]

11. That second result is disappointing n/t