Reply #7: Mass: Study finds voting trouble for some state residents

[MelissaB]

Study finds voting trouble for some state residents
Says nearly 9% denied ballots

By Rebecca Mahoney, Globe Correspondent | June 9, 2005

Nearly 9 percent of Massachusetts voters surveyed last fall experienced problems at the polls during the November election, according to a study released yesterday by a coalition of liberal advocacy groups who want to make it easier to vote.

The findings were immediately disputed by Secretary of State William F. Galvin, but the groups who conducted the survey stood by their report yesterday.

The survey of 41,753 voters found 3,643 people were not able to cast a regular ballot when they checked in at their polling sites, largely because they could not immediately verify their voter registration. The survey also found some machines were not working, some poll workers gave out incorrect information, and there were problems with provisional ballots given to voters whose identity or registration could not be immediately confirmed.

''Voter disenfranchisement doesn't only happen in Ohio or Florida," said Juan Martinez, executive director of MassVOTE, which conducted the survey, along with the NAACP, the Black Political Task Force, and other groups. ''These issues occur in every election in states across the country, including Massachusetts, and they need to be addressed."


More: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/06/09/study_finds_voting_trouble_for_some_state_residents/