by Diane Benjamin

I just voted in Ellsworth.  The computer system and electronic ballots ARE NOT WORKING.  It is now 10:30, the poll opened at 6:00 am.  How many other machines are not working?  The computers were purchased at great expense to save the printing of election books.  Was that a good idea?  Those of us who work with computers everyday would mostly say Only If You Want Problems!  Computers can’t be used sporadically and be expected to always work.  Computers can’t even be relied on the work everyday.

The election judges had me print my name and birth date, then signature.  Do ALL the voters need to be checked before the ballots are counted?  How is a fraudulent ballot retrieved?

There is a question on the ballot to fold the Recorder’s Office under Kathy.  This is 2nd elections in row with problems.

Vote NO!  I hope we have fair elections, but how is still open to debate.

Update:

Problems now reported in Old Town township (Downs):

We went to Old Town Township at 930 am.  They had a problem with the electronic machine that a man was trying to use.  He kept pointing to the bottom of the screen.  Poll worker  had to be called over.  Most were requesting paper.  Voting was heavy.  The worst… The little machine that was hooked to the computer. it’s a label-er that prints out the bar code,  it had to keep being downloaded.  The woman controlling it was flustered. Them another poll worker had to tell her what to do.  Same scenario earlier in am, we heard.  So they were writing the names on the paper with our signature while it was rebooting.  We were advising everyone we knew to use paper.  We tried early voting downtown.  We walked out because they only had electronic machines.  Wasn’t taking a chance.