Even FOX is disgusted by early voting situation in Gary, Indiana

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

Heavily African-American Gary, Indiana is almost an extension of the city of of Chicago, but within a Republican state.

On TV today they were showing (live) the endless line of would-be early voters at the Gary early-voting location, all leading up to a tiny room with two (2) voting machines.

(Gary surely has hundreds of voting machines, but only two were made available for early voters at the courthouse location shown.)

As one woman who had been in line for five hours said, with remarkable even temper and understatement, "two voting machines seems inadequate for a city of 100,000."

At the end of the segment the FOX talking head said, "That's just ridiculous."

________________

BACKGROUND ON EDIT: The most shocking thing is that the current situation is actually an improvement. The pugs had originally tried to shut down ALL early voting in the majority-black northwestern Indiana areas except at one location!

Judge Keeps Early Voting Centers Open In NW Ind.
Ruling Could Be Boon For Barack Obama In A Battleground State

Derrick Blakley GARY, Ind. (CBS) ― A judge has ruled that early voting centers in northwest Indiana will remain open.

Local Republicans had alleged that setting up different satellite voting locations in Gary, East Chicago, Hammond and Crown Point is illegal. The GOP also claimed the system invites both fraud and phony registrations.

Democrats say the Republicans are trying to disenfranchise minority voters in a state that Barack Obama has a chance to win.

In her ruling, Judge Diane Kavadias-Schneider said if the sites in Hammond, East Chicago and Gary were shut down, "citizens there would be the only voters in Indiana who would not be able to vote at a courthouse located in their city of residence."

And the judge pointed out that many minorities don't have the time or transportation to travel to the county's only other early voting site, the courthouse in Crown Point.

Still, because there are only two voting machines at each of the satellite locations, voters are enduring long, long waits.

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/indiana.early.voting.2.846413.html

[skooooo]

1. But they since have had early voting, right?

The situation is still like that or??

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. That was today.

[skooooo]

6. Where is the leadership???

Why has this been allowed to happen? It really makes no sense. Will there be more places available on Tuesday? Where are the Obama people??

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

9. There will be many more places Tuesday

This game is playing out in many places. Some poor or minority area might have 40 precincts for election day, but early voting is only offered at one location. And then the early voting there is run so as to minimize participation.

Meanwhile, in another community, early voting is easy as pie.

It gets down to which areas the secretary of state wants to be voting.

[skooooo]

10. Ok, I see...nt

[HughMoran]

2. That makes me angry

What the FUCK is wrong with this picture? :mad:

[JBoy]

4. Somebody needs to go to jail for this shit.

Outrageous.

[truedelphi]

39. Not only is it fact that the laws to convict someone for this are nt yet written

The things that officials do that are illegal have to be reported to the FBI, and the FBI has been reorganized by the reorganized Dept of Justice such that complaints cannot even be made.

My advice to anyone experiencing, witnessing etc illegal activity or undesirable activity call the press, your District Attorney and the Obama Campaign.

[elleng]

5. VERY POOR town,

has been for ages.

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=1iL0zg6D7AYC&dq=gary,+indiana&printsec=frontcover&source=bll&ots=V8gIOc-nP5&sig=j2MNi-6xCgDblyehm2r9XgDZhSQ#PPP8,M1

[AndyTiedye]

14. The Rethugs Fought Even Those 2 Voting Machines

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

16. Saw that. Horrible. Added an article to OP about the background

[Phx_Dem]

15. That pisses me off. Voting in national/Presidental elections

should be funded by the Fed so that everyone is equal. It shouldn't matter if you're voting in Greenwich, CT or Gary, IN -- everything shold be EQUAL. Same voting methods, same timeframe. PAID by the Federal Government for Presidential elections (only). States should pay for their own state/county elections.

Thank God African Americans have the patience of Job. They shouldn't have to though.

[Overseas]

7. K&R for the voter suppression file.

Indiana's Secretary of State may be a Republican.

One of the GOP's traditional voter suppression tactics is to allocate too few machines to Democratic leaning precincts.

They just apologize later like "Whoops, didn't realize turnout would be so huge. We'll try to do better next time."

[prolesunited]

25. He is

Secretary of states shouldn't run elections. They need to be turned over to bipartisan commissions.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

28. Yes, that's exactly right

[surrealAmerican]

38. I'm not sure this really qualifies as voter suppression.

It really may be just extremely poor planning. In a lot of states early voting is a new phenomena, and nobody knew how many people would choose to vote early.

[Max_powers94]

8. The Jackson's hometown

Damn MJ what happen to you

[PatSeg]

11. Eight years and we're seeing the same

old crap! This is outrageous.

[1776Forever]

12. Our wonderful friend in SC stood in line yesterday for 4 hours after work & still didn't get to vote

He was going to try again today but said they weren't going to open until 1:00 pm!!


Long voting lines should help early voting bill at SC Statehouse

http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/politics/south_carolina/article/long_voting_lines_should_help_early_voting_bill_at_sc_statehouse/18036/

By Robert Kittle
WBTW Columbia Bureau Chief
Published: October 31, 2008

The people standing in line for hours to vote absentee in South Carolina could end up shortening the lines for everyone in future elections. State Rep. Joe Neal, D-Hopkins, says he’ll re-introduce a bill in January to allow early voting in South Carolina. He’s been trying to get it passed for the last six years.

“Issues like this don’t become important until people voice complaints about it,” Rep. Neal says. “And I think, with the people we’re seeing now around the state standing in line and trying to do absentee voting, is indication that something needs to happen.”

South Carolina is one of only 16 states and the District of Columbia that requires voters to have an excuse for voting absentee. Thirty-three states, including North Carolina and Georgia, allow no-excuse absentee voting by mail and/or no-excuse in-person early voting. Oregon residents all vote by mail.

One of the reasons lines for absentee voting are so long in South Carolina is that it’s done at each county’s voter registration office. With early voting, there are multiple polling places, including shopping malls, libraries, schools and community centers.

Rep. Neal says, “I think that South Carolina has gotten to a point where we really need to do something proactively to make it easier for people to vote. We have, by some measure, the lowest voter turnout of any state, and I suspect that’s because we have so many working people here who find it difficult to stand in line and wait hours to vote.”

One of those is Robert Nichols, who was waiting to vote absentee Friday in Columbia because he has to work on Election Day. “I think early voting would be a lot better than what it is right now. I’ve been in line for approximately two-and-a-half hours right now. I propose another hour before we get inside and I have other things to do than stand in line,” he said.

College student Tamara Simmons, who was waiting to vote for the first time in her life, also likes the idea of allowing early voting. She had already been waiting in line for 3 hours. “I did not expect this kind of line. I was not prepared to wait.”

But she says it will be worth the wait. Even more so if the long lines lead to a new system that shortens the lines for everyone.

[IndianaJones]

13. we had a whopping 10 in Crown Point today....and I waited about 3 hours. nt.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

17. That's the main early voting site in the county, right?

[IndianaJones]

22. its the county seat. many were complaining about the low number of machines.

I can only imagine how it would have been with any fewer. There were people there that drove down from Gary and other areas. They said the 3 hour wait was better than the alternative.

[prolesunited]

26. Try Hammond

two machines, hundreds waiting. Someone who checked in at 9:15 finally got to vote about 2:20. Freaking ridiculous.

[IndianaJones]

31. unreal. they are trying to make it as hard as possible to vote early. nt

[Life Long Dem]

18. They should file lawsuits.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

19. It took a lawsuit to keep the two machines they have.

[Life Long Dem]

20. That's irrelevant.

What's relevant is this historical election that all should be prepared for.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

21. not suggesting there shouldn't be *more* lawsuits

[MadBadger]

23. They only have four in Madison

[Essene]

24. CALM DOWN... the reason Fox is pushing this is cuz they want to hurt turn-out

Yes, it's a problem.

Yes, attention is important for stuff like this.

But... the attention must also be matched with a determination to vote.

The reason "even Fox" wants to talk about this is because they know tons of coverage will freak voters out, especially blacks, and cause lower turn-out.

[prolesunited]

27. I don't think it will deter people

They were determined and when they found out the wait was about five hours, I didn't see anyone leave.

[mucifer]

29. people in Gary are dedicated.

[Jokerman]

30. Fear, Lies and Vote Suppression

It's all those bastard repubs have left.

[theothersnippywshrub]

32. So true. n/t

[Alpharetta]

33. yep

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

35. ---

[Blarch]

34. I live in northern Illinois...

and waited 40 minutes to get to a room with a dozen voting machines.

[krkaufman]

37. I live in an almost entirely white NW suburb of Chicago ...

... and the only wait I had when early voting 2 weeks ago was for the elevator to take me down to the room in the library allocated for the effort. If I recall, there were about 7-10 touch screen machines (with paper trails) in use.

[seabeyond]

36. we had 12 machines at mall. i dont know how many in courthouse. at least that many. amarillo

texas.

each community should yell out about this. both dems and repugs waited in that line