Posted on 10/02/2004 12:08:49 AM PDT by Former Military Chick
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A driver who delivered voting machines for the city's primary election described a litany of logistical problems Friday, including dropping off machines in empty, unlocked buildings and handing them over to unauthorized people who refused to sign for them.
Driver Paul Washington spoke before members of a joint legislative government affairs committee investigating the Sept. 18 election, when voting machines showed up late to 53 city polling places, possibly disenfranchising thousands of voters and spawning several lawsuits.
Lawmakers listening to Washington were annoyed and amazed that security for the voting machines was so weak.
"These are not soda pop machines. These are voting machines and they have to be protected," said Democratic state Sen. Charles Jones, chairman of the committee.
But Washington said even fewer machines might have been delivered on time had officials not dropped a requirement that someone sign for the deliveries.
"Sometimes it might be the brother of the custodian," Washington said. "So they'd refuse to sign, but if we hadn't dropped off those machines there would have been even more delays."
Washington also testified that late-arriving machines had actually been hauled to polling places a day earlier, but that drivers found the polling stations locked and empty.
Orleans Parish Clerk of Court Kimberly Williamson Butler, the city's top election official, has accepted blame for not ensuring all of her people assigned to accept machines at polling stations were aware elections remained on schedule. But she also has criticized the trucking company that made the deliveries, Covan Worldwide Moving Inc.
Butler did not testify Friday because she was in court, where lawsuits challenging the election were being heard.
Gene Limbaugh Jr., a local manager for Covan, argued that delays were caused by officials unprepared for scheduled deliveries.
The primary was held just days after Hurricane Ivan prompted calls for evacuations in several southeastern Louisiana parishes, and officials have said that may have played a role. Ordinarily, plans for the deliveries would have been coordinated 10 days before the election.
Covan's contract for the Nov. 2 election has been canceled.
Secretary of State Fox McKeithen said Butler had gotten rid of experienced staff who would have known how to handle the logistical problems that came up. He promised to hire one of those former employees to assist with voting machine delivery Nov. 2.
"The Legislature has put in place the finest set of election laws in the country - all you have to do is connect the dots ... it was not followed," McKeithen said.
© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Ahhhhh Louisiana. (My original home state). The average out-of-stater just doesn't realize the MASSIVE amount of political corruption that goes on there.
Funny.
These problems only happen in democratic precints.
Corruption and ineptitude. When it only affects state and local offices, it's their business. When it affects federal offices, it's my business. I hope Bush has the sense to federalize all the problem precincts in that state. Send in marshals.
Yep.
The people are very friendly and I defy anyone to name better food.
However, anything remotely connected to politics; from the Court system to the Zoos, make the state into a living stereotype. Truely, it is the armpit of the Nation. Thank God I escaped.
Glad you escaped that banana republic, clee1.
Fallujah South where the voters will not be allowed to vote for their Mullah.
New Orleans is 100% Democrat. Republicans don't even try anymore.
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