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I got a LITTLE carried AWAY with those CAPS, lol!
Posted on 11/04/2002 12:19:16 PM PST by finnman69
Early birds, long lines: Crowds, complex ballot slow the process
`I didn't think I'd have to wait an hour'
BY SOFIA SANTANA, EVAN S. BENN AND MARTIN MERZER mmerzer@herald.com
Election officials call it ''convenience voting,'' but it didn't seem all that convenient Friday. Thousands of voters hoping to avoid long lines on Election Day found themselves enmeshed in long lines four days before Election Day.
Many advance voting sites were jammed Friday as early birds confronted lengthy, complex ballots and relatively few machines at six locations in Broward County and 14 in Miami-Dade County.
Was it a harbinger of things to come in South Florida? Probably.
Broward Elections Supervisor Miriam Oliphant was so worried about overcrowded polling places on Election Day that she asked Gov. Jeb Bush to officially lengthen voting hours. Request denied.
''I didn't think I'd have to wait an hour,'' said Mark Sanchez, 34, of West Kendall, one of 40 people in a line that snaked through the children's section of the West Kendall Regional Library. ``But I'm sure it will be worse Nov. 5.''
An hour? He was lucky he wasn't at the Broward County satellite courthouse in Hollywood. There, an hour carried you only halfway to the touch-screen machines, if you decided to stay.
''You gotta be kidding me,'' Rick Dunn, 49, said as he gazed at a line twisting around courthouse corners. ``No way. I'm out.''
His words were repeated nearly verbatim in North Miami, where Rita Cecilio reversed course after learning she'd have to wait 45 minutes to vote at the library.
''It's frustrating,'' she said. 'I walked in and said, `No way.' Once I saw the line, I said 'I'm outta here.' ''
SOMETHING NEW
Election officials noted that early voting by machine is a new phenomenon in Florida, and that some sites accommodated voters without undue delay Friday.
All early voting locations in both counties are open today.
''You learn from every election you do,'' said Broward Commissioner Suzanne Gunzburger, ``although this election is like a 100-year storm.''
And one that moves pretty slowly.
Voters at the Pembroke Pines voting center endured 90-minute delays Friday -- and that was before the lunch-hour crowd arrived.
''I tried to beat everyone by getting here a little early,'' said Jim Cocca, 61, of Miramar. ``But I almost passed out back there.''
Shortly after noon, the line grew to 80 feet as voters stood outside in the heat, waiting to reach one of seven touch-screen machines inside the small but air conditioned office.
Heeding complaints from the crowd, election workers brought out 30 chairs. That seemed inadequate to Larry Seidman, 79, of Pembroke Pines.
''How about some lunch?'' he asked.
Still, most said they'd rather wait and vote early than face longer lines Election Day.
''I can tell you this -- an hour today is better than whatever's coming Tuesday,'' said Harriet Friedman, 76, of Hallandale Beach. ``That'll be murder.''
EASY VOTING
And it wasn't all bad.
At Miami Beach City Hall, voters who arrived at noon were pleasantly surprised. Only four of 12 voting booths were occupied. At West Miami City Hall, some voters were in and out in 20 minutes.
''Sometimes, you're sitting here and it's quiet, and then a whole lot of people come in,'' said Kirkland Beale, a poll worker in Miami Beach. ``Some older voters take longer to cast their votes and it slows things down.''
Carlos Rodriguez, 90, required 15 minutes to work through the Miami-Dade ballot, which is considerably shorter than the Broward ballot. ''Better today than Election Day,'' he said after voting in Miami Beach.
Experts worry that voters using unfamiliar new equipment are consuming too much time as they negotiate a ballot crammed with the hotly fought gubernatorial race, other statewide elections, judicial retentions, 10 state constitutional amendments and additional contests.
Voters at the Broward County Governmental Center took an average of about 10 minutes to cast ballots Friday afternoon, but some needed as long as 16 minutes.
In Miami-Dade, Aventura resident Cynthia Bloom spent 20 minutes in line and another 20 minutes getting through the ballot.
''The ballot isn't just long; it's not clear,'' she said. ``These amendments are so difficult to understand.''
Lori Parrish, chairwoman of Broward's County Commission, said voters who study the ballot before they reach polling places can perform their civic duty without inconveniencing others.
''Everybody's panicking, and they need to stop,'' Parrish said. ``You can vote in less than six minutes, max, if you're prepared.''
But on Friday, the ballot clearly contributed to the problems.
At a library in Cutler Ridge, more than 50 people waited in line, and they watched with growing anger as voters spent 10 minutes or more at the machines.
''You have to read the instructions on how to use the machines before you get to the polls,'' Estille Jovan, 61, of Perrine, said with sufficient volume to be heard throughout the auditorium.
She stormed off.
Election officials in both counties said they were aware of the lines Friday but could not do much to alleviate them.
Most voting machines already are committed to Election Day use. In addition, state law requires that early voting only be offered at election offices.
BUSLOADS OF VOTERS
Miami-Dade officials said some delays were caused when busloads of voters arrived at some sites. ''If people all of a sudden show up, it could be a problem,'' said Mayor Alex Penelas.
Last week, when early voting began, slightly more than 2,000 people a day voted early in Miami-Dade, officials said. By Friday, more than 4,000 a day were voting; a similar number voted early in Broward.
Despite the lines, state officials urged voters to cast ballots today, Sunday (in Miami-Dade) and Monday.
On Sunday, many church congregations are expected to travel to County Hall, the only early voting site open that day in Miami-Dade. Broward does not plan to open polling places Sunday.
''To whatever extent we can get people to vote early, we can avoid even longer lines on Tuesday,'' said Secretary of State Jim Smith.
REDUCING WAIT
About 75,000 Broward residents are expected to vote early or by absentee ballot -- 14 percent of the total expected turnout. In Miami-Dade, 65,000 people cast early or absentee votes by Friday night -- about 11 percent of the total expected turnout -- and several thousand more should arrive before Tuesday.
That should help reduce waiting times on Election Day, but even if all machines work perfectly, long lines are likely to form, especially during peak voting times -- from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Officials reminded South Floridians that anyone in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote, even if polling places must remain open for many hours to accommodate them.
Herald staff writers Erika Bolstad, Richard Brand, Oscar Corral, Joni James, Jennifer Maloney and Andrea Robinson contributed to this report.
I have already filled out my Sample Ballot. All I need to do tomorrow is transfer that data into the machine. But I'm probably the exception, and so, yes, lots of folks will be in the Voting Booth for 10 or more minutes, easy.
Seems a whopping four machines have been located. Sun-Sentinal October 31:
The county owns 5,040 touch-screen machines, but 14 are still missing from the Sept. 10 primary
''How about some lunch?'' he asked.
Wonder what party he's going to vote for.
Mr. Sanchez (whom I am safely assuming to be of Cuban descent) needs to keep in mind that in Cuba, they have been waiting to vote since 1952.
It's incredible that people think that an hour out of their lives to carry out the most important duty of the citizenry in our form of government, is a lot to ask for.
Thanks!
TOLL-FREE NUMBER FOR VOTERS WHO HAVE PROBLEMS AT POLLS ON ELECTION DAY
The number is 1-866-VOTE-411. You'll be prompted to enter your 5-digit zip code -- you can leave a recorded message about the problem you're having -- and then you'll be transferred either to a Democratic Party "Promote and Protect" call center or your local County Board of Elections.
Get well. We'll spread the news.
I got a LITTLE carried AWAY with those CAPS, lol!
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