Thursday, November 18, 2004

Voters Recount Irregularities

From Channel 10 News in Central Ohio

Franklin County
Voters Recount Irregularities

As thousands of provisional ballots will start to be counted Tuesday, more people are coming forward with stories about voting irregularities during the November 2 election.

Dozens of people crowded into a hearing room at the Franklin County courthouse Monday night.

It was the second public hearing since Saturday, and there was a panel made up of voting rights groups listens to every word.

Voters and poll workers told story after story of voters being disenfranchised.

"Finally, I was offered a provisional ballot after being told to go home three times," one voter says.

Another says, "And we saw all day, well into the night, extremely long lines, two and a half hours were the norm."

"We had three voting machines in our precinct. In the past, we've always had five or six voting machines," says one.

A court reporter was there and the hearing was broadcast on a local radio station. Organizers plan to give copies of everything to Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

As for counting those provisional ballots, there is no word on how long it will take to get the final tally.

Whatever numbers add up to, there will be plenty of interest both here in Ohio and around the country.