Home
Site Map
Reports
Voting News
Info
Donate
Contact Us
About Us

VotersUnite.Org
is NOT!
associated with
votersunite.com

Voting problems hit Atlanta’s Adamsville Rec Center  (GA)

Thomas Wheatley    Creative Loafing   31 October 2008

Georgia Democrats are calling for Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel to extend advanced voting on Saturday and Sunday after computer glitches caused a reported 500 people to wait two hours in line at a Fulton County polling place.

State Rep.-elect Rashad Taylor, D-Atlanta, says poll workers at the Adamsville Recreation Center in Southwest Atlanta told him voter check-in machines couldn’t access the Secretary of State’s system shortly after 7 p.m. on Thursday night. When he arrived at the rec center to assist poll workers, Taylor — who was joined by Atlanta City Council President Lisa Borders, Councilmember C.T. Martin and City Council Clerk Rhonda Johnson — says he saw an estimated 500 people still waiting to cast ballots.

“A few days ago, there was a problem connecting to the system,” the representative-elect says. “This time, there was a problem with the system.”

The AJC’s Marcus Garner talked with Handel spokesman Matt Carrothers:

    “What appears to have caused this was when one of the computers at the location would time out, it would have problems reconnecting with the state voter registration system,” Carrothers said. “We’re not sure why the computers would’ve been timing out when there were people still in line.”

Around 9 p.m., Taylor says, workers were again able to log in. But that didn’t happen without causing 10-15 people who’d waited in line for two hours to give up and leave.

“I asked people who were leaving if they had the opportunity to vote,” he says. “And they said they didn’t but they couldn’t wait any longer. They had to get home.”

In addition to opening polling locations this weekend, Taylor requests the secretary of state provide more check-in machines in order to speed up lines.

“I applaud everyone who stands in these lines,” says Taylor. “But when you have people taking time off work and out of their day to come and vote, and then you have these problems, it undermines our election system.”

The AJC’s Marcus Garner has more on the snafu here. (The paper reports 1,000 people waited in line — I spoke with Taylor on Thursday night by phone so I can only report what he told me.)



Previous Page
 
Favorites

Election Problem Log image
2004 to 2009



Previous
Features


Accessibility Issues
Accessibility Issues


Cost Comparisons
Cost Comparisons


Flyers & Handouts
Handouts


VotersUnite News Exclusives


Search by

Copyright © 2004-2010 VotersUnite!