Ohio's nightmare voting scenario

[brooklynite]

Source: Cincinnati Enquirer

A new Ohio program intended to make voting easier could keep the presidential election in doubt until late November if the national outcome hinges on the state’s 18 electoral votes.

Under Secretary of State Jon Husted’s initiative to send absentee ballot applications to nearly 7 million registered voters across Ohio, more than 800,000 people so far have asked for but not yet completed an absentee ballot for the Nov. 6 election.

Anyone who does not return an absentee ballot, deciding instead to vote at the polls, will be required to cast a provisional ballot.

...snip...

By state law, provisional ballots may not be counted until at least Nov. 17

.

Read more: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20121025/NEWS010601/310250037/Ohio-s-nightmare-voting-scenario?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1

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This could be fun...

[flamingdem]

1. In Florida provisional ballots are non-ballots

They don't count, or didn't according to a report on 60 minutes

[valerief]

4. I thought that was the *actual* case, as opposed to lip-service case, everywhere. The rule is

"When in doubt, throw them out."

I think it was a SCOTUS determination.

[xxqqqzme]

21. When you vote by provisional

ballot in California, you are given a receipt printed with your ballot number. The receipt tells you to call a number 14 days after the election to check on the status of your provisional ballot. I moved shortly before the June primary. I re-registered after the VBM ballots were sent. Since I was listed as Vote by Mail in the roll but didn't receive one, I had to cast a provisional ballot.

I called 21 days later - gave them my ballot number and woo-hoo my vote was valid!

[Actionman]

5. That's standard everywhere...

Reason many people that are knowledgeable don't want a provisional.

[brooklynite]

8. Reality Check - Republicans don't get to "throw out ballots"

While the SOS of Ohio is a Republican, all of the County Boards of Election are bipartisan.

[Maeve]

13. In Ohio, if provisional ballots are valid, they count

They may be registered but an accident left their name out of the pool book, they may have changed their name and not notified the BOE,they may have forgotten to bring ID and didn't want to go home...these can all be counted. Their absentee ballot may have gotten lost in the mail. If there is no other recorded vote for that person, the provisional ballot will count.

If they are in the wrong precinct and insist on voting anyway--that will get disallowed, but we not only try to direct them to the proper place, we tell then the vote WON'T COUNT unless it's cast in the right precinct.(got a paper to give them specifically in that case)

The only time to worry is IF the race is so close that the number of outstanding provisional ballots is greater than the difference between the candidates. I don't think that is going to be a problem.

[joycejnr]

2. No problemo, the SCOTUS will tell us who wins the White House. n/t

[flamingdem]

3. Can you post more of the article - it says "Hope you enjoyed your complimentary access"

so from this link it may not work now

[Kolesar]

10. It's an exhaustive treatise on provisional balloting

Ohioans should ONLY request an absentee ballot if they are going to USE it.

If they show at the polling place, they will be presented with a "provisional ballot". Experience shows that boards of elections screw those up. Kerry's were not counted in Ohio. Some offices destroy them quickly.

This was a good statement, trimmed for copyright reasons:
**--**
“With as many provisional votes as Ohio usually has, you have an electoral system with a built-in possibility that you might not have an outcome on Wednesday,” OSU’s Foley said.
...
“Waiting 10 days or so doesn’t mean anything’s inherently wrong – it means the system is working precisely as it was intended to work,” Foley said.

[muriel_volestrangler]

22. Here's a USA Today article on the same subject

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/10/25/absentee-ballots-could-hang-up-ohios-results/1656275/

The end:

Husted staffers and other officials say, based on recent elections, they expect the number of unused absentee ballots to shrink substantially by Election Day. In the 2008 presidential election, 1.81 million absentee ballots were requested and 1.74 million – a gap of only about 70,000 – were cast.

But there is one significant difference this year. In past elections, most Ohioans had to proactively request an absentee ballot. This year, Husted simplified the process by sending an application to registered voters statewide. An unintended consequence of that could be to increase the number of people who ask for an absentee ballot but do not use it, not realizing that means they must vote provisionally at the polls.

Provisional votes long have been one of the most problematic areas of Ohio elections, primarily because tens of thousands routinely are disqualified by relatively minor missteps by voters or polls workers. Four years ago, nearly 40,000 provisionals – roughly one in five – were invalidated for various reasons.

I hope it doesn't come down to Ohio, and that other states can win it for Obama. The last thing the USA needs is another media feeding frenzy about an unclear deciding state.

[LisaL]

26. A gap of 70,000 is a big deal in a close election.

Especially considering not all absentee ballots might get back by Nov 6.
So we could be waiting and waiting long after Nov 6 to find out what results are.

[alfredo]

6. Why do elections run smoothly in Democratic states, but become a mess in Republican states?

[Raster]

7. Hmmm, go figure?

[brooklynite]

9. Um, you've apparently never voted in New York...

In a Statewide race (where, quite frankly the Republicans aren't competitve) things move quickly. For downticket races, it can be a disaster, particularly in NYC.

[alfredo]

15. Who holds the top office in NYC?

[brooklynite]

20. As with most localities, there's a bi-partisan Board of Elections.

[alfredo]

23. True. That should be standard throughout the country.

[santamargarita]

19. Because Republicans fuck up everything they touch

[Connie_Corleone]

11. This is just an article to scare people.

When the absentee ballot applications were mailed out, the warning about provisional ballots was printed in bold, red letters. You couldn't miss it.

I don't think this will be a problem in Ohio.

[LisaL]

25. All absentee ballots might not get back by election night.

So if it's close they will have to wait.

[doc03]

12. This morning I turn on the TV one station is talking the Ohio

Nightmare Scenario. I changed channels and they are saying Romney has wiped out the gender gap. I turn on another station and they are saying Obama depended to much on diversity and he can't get enough white votes to win. I turn on another one and the Repugs are motivated and Democrats aren't, we are doomed low turn out. I turn on Faux and they are still drumming up the Libya manufactured scandal. I come here to get some positive vibes and I see the same BS.

[kerouac2]

14. Great way for them to buy more time...

for back-room ballot shenanigans. Between election day and 11/17, they can fill out however many absentee ballots they need to secure the state for Robney... Or would that be impossible to do?

[alfredo]

16. All they need to do it find something small like the "a" or "i" in a signature that doesn't match

their registration signature from decades past. Age and illness can alter handwriting.

[leftyohiolib]

17. some say his parents are brother and sister - i report, you decide

[november3rd]

18. Ballot Initiative

Is it too late to get a ballot initiative ready for election day asking if voters want to recall Governor Kasich?

[LisaL]

24. And SOS Husted.