Voting Fiascoes in Los Angeles California
For me, it was a breeze as I waited ‘til after South Carolina and the Presidential drop-outs, then I filled out an absentee ballot and dropped it in the ballot box at the voting center closest to our home one day before the actual election. However the day’s very strong winds had blown over the signs, so it was not easy for many voters to find the actual polling place. And there was no signage as to where to drop your ballot; I found it due to the kindness of a man waiting in the long line to vote.
For others, it was a nightmare; the lines were very long; machines broke; i-pads to check voter registration didn’t work, and on Tuesday it took hours and hours to get to the front of the line and cast your vote. Fewer voting centers were in place, so travel times and voting lines discouraged potential voters. There were inadequate numbers of election staff at the vote centers, and they were not adequately trained on the new procedures to check registration. This is effectively voter suppression as only the most committed and savviest get through the process.
Many voted by mail or at the local vote center before three of the candidates dropped out of the race. So their votes for these candidates don’t count and do-overs are not permitted.
This was all done to make voting easier, as the new vote centers were open for up to a week before the election, and absentee ballots are easy to obtain, and same day registration is permitted.
It makes no sense to hold an election without pilot-testing the new machines to check voter registration and without adequately staffing and training election staff and without having adequate signage for the new voting centers.
Prepared by: Lucien Wulsin
Dated: 3/4/20