Tue, November 04, 2008 - 4:49 PM

SPRINGFIELD,Va.—In what otherwise is being reported as a smooth Election Day across Northern Virginia, one precinct had a snag with its ballot machines early this morning. (Watch the problem precinct at the right.)

Washington Irving Middle School, an approximately 2,700-voter precinct in Fairfax County was not able to scan ballots for about an hour, so rather than put completed ballots into the secured ballot box, chief election officer Ronald Heald wrote “void” on about 20 voters’ ballots and told those voters to cast electronic ballots instead.

Precinct workers had counted on most voters asking for paper ballots, so they only had three electronic voting machines. During the hour when all voters were told to vote electronically, the line grew to hundreds of feet long.

The precinct staff never did learn the root of the ballot machine problem. Heald called for help from the county registrar’s office, which sent technicians out right away.

“They jiggled it around, played with some things and got it going,” Heald said.

Poll watchers from both parties said the snafu was handled as well as could be expected and nobody walked away as voting lines during the early morning rush grew.

“At least they got to vote,” said Eva Coffey, a Republican poll watcher, who primarily was making sure election officials were asking voters for their names and addresses.

Terry Martin, a Democratic poll watcher had found no significant problems in the first six hours of the voting day. “I just observe and make sure (voters) get assistance they need. If anything occurs, I get the lawyers,” he said.

--Neil Simon

There’s only two hours left until the first polls close. Time enough, it seems, for one last appearance of the race card in an election that has been in many way, wrapped up in it.

The McCain campaign sent out an email moments ago highlighting “Election Day Irregularities” in battleground states and chose to put the following at the top of a long list of problems:

In Philadelphia, PA, Black Panthers Are Intimidating Voters By Standing Outside Of A Polling Station While Holding A Night Stick. Fox News' Rick Leventhal: "I do not even know where to begin, but we have reached a polling place in the city of Philadelphia. One of the two black panthers who was allegedly blocking the door is standing right over here, [and] accused us of intimidating voters because we were here with a camera and microphone. He did not answer questions, other people here have confirmed that another person in black panther attire was holding a night stick and apparently the concern was that they were intimidating people who were trying to go inside to vote. A republican poll observer actually called the police, the police were here and we miss[ed] them, they came and left." (Fox News; "America's Newsroom 2008," 11/4/08)

The New Black Panther Party Promised To "Protect Its Interest" On Election Day. "We will not allow some racists and other angry whites, who are upset over an impending Barack Obama presidential victory, to intimidate blacks at the polls,' [Black Panther Field Marshall Najee] Muhammad said. Most certainly, we cannot allow these racist forces to slaughter our babies or commit other acts of violence against the black population, nor our black president.' Muhammad added, "We must organize to counter and neutralize these threats using all means at our disposal. This is a great time for our people, and we must ensure that peace prevails for our people.'" (Tyrone Tony Reed, Jr., "New Black Panthers Visit Alamo," Jackson Sun, 11/2/08)

--Sean Mussenden

Republican John McCain is speaking to supporters in Colorado right now.

Is it me or does McCain seem more energized today than he has in awhile?

Maybe he's catching a second wind or maybe it's the adrenaline of the moment. Whatever it is, where has this John McCain been? And is it too little, too late for him to capture the White House?

-- Amy Dominello

Lines are very, very long at polling sites across the country. And though there are reports of isolated voting problems -- wet ballots, slow machines -- the narrative today seems to be slow, but steady, with about as many problems as one would expect given historic turnout.

All of the major news sites, with the exception of FoxNews.com -- Banner Headline, Problems at the Ballot Box -- seem to be picking up the same trends.

CNN: 'Excited' voters find long lines
MSNBC: Large turnout forecast as lines linger
Washington Post: Isolated Problems Amid Heavy Voter Turnout
New York Times: Long Waits Are Reported Amid Heavy Turnout
Google News: America Votes, but First It Must Wait in Long Lines
ABC News: Voting for History in 2008? Get in Line, a Long Line
CBS News: Presidential Race Revs Up Voter Turnout

--Sean Mussenden

Pity the talkers on cable TV. The polls are open for many more hours and so far, there have been no real voting problems to report -- except waiting in line. But the cable guys have to fill time -- lots of it -- so they've gotten on with the business of assigning blame for a Republican bloodbath that hasn't happened yet.

MSNBC's Chuck Todd just asked Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., how he would assess the state of the Republican party when he sees the swath of dripping blue paint from Canada south. (Yes, it's going to be a long night.)

Davis, who is not running for re-election, said of the Republican Party: "We've become a white, rural, regional party. We're going to have to retool ourselves."

Is Davis right? Yes or no, comment below.

-- Marsha Mercer

With near-record turnout levels predicted for this election, it was inevitable that there would be problems for voters today.

Besides long lines -- some as long as 4 to 6 hours in Ohio, according to CBS News -- early reports from key swing states revealed widespread reports of jammed ballot scanners, lost ballots and officials working from incorrect voter registration lists and wet ballots that wouldn’t scan.

--Sean Mussenden

East Coast polls have been open for several hours now.

Although you're pretty much guaranteed to wait in line to vote, it seems to be organized chaos right now.

What have you seen today? Have you voted? How long did you wait?

Comment below or e-mail me at adominello@mediageneral.com. Feel free to send any Election Day photos too.

UPDATE: Maybe things are going too smoothly. CNN is interviewing New York's Naked Cowboy about his vote. (He voted for McCain, by the way.)

-- Amy Dominello

Wondering what the situation is like at your polling place? Check Twitter Vote Report to see if anyone has "tweeted" about the conditions at your polls.

Twitter is compiling posts about wait times and other issues on a map, so it's easy to find your polling place, or see where the trouble spots are around the country.

Want to participate? Visit the site to learn how you can help alert voters to long lines, or tip them off if now is a good time to get out to the polls.

-- Mark Young

All cameras were on Barack and Michelle Obama this morning as they voted in Chicago, accompanied by their daughters.

Obama reportedly plans a last campaign trip to Indiana and to play basketball to run off some nervous energy before tonight's mega-party at Grant Park in Chicago, where up to a million people are expected. His running mate Joe Biden voted in Wilmington, Del., this morning with his wife and mother. Joe Biden and his wife Jill are stopping in Richmond, Va., to greet voters on their way to Chicago for the party.

John McCain, in Arizona, plans to break with his usual tradition of watching a movie on Election Day to make one more campaign trip today -- to New Mexico and Colorado. Sarah Palin flew home to Alaska to vote, arriving at 4:45 a.m. local time, and plans to get back on a plane to fly to Phoenix to be with the McCains at their party at the Arizona Biltmore tonight.

-- Marsha Mercer

The village of Dixville Notch in northern New Hampshire prides itself on being the first to vote in primaries and general elections. It just cast 15 votes for Obama and six for McCain, various news outlets are reporting. And so it begins. Happy Election Day.

-- Marsha Mercer

Mon, November 03, 2008 - 4:52 PM

The grandmother of Democratic candidate Barack Obama has died.

Obama had taken time off from the campaign trail to visit his grandmother as her health worsened.

No word yet if Obama will be addressing her death at his rallies in Charlotte, N.C., or Manassas, Va., tonight.

-- Amy Dominello

Voters nationwide have grown more confident in recent years that their votes will be counted, a new poll released Monday shows.

In 2004, 51 percent of all voters were concerned about that, according to a telephone survey of 716 voters Wednesday by the Marist Institute of Public Polling in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Now, just 36 percent now are concerned, according to Marist. Its findings have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The survey also found:

-- 43 percent of Barack Obama’s supporters question whether all ballots will included in the vote totals, while 26 percent of McCain’s voters doubt the system;

-- 72 percent of registered voters nationwide expect there to be long lines at their voting place;

-- 48 percent of Obama supporters say they will wait as long as it takes to cast their ballot; 39 percent of McCain’s backers say they will stick it out;

-- 44 percent say they expect people will be confused about how to cast their ballot, slightly less than the 49 percent who told Marist that four years ago;

-- 52 percent of Obama supporters believe it is very likely or likely that some people will be confused by the process, compared to 34 percent of McCain’s backers.

-- Billy House, Media General News Service

We’re less than 36 hours from the first poll closings in a presidential campaign that has stretched on for almost two years. And there’s plenty more campaigning left to do between now and then in key swing states.

Barack Obama holds rallies in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia today. Joe Biden swings through Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

John McCain is spending the penultimate day of this campaign in New Mexico, Nevada, Florida and Pennsylvania. Sarah Palin has the most ambitious schedule of any of the candidates, with stops in Nevada, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio and Colorado. Whew.

What does the final day travel map tell us about the state of this race? With the exception of Pennsylvania, every one of these states voted for George W. Bush in 2004.

--Sean Mussenden

Sun, November 02, 2008 - 10:29 PM

The long trailer trucks rolled in Saturday afternoon hauling a dozen jersey barriers at a time. Crews began dropping the concrete blockades right along a place where I regularly walk my dog here in Washington.

At first I thought it was a short-term security precaution for a weekend event, but I just learned why a building near my home is being guarded apparently around the clock by U.S. Secret Service. This location is set to house the presidential transition team for whichever candidate wins Tuesday's national election, according to a guard.

Within the perimeter are a couple fast food restaurants and the tiny spot of land I affectionately refer to as Potty Park. At least one block of traffic is now closed off as is one lane of another four-lane street where the blockades trace the building, creating a buffer zone around the transition office. Soon, inside a new administration will begin its process of hiring staff and establishing new executive leadership for the nation.

Here's hoping the new neighbors are nice.

--Neil Simon

Sat, November 01, 2008 - 12:04 PM

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla., — Among the early birds already here awaiting Sarah Palin’s 9 a.m. rally was Betty McMillen, 74, of Port Richey.

She says she knows Palin is getting knocked around a bit by the media, as well as by some within her own party.

But McMillen says she adores her.

“With a little more experience and some training, she’ll make a great president in four years,” she says.
Four years?

Does McMillen think the Republican ticket headed by John McCain is not going to win Tuesday?

“No, not that,” her friend, Maria Massey, 57, of Hudson, quickly interjects for McMillen.

She just doesn’t see McCain serving more than four years, Massey corrects of her friend.

“That’s right,” says McMillen, with a smile. She later explains to the reporter that she isn't, really, much of a fan of McCains.

-- Billy House, Media General News Service