Voting Machines Missing for La. Election

[johnfunk]

Move over black box voting: here comes "no box voting"!

Voting Machines Missing for La. Election
By DOUG SIMPSON
Associated Press Writer

September 18, 2004, 8:25 PM EDT

NEW ORLEANS -- Many New Orleans voters were unable to cast ballots for hours Saturday on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage because voting machines had not been delivered to polling places, a state official said.

At least 59 precincts did not have voting machines when polls opened at 6 a.m. because officials with New Orleans' clerk of court's office failed to meet drivers who tried to deliver the machines earlier that morning, said Frances Sims, the state director of elections.

Secretary of State Fox McKeithen and workers in his office delivered the machines from a warehouse by noon, Fox spokesman Scott Madere said. He said New Orleans was the only city to experience the problem. It wasn't clear how many voters were affected.

[Maddy McCall]

1. Funny...the only precincts affected were in the sole liberal oasis of LA

:grr:

[schultzee]

2. I live in Louisiana and I think I will write Foxy a letter about this. He

is a republican pig, of course. All our other major officials are Democrats.

[RegexReader]

7. As Napoleon said, "Never attribute to malice,

what can be adequately explained by incompetence."

Just because something doesn't go our way, doesn't mean that we need to break out the tin foil hats for the brain wave scanners from the saucers that are hidden at Area 51. The freepers could as well say that this was a conspiracy by the liberals of Louisiana to cast doubt on the election to have a court set aside the result.

Besides, it is Louisiana; the machines were probably already 'voted' anyway. 8-)

RegexReader
¶

[Maddy McCall]

8. And then Waterloo slapped that megalomaniac in the face, didn't it.

[cal04]

3. Civil Rights group promise legal action

With only 4 percent of precincts reporting, 33,255 voters or 82 percent supported the amendment, with 7,194 or 18 percent against. The early reporting precincts were from all around the state although some urban areas, including those in New Orleans, which has a large openly gay population, had not reported.

It was expected to pass by an overwhelming margin, though court challenges are likely. The civil rights group Forum for Equality has promised legal action.

"The Forum for Equality membership has already authorized a lawsuit to be filed in the event that this were to pass," said attorney Randy Evans. A first round of court fights was turned away by state courts that said an election cannot be challenged until the vote is taken.

Another possible legal complication: delayed delivery on Saturday of voting machines to precincts in New Orleans, which has a politically strong gay population.
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBCOL8JAZD.html

[theKnave]

5. re: ".. legal action"

"It was expected to pass by an overwhelming margin, though court challenges are likely."

How can one challenge a constitutional amendment?
a) challenge the process (balltos, missing machines), not the amendment itself?
b) federal challenge? state amendment violates federal law/constitution

[Eye and Monkey]

6. This might be a poison pill that nullifies the result -

Please notice that I wrote "might" -

It passes. There might actually be a court left in LA that would be sympathetic to the disenfranchisement of voters in 59 districts. Hitch-up the process.

This might be a "clever coincidence". "Might" - remember, we breed some interesting politics down here.

[Rose Siding]

4. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=836784

[Moderator]

9. Duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=836784