Voter turnout up in Hillsborough, supervisor says

TAMPA -- Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson reported that voter turnout in his county was brisk and significantly above what it was in the 2004 presidential preference primary, according to a prepared statement.

Although the pollworker phone bank has been very active with questions, no problems have been reported at polling places, Johnson's statement said.

Before polls opened at 7 a.m. today, about 60,000 people had already voted early in Hillsborough.

Comments

INDEPENDENTS ARE VOTING FOR MCCAIN!!!

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-129electionday,0,6968764,print.story

12:06 You must be a New York Times writer. One independent arguably cast a vote mistakenly for McCain in Broward County.

[Maverick]

I cast my electronic ballot but something in my gut thinks that my ballot my not be counted. When I entered the polling location I requested a paper ballot and was told that there were none available, I was told this same thing when I requested a paper ballot in March 2007 for the city elections. I was told that they did not have to provide a paper ballot. After being told this I then asked the person in charge of the polling location exactly how electronic provisional ballots are handled and she stated that they are coded with a special number and that once they are verified they are included in the count but if they are not verified that particular ballot will be deleted out of the system. All I have to say is that something smells pretty fishy if the Supervisor of Election can go into a computer system and delete ballots that they state are not valid.

Please note that according to the Florida Statues the provisional ballot should be a paper ballot and not electronic per Florida Statues. To not have provisional ballots available at the polls is considered to be an act of malfeasance and according to the Florida Statues is reason to remove an elected official from office.
101.048 Provisional ballots.--
(1) At all elections, a voter claiming to be properly registered in the state and eligible to vote at the precinct in the election but whose eligibility cannot be determined, a person whom an election official asserts is not eligible, and other persons specified in the code shall be entitled to vote a provisional ballot. Once voted, the provisional ballot shall be placed in a secrecy envelope and thereafter sealed in a provisional ballot envelope. The provisional ballot shall be deposited in a ballot box. All provisional ballots shall remain sealed in their envelopes for return to the supervisor of elections. The department shall prescribe the form of the provisional ballot envelope. A person casting a provisional ballot shall have the right to present written evidence supporting his or her eligibility to vote to the supervisor of elections by not later than 5 p.m. on the second day following the election.

Mavarick: Nanoonanoo ... nanoonanoo

maverick: you have no idea how are election system works. Provisionals are counted manually by both sides (d& r's) by the county commission and judges at the election service center tonight. The poll worker you talked to sounds mistaken. Head to the election service center tonight in Brandon to witness through clear glass how the ballots are tallied.