Relax NeoTards: The Fix Is In





http://wvgazette.com/News/200810180251

No longer isolated: More W.Va. voters say machines are switching
votes. (Second article about this)

More W.Va. voters say machines are switching votes
In six cases, Democratic votes flipped to GOP

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Three Putnam County voters say electronic voting
machines changed their votes from Democrats to Republicans when they
cast early ballots last week. This is the second West Virginia county
where voters have reported this problem. Last week, three voters in
Jackson County told The Charleston Gazette their electronic vote for
"Barack Obama" kept flipping to "John McCain".


By Paul J. Nyden


Staff writer



WINFIELD, W.Va. -- Three Putnam County voters say electronic voting
machines changed their votes from Democrats to Republicans when they
cast early ballots last week.



This is the second West Virginia county where voters have reported
this problem. Last week, three voters in Jackson County told The
Charleston Gazette their electronic vote for "Barack Obama" kept
flipping to "John McCain".
In both counties, Republicans are responsible for overseeing
elections. Both county clerks said the problem is isolated.
They also blamed voters for not being more careful.


"People make mistakes more than machines," said Jackson County Clerk
Jeff Waybright.


Shelba Ketchum, a 69-year-old nurse retired from Thomas Memorial
Hospital, described what happened Friday at the Putnam County
Courthouse in Winfield.


"I pushed buttons and they all came up Republican," she said. "I hit
Obama and it switched to McCain. I am really concerned about that. If
McCain wins, there was something wrong with the machines.
"I asked them for a printout of my votes," Ketchum said. "But they
said it was in the machine and I could not get it. I did not feel
right when I left the courthouse. My son felt the same way.


"I heard from some other people they also had trouble. But no one in
there knew how to fix it," said Ketchum, who is not related to Menis
Ketchum, a Democratic Supreme Court candidate.


Ketchum's son, Chris, said he had the same problem. And Bobbi Oates of
Scott Depot said her vote for incumbent Democratic Sen. John D.
Rockefeller was switched to GOP opponent Jay Wolfe.


"I touched the one I wanted, Rockefeller, and the machine put a
checkmark on the Republican instead," Oates said of her experience
Thursday.


She said she caught the mistake, called over a worker in the county
clerk's office and was able to correct her vote. But she worries other
voters may not catch such a mistake.


When asked if she is sure she touched the box for Rockefeller, she
said, "I'm absolutely positive."


Putnam County Clerk Brian Wood said on Saturday that he is upset there
are "so many negative stories out there and not enough positive ones.
We want people to vote. People need to know the facts.
"But we haven't had any major issues. We try to explain to voters how
the machines work then they come in," Wood said.


In Putnam County, early voters have the option of asking for either
touch-screen machines or optical scan ballots -- paper ballots on
which people mark in their election choices.


Wood said some voters might not realize that touch-screen voting
machines may take a few seconds to record their choices.


"The reaction time [on the machines] may be different. And when you
hit the screen a second time, it cancels your vote," Wood said. "When
you get in a hurry, if you go to fast and hit it again, you can cancel
what you just did.


"The main thing people need to remember is that when you are done
voting, make sure everybody you wanted to vote for has a check mark
beside them," Wood said.


Ketchum said, "I am educated person. I know what I wanted. I am
anxious to see who wins.


"My son Chris said, 'Mom, I didn't vote for the people who came up on
that machine. I wanted to go back and vote again. I called the lady at
the polls and she said it was my fault because of the way I was
punching the buttons.'


"I want a paper ballot. I think it was very bad when they did away
with paper ballots. I wish you had something in your hand that is a
record of how you voted.


"I never felt that way before. It was early voting, so we went over
there to get it over with. We won't do that again," Ketchum said.
Last week, three Jackson County residents said they experienced
similar problems when they cast early ballots at the county courthouse
in Ripley.
Virginia Matheney, one of those voters, said Friday, "When I touched
the screen for Barack Obama, the check mark moved from his box to the
box indicating a vote for John McCain."


Retired factory worker Calvin Thomas of Ripley said he experienced the
same problem.


"When I pushed Obama, it jumped to McCain. When I went down to
governor's office and punched [Gov. Joe] Manchin, it went to the other
dude.


"After I finished, my daughter voted. When she pushed Obama, it went
to McCain. It happened to her the same way it happened to me," Thomas
said.


Jackson County Clerk Jeff Waybright, a Republican, said 400 other
people voted without reporting any problems.


Wood said he and Waybright are both very careful to guarantee people's
votes are recorded properly.


Wood said, "Voting machines are very reliable. I hate the fact that
stories like this are printed. It makes everybody get scared.
"That is not good for anybody. Where the fault is, I don't know and
the voter doesn't know. There needs to be good communication between
the voters and the poll workers."


Wood offered this advice to voters: "The best way to solve this whole
problem is that before you leave the voting booth, make sure on the
review screen that everybody you want to vote for is checked."
More than 1,000 voters from 48 local precincts in Putnam County cast
early ballots in the past three days, Wood said. Putnam County has
36,000 registered voters.



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Peak oil? I dunno.

Obama vs McCain? PEAK BULL***!
.

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