One Lehigh County Poll Watcher's Experience

According to Northampton County Council member Charles Dertinger, those long lines last Tuesday that kept you from voting in three minutes are all County Exec John Stoffa's fault. Those long lines you saw in Ohio and Florida and everywhere else are probably Stoffa's fault, too. At last week's council meeting, Hangman Dertinger has already proclaimed Northampton County's election as a "screw up of epic proportion." Never mind that all the information he releases to support his claim is totally bogus. One of his goons is already demanding the head of voting registrar Howie Erney, disparaged as little more than a "machine mechanic."

Righty oh, Charles, righty oh.

The truth is that, for such a large turnout, that machine mechanic ran a pretty smooth election. This is not to say there were no problems. Believe it or not, there were even a few problems in Lehigh County. Poll watcher Dick Nepon has sent me his election day experience with a Judge of Elections who thinks she is Queen Elizabeth. He's asked me what he should do.

That's simple, Dick. File a complaint against John Stoffa. I'm pretty sure it's all his fault. If you have a better suggestion, read Dick's dirge.

I was an election poll watcher in Lehigh County (as I have been for longer than I can recall). This election I was assigned Lower Macungie District #2. I thought it would be a sleeper, but I was mistaken. When I arrived at 6:30AM there was already a long line out to the parking lot. Inside were 10 voting machines being set up. I introduced myself to the Judge of Elections. I inquired to see about the 'zero' tapes, to see them and asked if they were signed. I was rudely instructed that they were sealed in the machines. I asked if they were signed, and was told that she signs them at the end of the election. I suggested that that defeats the purpose, and that I was entitled to see the tapes, but she refused. I made my first call to the voter protection office.

As it turns out, the number I had was a wrong number. I called the local Dem office, and was given a correct number, but that number required an eight digit voting district to proceed on the voice answering system. I had no number. I called back and reported to the local office.

Shortly, the first missing name on the books showed up. This gentleman had waited two hours (one before we opened) to get in and vote, but although he had a voter registration card with his name on it for this district, his name was not in their book. The Judge of Elections attempted to contact the County Voter Registration office, but all lines were busy. She tried for over an hour, then got through and says she was instructed to offer the gentleman a provisional ballot. When I saw him filling that out I approached and heard his story. I suggested that since he had a valid card, and was also on the rolls at the county, he was entitled to a machine vote. I advised him not to hand in the provisional ballot. The Judge of Elections was incensed. While we argued the proper use of provisional ballots, someone found his name mis-filed and he did get to vote by machine, but the underlying problem was not addressed.

The next problem was another voter with a card but no listing. The Judge again could not get through to the County, and refused to issue a provisional ballot without express permission from the County Clerk of Elections (Sterner). I suggested to her that she did not need permission.

This charade went on for a while, with a few different people some of whom had registration cards, some didn't. All were adamant about wanting to vote, but needing to get to work after standing in line for a while. I advocated for machine vote for people who were on the County roll, and had registration cards, and for provisional ballots for those who had no proof of where they were to vote. The Judge told me to stop bothering voters. She instructed me to stop talking to voters. She informed me that I was a poll WATCHER, and my job was to watch, not talk. I informed her that my job was to protect the voting rights of every individual, and to make certain that no one was disenfranchised. She ordered me to leave the polling place, and called for a constable to evict me. She said that that she had her orders and she had her rules and that what I said (or showed her in writing, I had the voting act with me) were of no regard.

The constable refused to evict me. The voter protection lawyers showed up and talked with her. She agreed to allow any voter to talk with me before she either refused them a vote, or forced them to use a provisional vote, but I would have to discuss this outside with the voter. In the event, she actually hid all questionable voters from me and refused to cooperate. I don't know how many people lost their vote that day. I have names and contact info for five people before the lawyers arrived.

I have filled out paperwork to address this issue at the county level, but am not sure where to take it. I suppose the Clerk of Elections, but I feel that she was the source of bad advice to this Judge.

By the way, that district voted in favor of McCain. I don't care how you vote, I care that you get a chance to cast a ballot that counts.

I think the actions of this Judge were criminal. I wonder how many other districts had similar problems that escaped detection. I wonder how many provisional ballots were cast in Lehigh County, and I wonder how many people never got to vote.

I also ran across a republican poll watcher in my voting district (Allentown 11-4) who was challenging all the Muhlenberg College students' registrations, and slowing the line down to where there was a 2.5 hour wait. Inside were 4 voting machines, but they stood empty most of the time, and only one was actually used most of the time. Since that matter had already been decided by the courts, I deemed this a tactic to cause long lines and waits and discourage voters from voting. I informed the voter protection people, and I understand he was removed and the lines began to move swiftly.

I also had the experience of anti-abortion, anti Obama protesters haranguing the voters in line at Lower Macungie 2, and they were informed, eventually, that they could silently stand 10' from the polling place, but it was illegal for them to annoy the voters in line. They chose to leave and I found them in my home district, across the street, but quiet when I went to vote.