- It was quite busy, busier than the Presidential race just two years ago. Contrary to what you might think,election workers actually like busy elections. Not only does it make us feel better about what we are doing, but the time flies.
- At various times, I was visited by four poll watchers appointed by the Democratic party. Two of them were there for the entire day. That has never happened before. One even sat with me when I opened up and counted 26 absentee ballots.
- There were a few early complaints that one machine refused to light up when Dean Donaher, a Democratic candidate for State Rep., was selected. This complaint quickly made its way to Facebook. The name would eventually light up. I believe the voters expected the machines to operate like an iPad. They are making selections on machines that have clear plastic over cardboard. I reported the incident to a machine technician, who told me that a new machine would likely produce the same result. The machine operator checked it and it was fine. Voters were instructed that if the name they select fails to light up, try again. This was also reviewed with three of the Democratic poll watchers, each of whom is an attorney. They were satisfied with what we were doing.
- We ran out of "I voted" stickers very early. Voters really like to receive those, and complained about being shortchanged. The County needs to have these stickers, especially for the kids.
- I caught one person who voted twice. She came to the polls with her mom and voted. Then, a few hours later when she thought out guard was down, she returned with her dad and voted again. I let her off the hook.
- One of the biggest problems in a busy election is registered voters who come to the wrong polling place. At least eight people came to me with that problem. The county produced a great poll locator so I could help these voters. But because my polling place is at a school, the school WiFi blocked me from accessing anything. As a result, I had to call Easton several times and it took their time and mine. Around 4 pm, one of my poll workers was able to access the website from her iPhone. It was magic! It helped quite a few voters get to the right polling place.
- In a precinct with 950 voters, there were 26 absentee ballots.
- I was not keeping count, but my impression is that more women voted than men. They seemed quite determined.
- I helped one voter cast a provisional ballot.
- We were all very sorry to hear that a Forks Tp woman was unfortunately killed in an automobile accident at her polling place.These accidents are why schools need to be closed on election day.
Erratum: In my original story, I said the women who was in an auto accident had been at a school. (Published originally at 12:00 am)
58 comments:
No Blue Wave. More like a bubble. The democrats love affair with sure winners went down again. Cozze was their new sweetheart and got beat by double digits, as did most of them. Who will be their next sure winner.
Oh Clem, you are such a sad person. I wish you well and hope the medications work.
Nothing changed at the local level. All state house and senate seats stayed the same. The so-called new age saviors of the blue wave democratic party got whooped. Wonder how the county party leaders will spin this big loss. Heard some of the people are already getting praised for the hard and good races they ran. Really? When did candidates get a trophy for just putting their name on the ballot? Are their any democratic people out there that can win any of these local races and not get beat by double digit percentages? The Party bosses look like clowns.
What a bunch of maroons!
The whiney person calling people whiney lol. Add a homophobic comment and a disparaging remark about a woman. You just seem generally bitter.
The woman who was killed voted at the Forks Community Center not a closed school.
Certainly a Blue Democrat House wave. A successful Red Wall for GOP in the Senate. While not a tsunami for either party, the Democrats now have a check in place on the authoritarian President in the White House. That's the expected result and Trumpsters will try to spin it, but the fact remains that Trump isn't the vote-getter he thinks he is. I expect many GOP candidates seeking re-election in 2020 won't be asking for his help.
The PA Supreme Court handed Charlie Dent's seat to the Democrats. Off-year elections have consequences.
Sounds like there is something here to satisfy BOTH parties. Maybe that's a good omen for getting a Congress that actually gets something done.
The Republican House under Paul Ryan's poor leadership never could get its act together. Amazingly, Paul Ryan is no doubt pleased with these election results.
The "I Voted" stickers were important for acquiring free stuff. Coffee, drinks, ice cream, beer.
What was going on with the polling place change in Palmer Township? I've heard from two people now who went to vote as usual at Brown & Lynch, only to find out that the polling place was moved to Tracy School. They both said there was no advance notification of this that they were aware of.
If you need to wear an "I Voted" sticker, you are pathetic. Get help.
Huntress, thank you for that clarification.
Voters like those stickers and the county should have had them. They like them and give them to their kids. After they take the trouble of voting, the least the county could do is give them a sticker.
I deleted Clem, he is not welcome.
I'm sorry bernie but many many adults wear the stickers all day after the election-------PROUDLY,! Both democrats and republicans.
Me too!,
@8:24 am
Why is it so important to have I voted stickers for everybody but we can’t get registration stickers for our license plates anymore because they are too expensive?
"I'm sorry bernie but many many adults wear the stickers all day after the election-------PROUDLY,! Both democrats and republicans.
Me too!,"
It is the least the county can do for those who voye.I thought we were past that. Even Brown started supplying stickers.
"Why is it so important to have I voted stickers for everybody but we can’t get registration stickers for our license plates anymore because they are too expensive?"
This is such a stupid question I really should delete it.
I've looked but cannot find election results by precinct...it's interesting to see how you voted compared to your neighbors.
look at the county webpage and you can find voting by precinct.
For example, NorCo: https://www.northamptoncounty.org/CTYADMN/ELECTNS/Election%20Results/Nov%206,%202018%20Precinct%20Report.pdf
The stickers are often used to enter raffles for prizes... you show your sticker as proof you voted and that's how your name goes into the hat.
Thank you Bernie.
Great work as always Bernie - I am assuming/hoping that was a joke about the woman voting twice?
All in all a mixed bag for everyone, and lets give some credit to the pollsters and prognosticators who more or less had been calling for this result since last winter.
Lets hope against hope that those elected take note that they weren't elected unanimously and are in office to serve the people they represent, not their party.
Scott of Nazareth
It was clearly a child accompanying her parents as they voted at separate times.
It was a joke. It was a nine year old girl who voted with her mom and came back later with her dad. I teased her. She smiled and her dad laughed.
Only surprise yesterday was that they no longer had the book to sign in but tablets. Made things go quickly but did panic for a minute in that I saw a lot of people giving their driver's license to sign in on the tablets and I did not bring mine in. So as I was about to run back to the car, someone let me know that I didn't need to.
I'm relieved that we won the House. Bummed about Florida, Texas, and Georgia, but not really surprised...especially in Georgia, where Kemp made sure to suppress as many Democratic votes as possible.
I expect Mueller will announce more indictments this week (maybe Friday?). Word on the street is Jr is going DOWN!
Do the absentee ballots get logged in the book? I went late in the evening and I noticed my voter number was 3 more than the election day turnout number in the county report.
We also ran out of "I Voted" stickers early. There were not many packed with the election materials. Perhaps, Northampton County wanted to deplete their supply before reordering. Don't know for sure though. The stickers are requested by many and many were disappointed they were not able to get one, especially for their children. One voter I remember was using her sticker as proof to show her employer that she actually left to cast her vote and was not just using that as an excuse to get extra time off.
“I let her off the hook.” She voted twice. Witnessed and admitted proof of voter fraud. Although, I do not know the circumstances and understand how things may happen, especially during a busier day at the polls. We had two people who voted but did not sign the “book”. It was noted and accounted for. Another ward in the same building had two voters leave the polls without pressing the red vote button, which actually cast the vote. There is a procedure that must be followed when that happens. Every little thing must be accounted for. There are forms and notes and procedures that must be followed. There are oaths that must be taken by the election officials. Every count must match or be accounted for and witnessed by and signed by multiple sworn officials. All materials must go into certain sealed envelopes. The election materials, including the cartridges from each machine, must be delivered to the elections office in Easton. There, all materials, the counts, as well as the cartridges, are again verified by the elections office. The elections office makes sure all laws, rules, procedures and steps have been followed before certifying the results. That is my own simplified version. A busier day does indeed make time seem to go by faster. Thankfully, I had no absentee ballots and no provisional ballots, which all made my close out procedure easier. Thanks to all for voting. It was about triple the usual turnout in our ward. A long day, but a fun and satisfying day. Every election day is a win for all Americans.
Oops, sorry, just saw that it was a joke. I apologize. I used to think I had a sense of humor.
This stupid I voted stickers are a waste of money and resources. I agree with the earlier comments about car registration stickers being done away with because they were too expensive but somehow the county can find money to buy stupid stickers. Yes I know the two are unrelated. Anybody who votes just because they can get a silly little sticker is a loser just like you O’Hare
Since when did Mike Schlossmann become a spokesperson for Pat Browne?
1122...My youngest voted twice too. Once with her mother and once with me. Maybe trump can send up some dog crates to prove a point.
Thanks for serving in your capacity Bernie. As well as all who do and help to protect the integrity of our election system.
1:48 said, "Yes I know the two are unrelated"...yet you're relating them.
Bernie may be a loser, but at least he's a loser who understands the difference between the cost of a sticker for every vehicle in the state every year and 1 for the small percentage of people who actually vote every other year or so.
The way our local losers are talking, you would think they live in an alternate reality. Matt Munsey proves again his recruits are part of the not ready for prime time players.
I have heard that Tricia M. was inside the poll in W. Easton and was lurking over people. Do you know if she was there in an official capacity or not? Also..it appeared to a witness that she may have been armed. Please advise.
I worked Hanover 2. "stickers" ran out around noon. Appeared to be leftover stock from the primary election in May. With 65% voter turnout, the process of handing out the stickers slowed the voting process down a bit, but yes...adults complained about the I VOTED sticker shortage.
RE: people arriving at the wrong polling place. A tablet or smart phone works wonders (again, internet connection is a must and I agree that the BASD guest wifi doesn't work). Takes too long to call voter reg. Simply going to this site reveals the voters up-to-date voter registration status and location:
https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/VoterRegistrationStatus.aspx
9 out of ten times, when asked to see their license or id (with voter's consent and desire to see their polling place), I could see that they had licenses in Allentown, or another voting district in Bethlehem...; however, voila, in seconds, we realized they were in the wrong spot. The website was vital and should be bookmarked in every election judges phone. Election judges should become more familiar with this website (state website from the pa dept of state) to quickly assist voters. If the voter doesn't have their driver's license number, you can also search by street address. The technology is there, lets use it. Calling voter reg every time is soooo 1980s.
we treated our poll watchers with kindness, after all, we had nothing to hide and were there to serve the public. As for the election judge, majority/minority inspectors and machine operators, we were working 6am to 9pm with 2 breaks.. Grueling hours. But hey, I look at it as a civic duty.
12:45, I can only speak to NorCo. Lehigh was much more high tech. We give people numbers, but those are only for our own reference. That would correlate only roughly with the turnout. Absentee ballots are counted separately and appear on the return as such. Do not really understand you.
Regarding the lack of stickers: let's rejoice in our first world problems while we still can...
I voted in NorCo. When I take the slip with the square boxes that you put your last name and first name on to the table with the book to sign your name. When I do that that print my name on a log. My number on that log was 1239, they then write that number on the slip with my name. But the County report only shows 1236 people voted. Hopefully that clarifies it.
Stickers are a waste of tax dollars. If someone wants to donate them, fine. Taxes are already to high. This is not necessary.
"I voted in NorCo. When I take the slip with the square boxes that you put your last name and first name on to the table with the book to sign your name. When I do that that print my name on a log. My number on that log was 1239, they then write that number on the slip with my name. But the County report only shows 1236 people voted. Hopefully that clarifies it."
It does. The number given to you only roughly corresponds with the actual number. Workers may have ripped up 20 or 30 of those because the people who filled them out turned out to belong elsewhere. Plus, we sometimes make mistakes and throw the paper away. My guess is that you were probably a voter in the low 1200s. The 1236 figure would be people who voted after you plus the absentee ballots, which we do count at the end of the night. Hope that helps. If you would really like to know, I am sure the elections office would put you in touch with your judge and he or she could talk to you.
I love the system in Lehigh and have started pressuring county officials to use them in the next election. It is an iPad that you can sign and then be added automatically to the list of voters who voted. It should speed things up and eliminate both the need for a clerk or those papers.
I agree School's should not be used as polling places & furthermore Schools should remain closed on Election Day as most Employers close for that Day. I think the I VOTED STICKERS are harmless & cost next to nothing to make up I always take a I VOTED STICKER. I send my well wishes to the Lady that got hit & killed in Forks.
- We were all very sorry to hear that a Forks Tp woman was unfortunately killed in an automobile accident at her polling place.These accidents are why schools need to be closed on election day.
Let’s overreact! It was a rainy day and an old lady hit another old lady and you want to jump to conclusions and close schools on Election Day? How about we close all polling places on days with inclement weather? That’s more than likely why this accident happened. It has nothing to do with schools genius.
C'mon Bernie,. give us your election day takeaways. No boring stuff.
Sam Murray fixed an an All Star Vote for his Son Joseph =wrong !
Resign Judge =you are a Fraud !
Sam Murray fixed anAll Star Vote for his Son Joseph =wrong !
Resign Murray/Haddad =you are a fraud !
Margie Murray and Mc'Clure twins ?
Peter J Cuckhrane wants to eat Sam Murray's kebab, will Large Marge allow this man on man action?
Hey Pat Browne won a close one, Blue wave right?? We beat em all on the state rep races We even had the pleasure of Phoebe Harris the Allentown Democratic Chair partying with us Pat Browne's celebration party. that's what you call a smart Democrat like Charle Theil and Jenn Mann Bravo Phobe come on over to the Dark side we got real money for Dems like you and Charlie
Phobe Harris is the future of Allentown.
I once did not consider the "I Voted" stickers to be of much importance. That was my opinion. Then I was elected judge of elections for our ward. Then I experienced how many and how much those wanting the stickers appreciated them. There were several reasons given in support of the stickers, including, to placate small children, to help instill civic pride and duty in children and make the process and responsibility of voting a more pleasant experience, for "proof" of voting, to prompt others to vote, to serve as a reminder to others that the day is election day and to show the world that "I voted" and have done my civic duty and I am proud to be an American.
to the poster re: his voting number. It's just a counter of how many people walked into the poll and attempted to vote. In a perfect world, every person that prefilled out the form actually voted. But when you add 'voids' and walkouts, the number of actual votes cast goes down. The sign in sheet is not an official count of votes cast, just a number of people that walked in. In the case of voter 1239, there could have been 10 or so people that filled out the form, were logged into the book, and were voided before voting because they were at the wrong district.
In primaries, most voids on the sign in sheet occur when third party voters (green party, independent, libertarian) arrive, sign in, then are turned away because they cannot vote for the democratic or republican primary ballot.
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