Editor’s Note: Share your early voting experiences with CNN. Send your pictures, video, and iReports.
Adam Levine
CNN Supervising Producer
This election, CNN is running a voter hotline. We are already getting calls from around the country about problems and concerns that voters are having as they try to register, vote absentee, early vote or get information.
The hotline has generated over 10,000 calls so far and we’ve reported on some of those problems both on CNN and on the CNN Political Ticker
Of the top issues, a third of all of the problems called are about registration issues. After that, the next highest category is integrity issues which pertains to concerns people have about making sure their votes count. Absentee ballot issues make up 15% of the calls, problems with voting machines 9.5% and accessing poll locations have generated 9% of the calls.
We are hearing problems from around the country.
One of the more interesting confusions has arisen in Knoxville, TN where we got a number of calls from Barack Obama voters who were confused when they went to vote.
Apparently the summary screen that allows you to doublecheck your choices before you cast your ballot only lists the first three letters of the presidential candidate you voted for. If you voted for John McCain you would see ‘Elector for Joh’. If you voted for Barack Obama, it would say “Elector for Bar”.
The problem is that some voters were not sure if BAR stood for Barack Obama or the Libertarian candidate Bob Barr. Knox County election officials tell us that they regret the confusion but assure voters that ‘Bar’ means that you voted for Barack Obama. The problem is the font size and screen size crowding out the rest of the name.
So, if you have an issue voting or see a problem, give the CNN Voter Hotline a call at 1-877-GOCNN08 (1-877-462-6608.)
| Anika |
October 28th, 2008 10:17 am ET Anderson I am peeved! My registration form was sent in PRIOR to deadline, through embassy mail, and got not response. I contacted my Board of Elections, to inquire on my status. However the only response I got was “we have no record of you in our system” to which I replied, “thats certainly not an explanation”. What should I do?! |
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| Tracie Miller |
October 28th, 2008 10:46 am ET My son received his Florida absentee ballot at his college address in Ohio. After completing his ballot, he noted the official envelop was already completely sealed. Breaking that seal in order to put his ballot in it will invalidate his vote. Is this a random event or with some purpose? |
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| johnrj08 |
October 28th, 2008 12:04 pm ET In Los Angeles County, an area that is as large as some small countries and a population of more than 12 million people, there is only ONE location provided for early voting. That location, in Norwalk, is nearly 40 miles from my home, and I live in the middle of the County. Between the long drive and the fact that the line for early voting must be around the block, it is doubtful many people will be able to vote early in this area. |
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| tim |
October 28th, 2008 12:21 pm ET ? is it fair for one state to have early voting and another not. ? why does one state mean more than another in the electorial. thanks tim |
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| jackie |
October 28th, 2008 12:38 pm ET Democrats in the county I live in florida are stealing McCain yard signs to turn in for free pizza. Dems talk about Republicans stealing the election but it is the Dems who are taught to steal to get what they want. From the grassroots level to the top officials, corrupt, corrupt, corrupt. |
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| Richard |
October 28th, 2008 1:34 pm ET Dear CNN: |
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| Bruce |
October 28th, 2008 2:27 pm ET Early voting is now going on here in Texas, and the turn out if strong. While I lived in Geramny in the military voties was very hard. Often the paperwork was late and then in 2000 many of us stationed overseas learned that most states never even count the mail in votes. Floriday anounced that they had certified the count before all the mail in votes were counted. |
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| Alexandra Ruiz |
October 28th, 2008 2:51 pm ET Hi Anderson, I became a US Citizen this May, and on that day there was a member from the board of elections who gave out voter registration forms and collected them after we were sworn in. She said after giving this form in you are guaranteed the right to vote at this election. So today I decided to call to find out where I am suppose to go to vote since I had not recieved the card that states that location. As a first time voter I assumed this was normal since many of my peers had not received the location where they are suppose to vote either. A Queens Board of Elections member told me I was not in the system and that there is nothing I could do about it. I have a friend who works for the Queens Board of Elections and she said they had been getting thousands of calls from newly naturalized citizens who were having the same problem. How could this happen? It seems to me like we cant trust our own Board of Elections to properly register voters. I am disheartened by this matter. Please help. |
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| Mike from Florida |
October 28th, 2008 4:20 pm ET Where is Jimmy Carter? He can travel the world verifying elections overseas, but can’t help out at home. Didn’t he verify Chavez’s elections? I hadn’t heard him say anything about ACORN and the ties to Obama? Why don’t you get him on the show and ask him why our electorial system is so screwed up and not every state is on the same page. Presidential Elections should be 2 days. |
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| Eugenia-San Francisco, Ca |
October 28th, 2008 4:31 pm ET You know you guys are the first on so many things, important things. I’m really glad that you have commercials with phone numbers for people to call if they have any voting problems. I’ll I have to say is if McCain happens to win, the out pouring of peoples responses will be beyond anything we have ever seen before. |
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| Linda Richards |
October 28th, 2008 5:15 pm ET Check out what is going on in Texas khou11 with the big coorperation Zachery construction sending out letters to all employee’s advising them who they should vote for. Mostly republican. LR |
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| Mary V., Salt Lake City, UT |
October 28th, 2008 7:38 pm ET Well, JACKIE, Republicans IN Utah are stealing OBAMA SIGNS………so we are EVEN! This election has been brutal. Thanks to the Republican-lies-hate-fear-and-division politics! Its a shame that in our Nation, the bastion of Democracy, any one would have a hard time voting! Which is our most basic civil right! I believe that Congress has to pass a law which makes Voting Laws standard across our Nation: ALL states should have early voting; the requirements to vote should be the SAME in ALL states and companies who sell VOTING MACHINES, SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO DONATE TO ANY CAMPAIGN, LIKE DIEBOLD DID TO THE GOP! |
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| Tina |
October 28th, 2008 7:39 pm ET I voted early yesterday, but the date stamp read, “10-27-2003″. |
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| Heidi Ann Berg |
October 28th, 2008 8:39 pm ET could you call for any kind of question you have about voting |
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| Kathryn |
October 28th, 2008 8:55 pm ET When I was accepted to study abroad this semester I made sure I applied for an absentee ballot. I found out a few weeks ago that they had given me the wrong application. After a week of trying to get in touch with the election center (they don’t answer their phones or emails) I asked my family to go down to see if I could reapply. After another week they finally (grudgingly) sent me another application to fill out via email, but I had to fax it back to them. Turns out they don’t keep their fax machine on. My family again went down to the office to ask if they could keep the machine on so that I could fax the application. Finally, nearly a month after the whole thing started, I have been able to cast my vote. You’d think for a country who has put a man on the moon,getting a ballot to someone on the other side of the world would be insultingly easy in comparison. |
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| Jen In Mex |
October 28th, 2008 9:08 pm ET Don’t get me started!!! I have voted from overseas in the last 2 pres. elections. I notified my home state office of change of address 2 months ago. 2 weeks ago I got an e-mail where they stated they had sent my ballot to the old address and did I want it sent to the new address? Duhhhhh. |
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| Mike Rasmussen |
October 28th, 2008 9:22 pm ET I live in Oregon and we vote by mail. So why does the rest of the country do it the old fashion way? We can do it in the comfort of our home and not have to stand in lines out in the cold. |
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