As Predicted, Election Plagued By Machine Malfunction

WASHINGTON - Nov. 8, 2016 - PRLog -- Barbara Arnwine, President and Founder of the Transformative Justice Coalition, said, "The Voting Rights Alliance, a non-partisan public interest organization, has operated a national Election Protection Command Center on Election Day, fielding alarming reports of an unfolding debacle. Fifty years after the Voting Rights Act took effect, and sixteen years after the infamous 2000 Election meltdown, voters are facing long delays, confusion, and other pain at the polls.

Sadly, we face the chilling prospect of another problematic election. A dark cloud is forming over Election Day 2016 because officials ignored the warnings of election integrity activists that old, improperly maintained, out-of-date, and unreliable voting equipment has and would continue to malfunction."

Ms. Arnwine reported, "At our Command Center, we continue receiving and compiling numerous serious complaints from states including: Florida, New York, California, Utah, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Indiana, Michigan, Kansas, Arizona, Illinois, Tennessee, Ohio, Georgia, among others. These complaints include reports of voter intimidation, improperly demanding identification, running out of paper ballots and other necessary materials, as well as widespread voting machine failures. Issues include scanners, electronic polling books, and other equipment malfunctioning, jamming, failing, freezing etc. causing long lines and hours-long delays that are preventing voters from voting."

Ms. Arnwine added, "We have received reports that election officials have improperly directed registered voters to vote on provisional ballots, compounding these Election Day problems. We have attempted to call, fax, and email elections officials to address and remedy these problems. Our calls were on hold, our faxes were undeliverable, and our emails were unanswered. To their credit, Florida elections officials returned our calls, however, they refused to issue an alert or advisory to county and precinct level officials to suspend the practice of directing properly registered voters to vote on provisional ballots."

Ms. Arnwine concluded, "Americans deserve better. All of us who are concerned about voting rights and election integrity call upon President Obama, Attorney General Lynch, the U.S. Congress, and all other responsible public officials to conduct complete and through investigations and determine what went wrong and why. Additionally, we call upon the U.S. Congress to act immediately to enact currently pending legislation and appropriate all necessary funding to ensure that all our election systems are operational, secure, reliable, and transparent to allow voters to vote easily, and have their votes counted accurately."

More information about the Transformative Justice Coalition:  http://www.tjcoalition.org/