Do better
Tuesday, Nov 3, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If a Republican county clerk in, say, Georgia, did this, we’d likely see it in the national news…
Poll workers at some Cook County sites sent voters who were still in line about 7 p.m. home, an election official said.
Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough’s election offices turned away voters who were still in line at 7 p.m. on Monday, the clerk’s spokeswoman Sally Daly said. […]
“The Cook County Election Judge Manual itself states that anyone in line when early voting ends for the day has the right to cast their ballot and must be allowed to vote,” Ami Gandhi, the senior counsel for the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, said in a statement. ” But tonight, voters came out the cold and waited for hours to cast their ballots, only to be turned away without explanation. That needless barrier undoubtedly disenfranchised Cook County voters.”
* Long lines in the southern states are deemed to be vote suppression. Here? Just part of life…
Polls open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7 p.m. Long lines? Don’t fret: If you’re in line at 7 p.m., you are entitled to vote.
My point is not that the southern states don’t have very real voter suppression issues, of course. They most certainly do. My point is that election officials (and many in the media) up here cheerily point to long lines while marveling about all the wonderful enthusiasm and the hardiness of our people, when most of those long lines, delays and abrupt closures could and should be prevented. For example…
If Fulton County can do it, so can we.
- Frank talks - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:24 am:
Any idea how many didn’t open on time? There’s always some in the City.
- Former Downstater - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:27 am:
Sorry for that crazy link. https://tinyurl.com/y4vb5kxy
- 1st Ward - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:29 am:
There was also alot of confusion with Yarbrough and drop-off ballots not being counted on time a few weeks back. Has this issue been resolved?
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/10/20/21525699/mail-in-voting-drop-off-box-cook-county-clerk-karen-yarbrough-delays
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:30 am:
Agreed, Rich.
It defeats the purpose if Early Voting sites have lines.
Also, imstead of being open from 9-7, why not have them open from 11-9pm?
Finally, campaigns need to adjust their GOTV strategy even further to have passers and election lawyers at early voting sites.
- Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:32 am:
Wow, that makes my blood boil. Whoever made that decision should be unemployed.
- Wonk - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:33 am:
Given the Shakman defiance in her office, I’m not surprised at this sort of thing happening. I hope people remember this in 2022 and count on your long memory to help remind us!
- Trubisky - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:34 am:
If only it could be as efficient as the Democrat Iowa caucuses. What did that take? 4 days to count 170k votes?
LOL
- Wonk - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:36 am:
Ducky, I wonder which of her friends and family it was. https://www.chicagotribune.com/investigations/ct-karen-yarbrough-cook-county-clerk-patronage-hiring-20190911-e2aj2es5sze4zfvejehxehimsm-story.html
- Go Big - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:38 am:
Why isn’t ALL early voting open on September 24th? It seems odd to have different starting dates at different geographic locations.
- Go Big - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:39 am:
Voter suppression passes as incompetence in the City. Just wow . . . . . .
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:44 am:
=== If only it could be as efficient as the Democrat Iowa caucuses.===
“Democrat”… ugh… “ok”
That was a primary, it was also a caucus.
If you can’t grasp the difference….
To the post,
There’s a list of things that constitutes voter suppression, “deciding” that those in line before the polls aren’t able to vote is that type of suppression.
If you’re actively cheering voter suppression, maybe you need to realize what it means to disinfranchise someone.
We need to not only do better, ya wanna debt voting to those who disagree, don’t be surprised when voters refuse to see you or your party as a viable voting option.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:47 am:
=== Voter suppression passes as incompetence in the City. Just wow . . . . . .====
Voter suppression happens, not just “in the city”
Rich cites the uproar if it was Georgia, in Texas they tried to throw out “drive thru” ballots… “because”
- Rasselas - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:57 am:
I so miss David Orr and his team of professionals. Now the Clerk’s office is just another patronage-laden dumpster.
- thunderspirit - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 11:02 am:
Voting in this country shouldn’t eequire long lines, shouldn’t need to take time off from any job, shouldn’t be difficult. I don’t understand why that’s deemed a controversial perspective.
- Crash - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 11:24 am:
Unfortunately, this happens every election day in Chicago. Every time, at least one the precincts to which I’m assigned (counsel for a ward org) has no machines at all or is missing machines or machines are not working or they lack someone from BOE to handle something important. We see it, we report it and we still have problems. Beyond that, we inevitably have issues with precinct locations being changed (including one year when Maria Pappas lost it because even she couldn’t figure out where to vote).
For a great city, we are terrible at certain things.
- James the Intolerant - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 11:29 am:
Maybe for the next general election they can expand from one early voting location to two. My public library is a early voting mailbox drop and was staffed with 2 people, so if you added 4 more people to that location and add machines each ward could have 2 early voting locations and lines would be reduced.
- 1st Ward - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 11:31 am:
“Long lines in the southern states are deemed to be vote suppression”
It looks like some media outlets are reporting on this occurring in NYC and Cuomo wants to disband the NYC BOE as such. WaPo has an article titled “long lines, other issues plague early voting in NYC, prompting calls of voter suppression”.
https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2020/10/26/de-blasio-aoc-chide-nyc-elections-board-over-long-waits-for-early-voting-1330861
- Rosty Ghost - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 11:32 am:
Chicago has the best government money can buy; having to wait another 12 hours to cast your ballot is not voter suppression. Besides this is Chicago - it’s not the vote that counts it’s who counts the votes.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 11:35 am:
===occurring in NYC===
Perhaps the worst, most ridiculously inept election authorities in the country.
- phocion - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 11:53 am:
“Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.”
- Dotnonymous - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 12:53 pm:
The banality of incompetence can result in disastrous outcomes…nevertheless.
- Go Big - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 1:31 pm:
=Voter suppression happens, not just “in the city”=
I get the context Willy. I was saying the exact same thing as Rich in a different manner.
Your hand holding and remedial dialogue isn’t really necessary. But thanks dude.
- Angry Chicagoan - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 3:56 pm:
Maybe it’s just me but it sure seems like Yarborough’s rationale for replacing David Orr two years ago was so much hot air. Early voting very late to start in the county. Being administered bureaucratically rather than helpfully. While early voting in the city this time was easily my best voting experience yet. I can sure understand why county voters would miss Orr.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 6:16 pm:
1st Ward asks:
===There was also alot of confusion with Yarbrough and drop-off ballots not being counted on time a few weeks back. Has this issue been resolved?===
I dropped one off on 10/25, and nine days later, it still shows as “not returned” on the Clerk’s web site.
- n-t-c - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 6:17 pm:
Accidentally posted anonymously.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 6:16 pm: