Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Some voters get the runaround at precinct polls
At least nine polling places were relocated at the last minute because of power outages.
Photo by Sam Dean | The Roanoke Times
At a relocated polling station in William Fleming High School, Joan Patrick (left) helps Loretta Otey cast her vote as many other voters wait to have their identification checked.
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As Roanoke Valley voters turned out to the polls Tuesday, some became confused when the polls turned out to be closed.
Power outages from Sunday's windstorm forced election officials in Roanoke, Roanoke County and Botetourt County to relocate at least nine polling places for the presidential primaries.
The last-minute changes were publicized Monday, and signs were placed at the affected precincts informing voters of the new polling places. Still, some people were confused and frustrated.
"It's just hard on some people because they don't have power to learn from TV, or the radio, or whatever, that it's been moved," said Botetourt County Registrar Phyllis Dierschow. In Botetourt, residents who normally cast their votes at Rainbow Forest Baptist Church were told to go to the Blue Ridge Volunteer Fire Department, which unlike the church had electricity.
There was no way to tell how many people might not have voted because of the confusion. However, registrars in all three of the affected localities reported average to slightly higher than average turnouts at midday.
In Roanoke, where five polling places were moved, Registrar Beryl Brooks was on the telephone almost nonstop Tuesday morning, taking questions and complaints.
"I haven't even gone to the bathroom," she said at 11 a.m.
The most common complaints were that the signs outside the powerless voting places were too small and not well-lit early in the morning -- "never mind the fact that that's because they weren't voting" at those locations, Brooks said.
In Roanoke, plans were made Monday to move four voting places -- Highland Park Elementary, Ruffner Middle School, Fairview Elementary and Raleigh Court Elementary -- to nearby alternate locations. Voting officials had to scramble early Tuesday morning when they learned that a fifth polling place, Westside Elementary, was also dark.
"People are confused," said Gloria Dowe, a poll worker at William Fleming High School, which was accommodating voters who normally report to either Westside or Ruffner.
"Some of them are a little irate. One lady said she had driven around for 30 minutes trying to find us," Dowe said.
And once voters found the Fleming gymnasium, they still had to figure out which precinct's voting machines to go to -- Westside or Peters Creek -- and which primary to vote in -- Republican or Democratic. Not to mention deciding whom to vote for.
"They have lots of choices to make," Dowe said.
It didn't help things when the power went out about 1 p.m. at the Garden City and Jefferson-Riverdale precincts. The city's electronic voting machines, which have backup batteries that are good for about four hours, cast enough of a glow for voters to make their choices in the dark.
Not knowing how long the power would be out, voting officials were getting ready to print up paper ballots when the lights came back on about 2.
In Roanoke County, officials said things were going smoothly at three relocated precincts, even though the power from a generator went out briefly at the Mason Cove Fire Department.
Most of the voters interviewed Tuesday said they had heard about the relocated polling places through word of mouth or the news media. For some of those who went to Patrick Henry High School instead of Raleigh Court Elementary, it was the same locale as Saturday's Democratic primary for Roanoke City Council candidates.
"We've already been there and done that," Owen Schultz said after casting his vote.
