Ballot Watch: Eyes on the Election

Nov. 3, 2004 — -- Four year ago, hanging chad and other voting problems left the outcome of the presidential election in doubt for weeks. This Election Day, it appears only a few scattered and minor incidents surfaced.

While problems may still appear as officials conduct final counts of all -- including absentee -- ballots, below is a state-by-state list of some of the voting irregularities that were reported from voting stations across the country on Election Day.

Colorado

The organization FairVote said it received more than 500 calls on its hot line. Its representatives said the biggest problem was people being turned away in some precincts in Boulder and Denver because the address on their identification didn't match the address on the voter registration logs. It didn't have to match, according to the Colorado Guide for Election Judges.

After Colorado Republicans complained of allegedly improper activities by workers from the left-leaning group MoveOn.org, the secretary of state's office sent a notice to all counties saying state law bars any "election-related activity" within 100 feet of the building where voting is taking place. Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn.org, denied the allegations, which were made in multiple states, calling them "scurrilous" and "false," and said, "we appear to be a victim of orchestrated effort to create a phony storyline if the election is close."

Florida

In Volusia County, an optical scan ballot reader broke down at an early voting site but the ballots in question were "reread" into a new machine Tuesday under the watch of both parties.

In Miami and St. Petersburg, a total of three machines did not accurately record the vote preferences of some people voting, leading them to complain to precinct officials, who rectified the problem, according to Democratic Party officials. It appears the number of affected voters was low.

In Broward County, 10 new touch-screen voting machines failed, according to The Associated Press. Similar problems were reported in Tallahassee.

In Boynton Beach, a poll clerk reported to the AP that nearly 40 votes were apparently erased after a power failure.

Iowa

Republican officials complained that activists from MoveOn.org were hovering too close to polling stations. Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn.org, denied the claims, which were alleged in multiple states, calling them "scurrilous" and "false" and said "we appear to be a victim of orchestrated effort to create a phony storyline if the election is close."