Despite the presence of hundreds of international observers who are on hand to watch Americans choose a new president and members of Congress, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump tells Reuters he's sticking with a "wait and see" approach.
Reuters’ latest , from 2:33:36 -- WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would have to "see how things play out" before accepting the results of Election Day, pointing to possible irregularities as he once again warned of a rigged system.
"We're going to see how things play out today. Hopefully they'll play out well and hopefully we won't have to worry about it, meaning hopefully we'll win," Trump said in a telephone interview on Fox News. "I want to see everything honest."
Police presence grows in step with swelling crowds outside of Trump Towers on Election Day. VOA's Mary Alice Salinas has got the report:
Voting irregularities in your district? Like Mayor Jefferson Riley of Mansfield, Georgia, keep a sense of humor about it (or not). Mayor Riley jokingly posted on his Facebook page a reminder for Republicans to vote today and Democrats on Wednesday. He told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that it was meant as a joke, but critics didn’t find it too funny. Some suggested he should have posted a disclaimer that the status line was meant as a joke. “People take things so seriously,” he complained to the local paper. “You can’t joke about anything anymore — especially on social media.”
Also in Georgia, a small electrical fire at an Atlanta-area church being used as a polling station caused a brief evacuation and a 20-minute extension to polling hours.
And a software glitch in Durham County, North Carolina, led to a request by the county Board of Elections to extend voting hours by 90 minutes, because poll workers have had to switch to using paper records to look up voter registration.
Two election workers were fired in Florida’s Broward County for “interfering with the voting process,” according to election officials. Yikes.
Lastly, VOA's Steve Baragona debriefs us after his call to the good folks over at the Election Protection coalition:
Here’s a summary of the call, he tells us: There have been a number of problems focused in minority communities, but basically, I didn’t get the sense that they’re seeing widespread, systematic problems. If the election is close (like, Bush v. Gore close), could come down to irregularities in one of these places, so I’ll list them just in case they pop up again.
Florida: At Florida Atlantic University, a group of students were told they could only cast provisional ballots because their dorm address was considered a hotel.
A polling place in Miami located in a gated community was requiring people to show photo ID in order to enter. (The community might be called Pelican Harbor Marina, but they weren’t sure.) That’s been addressed.
Police have been stationed outside three polling stations in Orange County. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law says that’s intimidating to communities of color, who might not have great relations with law enforcement. Unless there’s a specific security concern, they say cops shouldn’t be hanging out around polling places.
Georgia: Poll watchers in Macon-Bibb County called the cops on observers from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, who were there following an earlier incident over potential disenfranchisement. The Lawyers’ Committee blocked the county’s attempt to move a polling place from a predominantly African American school to the sheriff’s office. The Lawyers’ Committee says that’s intimidating for communities of color. (The polling place was moved to a black church instead.) The lawyers said the problem has been resolved, but they’re disturbed that they continue to get guff from the county.
Arizona: Last-minute polling place changes in Maricopa County are causing confusion. There have also been some machine malfunctions in the county, and voters are getting provisional ballots instead of emergency ballots.
Ohio: Reports of voter challenges (as in, are you really supposed to be voting?) in Franklin County are focused in African American communities. In particular, voters in a Somali community whose addresses on their ID didn’t match those on record were told they would have to cast provisional ballots, but there were no provisional ballots available. Also, citizens complained about signs that say voter fraud is a crime were found in African American neighborhoods but not white neighborhoods.
Pennsylvania: Half of the calls about voter intimidation come from Pennsylvania, according to the Election Protection coalition. It’s mostly what they called “aggressive electioneering.”
Problems voting? These hotlines are here to help (hat tip to our colleagues over at McClatchy's DC bureau).
Compelled to remind American voters of their democratic responsibility? Nothing communicates that quite like blood-spattered ballots on the streets of Times Square: