Schwarzenegger Hits Snag at Polling Place

Schwarzenegger Hits Snag at Polling Place

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger showed up to his Brentwood
neighborhood polling station today to cast his ballot in the special
election — and was told he had already voted.

Elections officials said a Los Angeles County poll worker had entered
Schwarzenegger's name into an electronic voting touch screen station in
Pasadena on Oct. 25. The worker, who was not identified, was testing the
voting machine in preparation for early voting that began the next day.
...
Schwarzenegger's aides were informed of the problem when they arrived
this morning to survey the governor's polling station. The poll worker
told the governor's staff he would have to use a "provisional" ballot
that allows elections workers to verify if two votes were made by the
same person. McCormack said the poll worker did the correct thing.

The governor, however, was allowed to use a regular ballot.
...
*"This is someone who breached our protocol and was playing around in
advance of the election," she said.*

Tom Hiltachk, the governor's attorney, said: "I have no reason to
believe anything nefarious occurred.

But Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter
Foundation, said the problem highlights the need for better verification
of electronic voting.

"If the governor is going to have a mix-up on his ballot," she said, "it
will make other voters wonder what is going to happen with their ballots."



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