October 21st, 2008 1:18 PM
Officials say lengthy ballot slowed process
By Sallie James and Scott Wyman / South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Hundreds of voters were already waiting in a huge line Tuesday when the polls opened at 10 a.m. at the Tamarac branch of the Broward County library for early voting.
It was a repeat of a similar scene that played out Monday, the first opportunity voters had to cast ballots for the Nov. 4 election.
Despite blinding sunlight, sticky heat, and a long wait, voters stood their ground, determined to have their say in who will be the next president.
Sunrise resident Norton Brunton, 76, showed up at 8 a.m. and waited in line two hours to be the ninth person to vote in Tamarac on Tuesday. He said it was worth every minute of the wait time, but thinks computer voting would be more efficient.
"I voted for Obama," said Brunton, whose concern over the failing economy shaped his vote. "But the paper ballot takes so much time. The machine was better."
Election officials expect a record number of people to vote early at 17 locations as both presidential campaigns make major pushes to encourage people to vote before Nov. 4.
Tamarac resident Fredda Ellis, 60, a teacher at North Miami Beach Hillel and No. 102 in line, arrived at the Tamarac polls at 9 a.m. and was still waiting at 10:30 a.m. She was aghast at what she saw.
"I think they are unprepared for this many people," Ellis said, looking at the huge line of mostly retirees snaking around the back of the library. "There are a lot of people who can't handle this heat. This is completely irresponsible. They should have opened more voting places."
Tamarac resident Luis Nieto, originally from Columbia, didn't care that he was number 270 in the line and was likely facing a two- to three- hour wait.
"I'm looking for a job," said Neito, an accountant who has been out of work since May 2007. "People don't have any jobs. People are moving out. I plan to vote for Obama. McCain - no more!"
Broward Election Supervisor Brenda Snipes said the turnout has been unprecendented and that she is trying to improve the process, but warned people that they should expect lines.
More than 11,000 people voted Monday, the same number who voted over the first two days of early voting in 2004. Some people were waiting in line for three to four hours even though the lines at some of the 17 early voting locations were shorter Tuesday than they were Monday.
Snipes said she has added more voting booths at the larger locations to address the delays caused while voters mull a lengthy ballot. She also attempted to buy more printers to print out the ballots, but none are available anywhere in the nation. She cannot add more hours to the early voting schedule because of restrictions set in state law.
"The crowds are unprecedented," Snipes said.
Sunrise resident Kathy Lewis, 48, a registered Republican, said she is voting for Obama because of her five children, who support the Democrat.
"The wait is worth it to me," said Lewis, who held #269. "I want change and I will to do whatever it takes. I voted for McCain in the primary... but Obama is for the middle class, the working class. I feel I owe my kids."
More than 300,000 people are expected to vote in Broward at early voting locations or by absentee ballot over the next two weeks.
Longer lines are likely Election Day when an additional 500,000 people are forecast to vote.
Secretary of State Kurt Browning, Florida's top election official, said Monday's turnout surpassed the expectations of elections supervisors across the state.
"Florida is now in the midst of a historic election," Browning said. "Lines are a sign of a healthy democracy, and certainly our democracy is healthy today."
Broward election officials said bottlenecks at the polls are primarily the result of the time people spend filling out the lengthy ballot. But they said there also were computer problems that caused some early voting sites to temporarily have fewer check-in stations or ballot printers working than planned.
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