Some Problems, Long Lines Greet Voters In Pittsburgh AreaMany Have To Wait, But Happy With TurnoutPOSTED: 7:59 am EST November 4,
2008 PITTSBURGH -- A clear sign of the interest generated by Election Day was the 70 people gathered in line on the Chatham University campus before the polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday."I expected that there would be. There's been so much excitement stirred up that I can understand that," said Janet Moritz of Shadyside.Video -  Allegheny County Voting Turnout Video - Westmoreland County Voting Turnout Send us your polling pictures! Got a great shot of democracy in action? Send it to photos@thepittsburghchannel.com. Stay tuned to ThePittsburghChannel.com and Channel 4 Action News for updates throughout the day and the latest election results once the polls close."It's really encouraging that a lot of people are here this early and I'm interested to see what it looks like this afternoon, because I think it'll be increasingly longer," said another Shadyside resident, Dylan Lampe.Long lines were not exclusive to Chatham. Polling places all over the Pittsburgh region reported lines during the morning rush hour -- like in Penn Hills, where lines stretched from inside Victory Temple out to the parking lot along Graham Boulevard.In Oakland, poll workers at Central Catholic High School told WTAE Channel 4's Sheldon Ingram that the wait was more than an hour Friday morning, and more delays are likely in the evening when about 500 to 600 more voters are expected to show up."It takes time to find them in the district registry," said Marilyn Parker, the elections judge at Central Catholic. "It's done in alphabetical order, and even that's a slow process because they have to go leafing through pages. I think each page has about 12 names on it."In some cases, like at the Churchill Borough building, lines were longer because poll workers couldn't get the voting machines to work."Third in line and the machines weren't working. So we waited, waited, waited. They tried to call some county officials. No response. And then we went with paper ballots," said voter Eric Grotzinger.But not everybody wanted to use the paper ballots. WTAE found voting machine problems at the Baptist Temple church in Homewood, at the East McKeesport Senior Citizen Community Center, and on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill."If 50 percent or more of their voting machines are inoperable, they're authorized to immediately give them paper ballots, so even if there's an issue with voting machines, people can still vote on Election Day," said Mark Wolosik, manager of the Allegheny County Elections Division.In each case, voters were offered emergency ballots and, in each case, the majority of voters chose to wait or come back later.Video - Some Voting Problems Reported On Election Day"I think a lot of people did not want to use emergency ballots because they wanted to, for some suspicion -- I think it's fair to use the word suspicion -- that those votes would not count," said Jael Humphrey of Election Protection, a group that aims to help voters having problems on Election Day. Worried about not being able to cast your ballot? Click here for tips on avoiding Election Day problems.Some problems can be solved in the field -- like on the University of Pittsburgh's main campus, where extra election workers were deputized and sworn in to keep up with demand for voting.But WTAE Channel 4's Bob Mayo reported that a couple of problems will likely become court matters. Someone was handing out Republican literature inside the voting place at St. Bernard's in Mount Lebanon, while in McCandless, somebody asked voters inside a polling place who they were voting for.As of 5 p.m., Allegheny County had issued a small amount of emergency paper ballots -- 264 total -- in areas where there were problems with machines, and an even smaller total of 166 provisional ballots for people whose votes may be a matter of dispute. Big Turnout In PennsylvaniaNo matter which candidate voters choose in the race for the White House, history is guaranteed to be made.Elections officials are expecting a record turnout today. The estimates indicate anywhere from 75 to 80 percent of registered voters could head to the polls.The polls in Pennsylvania are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.The peak hours are early in the morning, between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., and later between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Elections officials strongly recommend going during an off-peak time if you can.Voters will need some sort of official photo identification, like a driver's license. Voters can also use a utility bill, paycheck or bank statement as a substitute ID, as long as it has their home address on it.If there's any question about whether you're able to vote, be sure to ask for a provisional ballot.Cameras are banned from being used inside polling places in Westmoreland, Allegheny, Beaver and Butler counties.Related Links: Related Links:
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