Voting Problems

I just voted at the University of Michigan - South Quad Polling station in Ann Arbor, Michigan and there seem to be problems with the tally machine (i.e. it's not counting votes). Upon inserting my filled-out ballot into the machine (I think it was an optical-scan machine made by Sequoia Voting Systems), the number listed at the bottom (the tally) did not change. Moreover, it was 99 lower than the number on my ballot, which seems problematic, since I saw the table where they were handing out ballots and the ballots are handed out in numerical order (the person next to me got 368 while I got 369). I brought these issues to the attention of the poll worker, who looked flustered, paced nervously for a moment, and then dismissed me with a totally unreassuring smile, saying, "We'll figure it out." What does that mean? Who's going to figure it out? Not her, I suspect. 15 minutes after I left, a friend of mine stopped me in the library. She'd just come from the same polling station, though I hadn't seen her because she was further back in line. She said they were now having a huge discussion at the station and that there were apparently problems with the machines not counting votes and I relayed my experience.

I've waited a very long time to be able to cast this vote. To say I'd be disappointed if my vote didn't get counted would be a grave understatement. I have very little faith in the adequacy of our system and the integrity of those involved in putting together the finer details and making sure it runs smoothly.