The Votenator

If this happened to anyone else it wouldn't be funny. I know I'd be pissed.

Schwarzenegger Hits Snag at Polling Place:

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.

Somehow, Schwarzenegger's name was then placed on a list of people who had already voted, said Conny B. McCormack, the Los Angeles County registrar.

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.

Now, if this did happen to me I wouldn't be allowed to use a regular ballot, nor would you most likely. Also how they find out so fast that a pollworker had placed his name into the system while testing the machines? Does it only take a few phone calls to find that out? If so, then why couldn't the same thing be put in place for regular voters with similar problems?

(hatip to fubar at Needlenose)