Florida wish: a smooth vote

As the nation watches, the state hopes a lengthy ballot and new machines will not lead to another election night debacle.

By CURTIS KRUEGER, DAVID KARP and LISA GREENE
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 5, 2002

Wearing a baseball cap and T-shirt emblazoned with patriotic eagles, Rodney Purvis went to vote on Monday and demonstrated his own feathers don't ruffle easily.

"It wasn't long," said Purvis, after waiting more than 90 minutes Monday to cast his election ballot early in St. Petersburg. "All you've got to do is talk to people and make them laugh, and things go by faster."

Elections supervisors across west-central Florida hope voters will react as good-naturedly as Purvis during today's election. Most officials are predicting lines as voters across Florida go to the polls to vote for governor and other candidates, and to decide 10 proposed constitutional amendments.

Voters are not expected to endure waits of an hour or more today as some people did Monday while voting early at the St. Petersburg elections office. But elections officials warned voters to go early and said they may have to stand in line.

"Voters need to be prepared and be patient," Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Kurt Browning said. "There are going to be lines (today)."

The biggest reason: the proposed constitutional amendments, particularly Amendment 1. That amendment, concerning the death penalty, is lengthy and full of legal jargon.

"I don't know how any voter would know what it means," Hillsborough Elections Supervisor Pam Iorio said, referring to the confusing language of the amendment that will appear on voting machines. "As they stand in front of a touch screen and try to figure it out, they're going to take a long time and that will create a line."

Thanks to a new state law, this is the first year that Florida voters could vote early by heading to supervisor of elections offices. In recent days, more than 10,000 have gone to vote early in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties. About 2,200 voted early in Hernando County, and 2,900 voted early in Citrus County.

Another change in state law has allowed residents to vote absentee, for any reason. Previously, this option was available only to voters unable to go to their normal polling places on Election Day. Elections officials said high numbers of absentee ballots have poured in.

Those aren't the only changes for voters in Florida, where officials still are smarting from the glare of international publicity over the prolonged recounts in the 2000 presidential race. The state received criticism again in September after the Democratic primary for governor, when Miami-Dade and Broward counties were plagued by long lines, precincts that didn't open on time and other problems.

In many counties across Florida, including Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco, today marks the first use of new touch screen voting machines in a general election.

The early voting, which has been available to voters for the past several days, provided a sort of rehearsal for today's election, but not a full one. Instead of hundreds of precincts, voters could come to only a few locations where supervisor of elections offices are located. That helped create the long lines Monday.

"We've had a line out that goes all the way next door since early this morning," said Pat Boyd, office manager of the elections office in Spring Hill in Hernando County.

In St. Petersburg, a few voters reported waiting as long as two hours.

"If I had to grade this on a one to 10," with 10 being the worst, "I'd give it a 55," said Shirley Green, 60, of St. Petersburg.

It created a situation Yogi Berra might have dreamed up: So many people wanted to avoid the long lines today that they showed up a day early, creating long lines Monday.

In Brandon, one of two places to vote in Hillsborough County, the line stretched out the door of the election center and around the warehouse. Cars filled every space of available parking at midday Monday and covered a dirt lot too.

In St. Petersburg, elections workers handed out numbers for voters like those for people waiting in line at the deli. But some people in line were overlooked, causing hard feelings.

In Clearwater, the line to vote at the Pinellas County Courthouse stretched outside from the front door to the corner of the courthouse.

"They were very efficient and very polite," said Millie Eichen of Clearwater. "All they could do (next time) is have more machines."

Clearwater resident Tyna Eichenlaub came to vote wearing red, white and blue beads and a sequin-studded red, white and blue visor with an American flag sticking out of the back, like a patriotic antenna.

She put her 50-minute wait to good use.

"I enjoyed it because I talked to people to help make my decisions" about the constitutional amendments, she said.

Many officials predicted more people will use early voting as they learn of the option.

"This is the wave of the future," Citrus County Supervisor of Elections Susan Gill said. "Everyone likes coming in and voting early. Can you imagine what it will be like in 2004, when everyone knows?"

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright