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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/06/voters-nationwide-face-difficulties-as-georgia-sued-over-election-interference
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| Voters nationwide face difficulties as Georgia sued over election 'interference' | Voters nationwide face difficulties as Georgia sued over election 'interference' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Voters around the US fought long lines, broken machines, power outages and even a surprise foreclosure to cast their ballots, with election watchers reporting a surge in turnout anyway. | Voters around the US fought long lines, broken machines, power outages and even a surprise foreclosure to cast their ballots, with election watchers reporting a surge in turnout anyway. |
| Voting rights advocates sued Georgia, one of the states experiencing some of the biggest disruptions and worst waits. The suit claims the Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp, the secretary of state who controversially oversees the voting process, has “used the official powers of his office to interfere in the election to benefit himself and his political party and disadvantage his opponents”. | Voting rights advocates sued Georgia, one of the states experiencing some of the biggest disruptions and worst waits. The suit claims the Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp, the secretary of state who controversially oversees the voting process, has “used the official powers of his office to interfere in the election to benefit himself and his political party and disadvantage his opponents”. |
| A county judge in Georgia ordered three precincts to stay open late after machines malfunctioned. Even Kemp himself had problems when his card was marked invalid as he tried to vote, according to a local reporter. | |
| In Snellville, Georgia, voters took turns sitting in children’s chairs as they waited for hours, according to the Associated Press, and in Atlanta, people waited in the rain in a line at one site that snaked around the building. | In Snellville, Georgia, voters took turns sitting in children’s chairs as they waited for hours, according to the Associated Press, and in Atlanta, people waited in the rain in a line at one site that snaked around the building. |
| Both parties cast the election as a referendum on Donald Trump, driving voters to congested polling sites. | |
| The voters’ advocacy group the Lawyers’ Committee on Civil Rights Under Law said it received nearly 30,000 calls on its election protection hotline as of 8pm, far more than is typical for a midterm election. | The voters’ advocacy group the Lawyers’ Committee on Civil Rights Under Law said it received nearly 30,000 calls on its election protection hotline as of 8pm, far more than is typical for a midterm election. |
| “The frequency and severity of the complaints make clear that we have significant work to do to repair our broken election system,” said Kristen Clarke, the group’s president. “Complaints from voters concerned malfunctioning voting equipment, long line[s], inaccurate information shared by poll workers on ID requirements and voter intimidation in some communities.” | “The frequency and severity of the complaints make clear that we have significant work to do to repair our broken election system,” said Kristen Clarke, the group’s president. “Complaints from voters concerned malfunctioning voting equipment, long line[s], inaccurate information shared by poll workers on ID requirements and voter intimidation in some communities.” |
| Clarke said the election problems underscore a need to address systemic issues, particularly barriers to minority voters. | Clarke said the election problems underscore a need to address systemic issues, particularly barriers to minority voters. |
| In an election year marked by racial hostility, some voters said they saw it at the polls too. | In an election year marked by racial hostility, some voters said they saw it at the polls too. |
| The Houston Chronicle reported a white poll worker was charged with misdemeanor criminal assault after an alleged altercation with a black voter. In Dodge City, Kansas, which moved its sole polling station outside city limits, a Los Angeles Times reporter noted the turnout he saw did not match the demographics of the city, which is 59% Hispanic. | The Houston Chronicle reported a white poll worker was charged with misdemeanor criminal assault after an alleged altercation with a black voter. In Dodge City, Kansas, which moved its sole polling station outside city limits, a Los Angeles Times reporter noted the turnout he saw did not match the demographics of the city, which is 59% Hispanic. |
| Many voting difficulties were logistical or technical. | Many voting difficulties were logistical or technical. |
| In Maricopa county, Arizona, poll workers arrived to find a site padlocked with a foreclosure notice posted. The county saw computer shutdowns too. Tempe voters had pizza delivered while they waited in lengthy lines, the Arizona Republic reported. | In Maricopa county, Arizona, poll workers arrived to find a site padlocked with a foreclosure notice posted. The county saw computer shutdowns too. Tempe voters had pizza delivered while they waited in lengthy lines, the Arizona Republic reported. |
| Democrats in Louisiana called for polling places that reportedly opened late to allow voters in for an extra hour. | Democrats in Louisiana called for polling places that reportedly opened late to allow voters in for an extra hour. |
| Bad weather across much of the country didn’t help. | |
| Voters in New York City encountered broken ballot scanners that left them in long lines in the rain. Machines in North Carolina were having trouble reading larger-than-usual ballots thanks to humidity. | Voters in New York City encountered broken ballot scanners that left them in long lines in the rain. Machines in North Carolina were having trouble reading larger-than-usual ballots thanks to humidity. |
| Power outages caused by high winds in Trumbull county in north-east Ohio left 21 locations in the dark, one journalist reported, with voters filling out paper ballots with flashlights until electricity was restored. Blackouts in Knox county in eastern Tennessee knocked out eight of 79 locations. | Power outages caused by high winds in Trumbull county in north-east Ohio left 21 locations in the dark, one journalist reported, with voters filling out paper ballots with flashlights until electricity was restored. Blackouts in Knox county in eastern Tennessee knocked out eight of 79 locations. |
| With 37 states and the District of Columbia using early voting, many more people cast their ballots that way than four years ago. Total turnout is expected to be far higher than in the 2014 midterm elections, as Democrats look set to take the House and Republicans to maintain a majority in the Senate. | |
| US midterms 2018 | US midterms 2018 |
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| Republicans | Republicans |
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