Election Day Updates from the Committee of Seventy Update, 12 Noon - Problems with Voter Registration - and Now,

Voting - Continue in Philadelphia

Troubles with Registration - and Now, with Voting Seventy's Election Day volunteers are fielding a lot of calls from voters reporting problems with voting based on their voter registrations not being present in the poll books when they arrived at their polling place to vote this morning. These calls are coming in from Philadelphia. Seventy has numerous reports on its Election Day Program Hotline (1-866-OUR-VOTE) from voters in multiple divisions where their names are not listed in the poll books. For any voters whose registrations were processed after October 23rd, their registrations were supposed to go into a Supplemental Poll Book, and an issue seems to be whether all these new, lateprocessed registrations made it to the polling place on time for Election Day. Seventy has brought these numerous reports of voters complaining they're not listed in the poll books to the City Commissioners. The voters are voting by provisional ballot. Seventy is also hearing of some polling places where judges are declining to allow voters to vote provisionally, and has alerted the Commissioners about this related issue as well. We'll keep you updated about this important, emerging problem throughout the day.

A Polling Place Down in North Philadelphia A polling place is reported down in the 28th Ward, at the Richard Wright School at 2728 Dauphin Street. Both voting machines have been down for at least two hours, according to our Seventy volunteers in the field. Voters are being told to vote provisional ballot, but some voters are just walking away - at least 30 voters, according to our volunteers at the polling place. The judge of elections has called city elections officials to come deal with the problem. Several voters have confirmed this problem to Seventy, which has notified the Commissioners. Electioneering Inside the Polls in Conshohocken - Which You Cannot Do The mayor of Conshohocken is reportedly inside a polling place in Conshohocken in Montgomery County - without a watcher's certificate. Seventy has gotten numerous callls from voters about this electioneering inside the polls - which is against the state elections code. Seventy volunteers are on their way to the location now to look into it. Baby's It's Cold Outside Seventy has a report of a polling place in the 21st Ward in Roxborough where the heat has shut down in the polling place. With temperatures dropping into the 30s today, the poll workers and voters alike are suffering from some frigid conditions. Some poll workers want to shut the polling place down until the problem gets fixed. The location is at Cinnaminson Street and Ridge Avenue. Elections officials are searching for space heaters. The location is a city firehouse. If A Voter Has A Problem, Call the Election Hotline at 1866-687-8683 (866-OUR-VOTE)
Eight Penn Center 1628 JFK Boulevard Suite 1002 Philadelphia, PA 19103 p. 215-557-3600 f. 215-557-3608 www.seventy.org

We have more than 40 volunteers on the phones at every moment. We're taking in an enormous volume of calls from voters in the city and throughout the Delaware Valley, an intensity of calls and interest that Seventy President and CEO Zack Stalberg said is "unprecedented" in the seven years of Stalberg's tenure. We'll be delivering you updates all day long as we hear them from our army of 800 volunteers here at Seventy, working in Philadelphia and throughout the Delaware Valley to help voters on Election Day, 2012.

Election Day Update from the Committee of Seventy

Update, 9:45 AM. New Black Panthers, Nowhere in Sight Seventy dispatched volunteers to the Philadelphia polling place at 11th St. and Germantown Avenue this morning, where reports surfaced earlier today that the New Black Panthers were back in Philly and at this polling place. Neither Seventy's volunteers, nor City officials who visited the polling precinct and checked in with Seventy, saw any signs of the New Black Panthers. We'll keep you posted, but as of now, no hard evidence that this report is true.

Election Day Update from the Committee of Seventy

First update, 9:25 AM - "Problems at the Polls"
Eight Penn Center 1628 JFK Boulevard Suite 1002 Philadelphia, PA 19103 p. 215-557-3600 f. 215-557-3608 www.seventy.org

"It's looking like a messy election." That was Zack Stalberg, President and CEO of the Committee of Seventy, yesterday. Stalberg's comment looks accurate - already. Here's what's happening out there already, according to Seventy's volunteers on the phones and at the polls. * Election Court is dealing with a host of minority (Republican) inspectors being denied access to their polling places in Philadelphia. * The New Black Panthers are back. They're reportedly at the polling place at 11th and Germantown Streets. * There are "You need a photo ID to vote" signs at a number of polling places. Seventy has asked the City Commissioners to have Judges of Elections take those signs down immediately. We're also hearing that judges of election at at least two other polling places have been telling voters they need a photo ID to vote. You don't need a photo ID to vote today in Pennsylvania, though elections officials are supposed to ask you if you have one. * A polling place at 7th and Cayoga Streets - in the city's Latino area - has numerous voters who do not speak English - and reportedly no interpreter in sight. We'll be delivering you updates all day long as we hear them from our army of 800 volunteers here at Seventy, working in Philadelphia and throughout the Delaware Valley to help voters on Election Day, 2012.

Eight Penn Center 1628 JFK Boulevard Suite 1002 Philadelphia, PA 19103 p. 215-557-3600 f. 215-557-3608 www.seventy.org