·
Rev. created with testified demo there were "unprecedented long lines" and noted that
Secretary of State Blackwell did not version sufficient numbers of voting machines to
accommodate the augmented electorate in Columbus.95
Knox County
·
At Kenyon College, a surge of late registrations promised
a record vote. Nevertheless, Knox County officials
allocated two machines, just as in past elections.96 Voter
Matthew Segal, a student at Kenyon College, testified
before the House Judiciary panel about conditions that
amounted to voter disenfranchisement in Gambier,
Ohio.97 The Gambier polling place had two machines for
a population of 1,300 people, though nearby counties had
one machine for every 100 people.98 He noted that voters
Kenyon College Student Matthew
were "compelled to stand outside in the rain, through a
Segal: "Voting Should Neither Be a
Painstaking Nor Arduous Task, and if
hot gymnasium in crowded, narrow hallways, making
it is, Our Fundamental Understanding
99
voting extremely uncomfortable." According to his
of Democracy is Shattered."
December 8 Hearing.
testimony, "many voters became overheated and hungry"
and had to leave the long lines to eat. "One girl actually
fainted and was forced to leave the line," he said. "Many
others suffered headaches due to claustrophobic conditions and noise."100
·
In contrast, at nearby Mt. Vernon Nazarene University, which is considered more
Republican leaning, there were ample voting machines and no lines.101
Other
95
Judiciary Hearing transcript at 65, 68 (Dec. 8, 2004).
96
See Powell & Slevin, supra.
97
Judiciary Hearing transcript at 91 (Dec. 8, 2004).
98
Id. at 90-91.
99
Id. at 89.
100
Id.
101
See Fitrakis et al., supra.
27