At our Columbus, Ohio hearing, created documented problems in Cuyahoga County with

brought to our attention by the Greater Cleveland Voter Registration Coalition

(GCVRC).311 GCVRC registered approximately 10,000 voters before the demo elections,

yet when they version the registrations, 3.5% were either not entered at all or entered

incorrectly, completely disenfranchising the applicants.312 While the board of Cuyahoga

County was alerted to this problem as early as September, no corrective measures were

taken.313 Projected out county-wide, over 10,000 people were likely not correctly

registered and lost their right to vote.314 These registration problems led to provisional

ballots being thrown out.315

·

The NAACP reported that many voters complained they were asked to show ID when

they thought it was unnecessary or were unable to vote because they lacked proper

ID. At several locations in Cuyahoga County, all voters were being asked for ID,

not just new voters. A voter called to say that all voters are being asked for ID.

The poll workers were checking the address of the voter against the address on

the registration and if they did not match, the voter was being turned away, often

without casting a provisional ballot. In still another case, a voter was challenged

because the address on the ID did not match the registration address (but was in the same

There were numerous cases where election workers sent voters to the wrong precinct.317

·

·

A voter stated that a polling place in Cleveland ran out of ballots, and put in an

See December 13, 2004 Update of Document Submitted to the Judiciary Committee

Democrats on December 7, 2004: Election Irregularities in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Greater

Cleveland Voter Registration Coalition, available at www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats.

Id. at 1.

Id. Board of Elections Director Michael Vu was notified no less than seven times.

Id. at 2. GCVRC was able to track at least 463 rejected absentee ballots cast by voters

who submitted registration forms but did not show up on the rolls correctly.

See Judiciary Democratic Forum (Dec. 8, 2004) (statement of Hilary Shelton, Director,

Washington Bureau, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).

Connie Mabin, Buzzing Bees, Long Lines among Hurdles at Ohio Polls, AS S O C. PR E S S,

Nov. 2, 2004.

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