What will happen if thousands of people can't vote

[clydefrand]

because there is no electricity on Nov. 6?

Will the election go forward and allow people who couldn't vote on the the 6th to vote later?

I'm really concerned about the number of votes for Obama that can not be counted.

[former-republican]

1. generators

[DonViejo]

12. Today, the Director of FEMA told Governors that whatever they needed to pull the election

off on Nov 6, would be paid for by the Fed Govt. Whatever they need.

[valerief]

14. Yes, but can the states be FORCED to USE whatever it takes? Repub states don't WANT voters. nt

[former-republican]

17. I'd like to see a governor refuse generators to keep polling places closed

I don't care Blue or Red

No governor is going to do that.

There would be an uprising in the state

[valerief]

20. I disagree. A governor would do that with no repercussions.

Look at the shit they get away already! All the voter suppression laws. Gun insanity. Fetus insanity. This is not the country your grandmother grew up in.

[brooklynite]

22. Don't be silly...

...winning the Presidential Election is nice, but they're dependent on keeping State Legislatures elected, and getting their members of Congress elected.

[valerief]

24. The fewer the number of voters, the greater the vote-flips for Republicans.

It all depends on who owns the state.

[former-republican]

30. Fema director on MSM says I offered generators to the governor of (state)

Governor says NO he refuses generators to open polling stations in his state.

That's not going to happen.

[valerief]

37. It can. It very well can. And for the reason I've provided. 2010. nt

[former-republican]

43. I'm going to disagree with you on this issue but hopefully we won't have to find out

[valerief]

45. I, too, hope it won't happen, but nothing surprises me anymore.

The lack of ethics and lack of shame in politics is appalling.

[madokie]

26. I disagree with you on that

Look at all the governors who didn't take stimulus money or said that weren't because of first one reason or the other. Either way they got by with it and are still getting by with it

[DonViejo]

34. Stimulous money is a very different political issue from denying

the electorate their right to vote.

[former-republican]

38. Absolutely , what governor is going to go on TV and tell his state I decided

not to open polling places by refusing generators .

[DonViejo]

50. A Governor who isn't real interested in being re-elected. nt

[0rganism]

35. they'll do it if it fits their agenda, with no consequences at all

Most Americans just don't care a whole lot about our elections, especially during a big storm. And around half of the people who do care believe voting should be restricted anyway. Refusing federal voting assistance is not a high-risk maneuver.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

65. I'm sure Rick Scott would try something like that if he could.

He already shaved a week off early voting and tried to shove a "disqualified voter list" down the throats of election supervisors based on the phony voter fraud issue.

[former-republican]

16. way it should be

[SingleSeatBiggerMeat]

2. I Think That Democrats Will Be Incredibly Motivated To Vote

...particularly because of the circumstances.

[napi21]

3. My guesds is no they won't the polls will close on tues night

and what will will be. If you look at this storm and it's effect on the entirre US, it's relatively small.

[valerief]

21. Uh, where the storm is where most Americans live. nt

[Aerows]

62. Just curious

Where do you live?

Look outside. Does that look like "ability to have an election" to you?

Just asking.

[valerief]

64. We don't have early voting in Mass, except via absentee ballot and you need

a good excuse. No going to the polls early.

[Posteritatis]

27. This may be a surprise, but the population density of the US isn't uniform. (nt)

[Aerows]

63. Exactly n/t

[Generic Other]

4. Paper ballots

No one will disenfranchise voters. Obama himself will bring them ballots. It's that important.

[Floyd_Gondolli]

5. Democracy will find a way

[burrowowl]

7. Hopefully!

[Floyd_Gondolli]

15. It's not hope, it's fact

[Unknown Beatle]

23. It's fact that democracy will find a way?

No, it's not a fact. Elections have been stolen before and the repukes are trying very hard to steal them again. Remember 2000 and again in 2004? bush?

The past two gubernatorial elections in Texas have been stolen to favor that numbnuts Perry. Perry is about as dumb as Palin.

[Floyd_Gondolli]

33. I Wasn't speaking to stolen elections

Im speaking specifically about this storm.

If its your belief that this election will be compromised because of this storm, that's your choice of course. I respectfully disagree.

[Unknown Beatle]

40. Oppsies

I stand corrected. I was thinking something else.

[burrowowl]

25. I have had friends who are now dead

who were in the French and Yugoslav resistance who would be scared shitless and who are probaby spinning over in their graves. I hope you are right.

[doublethink]

6. Fascism

[RomneyLies]

8. Democratic GOTV efforts in urban areas is incredible

The rural areas will ahve to fend for themselves, but they mostly vote Republican.

[DryHump]

9. I'm thinking (hoping)

the storm will deal an even hand in advantage/disadvantage to both sides.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. This morning the President mentioned emergency generation

Polls are a service...

[BainsBane]

11. polling places are key priority for restoring electricity

Along with jails, hospitals, and police stations. I heard this on one of the news networks.

[Honeycombe8]

13. No. All the states have to have the official election on same day. They'll act before then.

Congress could pass a law and postpone the election. But I doubt it. I heard on tv that the election has never been postponed...even during the Civil War!

[LisaL]

19. So if election were tomorrow all these states would be out of lack?

I don't think so.

[NYC Liberal]

32. No they don't. Otherwise early voting would be illegal.

The constitution only says the electors of *Electoral College* have to meet on the same day in their respective states.

[LisaL]

36. ITA. If we all had to vote on the same day, how is it that many of us (including myself)

already voted?
Geez.

[Honeycombe8]

39. I stand corrected. The "official" electoral college day for all the states has to be the same. So

Congress would probably act before the day to postpone that day. But I heard on tv it's never been done, through all our disasters and wars.

[dems_rightnow]

42. But all states have to appoint their electors.....

....."on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November".

[NYC Liberal]

51. Here's the law:

3 USC Sections 1-2:

The electors of President and Vice President shall be appointed,
in each State, on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in
November, in every fourth year succeeding every election of a
President and Vice President.

Whenever any State has held an election for the purpose of
choosing electors, and has failed to make a choice on the day
prescribed by law, the electors may be appointed on a subsequent
day in such a manner as the legislature of such State may direct.

So the law says the first Tuesday after the first Monday, but states can appoint at a later date if they've "failed to make a choice."

[clydefrand]

18. Over 3 million people have no electricity because of this storm

It takes a long time to get it back on. This summer after the bad wind storm, there were people without power for over a week.

Where we vote...a school, there won't be electricity...just for that school, will it? I don't think so.

[Posteritatis]

28. Paper ballots and supplied generators for lighting.

Places elsewhere in the world do just fine with that, or even less than that.

[Honeycombe8]

41. There wouldn't be time to get paper ballots supplied to all polling places in all those states. nt

[jeff47]

47. Sure there is.

First, with the feds promising to pay, they can print up millions of ballots extremely quickly. Because there's a week to go, it's a problem of cash, not time. And they don't even have to design the ballot - just print up copies of the absentee ballot. It's already in print-shop-ready electronic format.

Second, they don't need every person in the entire state to vote on paper. Just those places where they can't get power.

Third, there's these things called generators. The feds have many thousands of them. So does the national guard.

This is an extremely easy problem to solve, with sufficient cash. The feds are promising sufficient cash.

[Honeycombe8]

52. The countdown doesn't start today. It starts from when they realize they won't have power there...

whenver that is. Could be this weekend.

Christie said Obama never mentioned the election. Have the governors discusssed the election and paper ballots with the feds? I think they're only discussing the extreme urgencies of the moment, aren't they?

I don't think they can get those paper ballots distributed to all those places in a few days. Then you need the machines to read them electronically...which need power. Or you need a LOT of people ready to read and count. Messy. Not gonna happen.

[gkhouston]

53. It also assumes passable roads, both for transporting ballots and for people to get to the polls.

Two weeks, they could manage most of it. One? I'm not so sure.

[jeff47]

55. Because it's impossible for cars to drive on anything other than dry pavement.

And chainsaws don't exist, and clearing the roads isn't the first priority after a disaster. And the fact that the tunnels currently have water in them means it's impossible to drive on the bridges a days from now.

And the Feds don't have hundreds of thousands of helicopters. And the states don't have tens of thousands of helicopters.

This is a trivial problem to solve.

[jeff47]

54. FEMA has already said they'll pay.

I don't think they can get those paper ballots distributed to all those places in a few days

We can get drones distributed to Afghanistan in under a day.

We can handle distribution of paper ballots in our own country in about a week.

Then you need the machines to read them electronically...which need power.

No, you don't.

First, if you're reprinting the absentee ballot, you'll be counting those using the Mark 1 human eyeball.

Second, if you're using an optical scan system, you've already printed and distributed the ballots. Making your first concern moot.

Third, you don't have to scan them at the polling place. Put them in a box, transfer it to the Board of Elections and scan them there. There's already a procedure for this - it's what happens anyway when the polls close!

Or you need a LOT of people ready to read and count.

Because it's January, and the President and new Congress will be sworn in a week after the election.

Oh wait, we're talking about early November.

This is a trivial problem to solve.

[Honeycombe8]

58. Drones? We don't distribute that many drones.

We don't want to kill the voters. We want to deliver paper to them.

Not gonna happen.

[jeff47]

60. Reading. You should try it. (nt)

[jeff47]

46. This isn't a hard problem to solve.

1) Generators.
2) Paper Ballots.
3) Move your polling place.

That list took me 10 seconds. This isn't a difficult problem to solve.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

49. +1 nt

[Honeycombe8]

59. How are the people going to get there? How are they going to know what their local poll place is?

They won't have tv or the internet.

Many won't have cars. Public transportation - many don't live near public transportation (as I don't). And much public transportation won't be running.

Thousands will not be able to vote, and thousands will not want to...preoccupied with flooded houses, dealing with insurance, damaged cars, fallen trees, no food, no refrigeration, family members and friends needing help, etc.

And thousands will make it to the polls. But thousands will not.

[jeff47]

61. Wow I really hope no one ever asks you to solve their day-to-day problems

And I really hope you have someone else to solve yours.

How are the people going to get there?

Cars, mostly.

I'm guessing you have absolutely no idea just how fast a road crew can cut up a tree.

Many won't have cars. Public transportation - many don't live near public transportation (as I don't). And much public transportation won't be running.

Fortunately, polling places are located near where people live. And if public transportation is down so they can't commute to work, they won't be busy that day and have time to walk a ways. And if the power is still out after a week, they will be so damn bored they'll relish the experience - having lived through multiple hurricanes myself, I assure you no power and no work for a week leaves you wanting to get out of the house.

How are they going to know what their local poll place is?

Well, most likely it's going to be in the same place it was going to be before the hurricane. While there's tons without power now, that won't be the case in a week. Sure, there will still be some without power, but not the vast swaths we have now.

And again, that assumes the polling place requires power. New York City uses paper ballots fed through optical scanners. So collect the filled-out ballots at the polls and scan them after the polls close at the BoE.

I don't know what systems NJ uses, because they've hidden that information behind a registration wall on their web site. If it's optical, it's the same as for New York City.

And even assuming you absolutely, positively must scan the ballot at the polling place (or if NJ uses DRE), then you can power them at the normal polling place with generators that the National Guard already owns.

Which leads us to "how will they know where to go if the polling place moves?"....if only there was some sort of "media" that could mass-broadcast information. Perhaps some world-wide network of computers where you could post information. Or if only every damn police car were equipped with a loudspeaker. Or if only they could put a fucking sign up at the old polling place. Or 3 billion other ways to get the word out.

[bluedigger]

29. I don't see it as having much impact, with the exception of PA.

We need the Philly vote to carry PA, but the other states affected should be unflippable. I'm hoping...

[quinnox]

31. evidently, if we miss the election date, the world will go on tilt

and roll over. So nope, the election will go forward! I don't care if a gigantic asteroid hits the US that day, the election date trumps everything in importance.

[jimlup]

44. I share your concern

Presumably people would be able to vote paper ballots and then the state results would be delayed. I don't like this though. It potentially puts Pa back in play for the Repuks and that is a catastrophe that will go far beyond the damage done by this storm grave as it might be.

[jeff47]

48. This is an extremely easy problem to solve.

First, the feds have many thousands of generators. So does the national guard.

Second, there's this stuff called paper that doesn't require electricity to vote. Print up a ton of copies of the absentee ballots, and have people use those on election day. Any random shmuck can get 10,000 copies printed overnight. The government can do better, mostly because of the increased cash they can supply.

Third, polling places don't have to stay where they were supposed to. Let's say there's no power at the school you usually vote at. But the fire station a little bit further away has power. Move the polling place.

Those literally took me seconds to come up with. This is a very easy problem to solve.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

56. I agree 100%

This is so incredibly simple to fix, since the only elections that have to be held are the Presidential, House & Senate.

Print the choices on index cards and move on.

[jeff47]

57. Why design new ballots?

You already have a paper ballot all laid out. The absentee ballot. It's even already in electronic format, so you can email it to the printers and order a few hundred thousand.

Or even better, if the relevant state uses optical scanners, they've already printed the ballots. Just scan them back at the BoE....which was going to happen even if there wasn't a disaster so you don't even have to invent a new procedure.

[Waiting For Everyman]

66. I'm more wondering about precincts that may still be underwater

so people can't go there to vote -- such as the beach towns for instance. The voters may have electricity (probably most outtages will be back on by then) but they may be sheltering away from their own precincts, which may be impossible to go and vote in. What then? Will they be allowed to vote in another precinct, or what?

Also can foresee a problem for some in not having ID with them if needed.