Comments on: Transit Millage Vote: View from the Bus

By: TJ

TJ — Thu, 08 May 2014 18:01:47 +0000

I have a friend in Washington State, where they vote by mail with print ballots. She is concerned about possible coercion (e.g. abusive spouse, stuff like that). Something I hadn’t really thought about before she brought it up, but I can definitely see where allowing people to vote anywhere (or specifically, at home) could be an issue.

By: Glacial Erratic

Glacial Erratic — Wed, 07 May 2014 07:38:45 +0000

Larry, re: 3 yet again—-the issue is that the poll workers are asking specifically for drivers’ licenses, which are NOT required and not the only form of acceptable ID. We get that when that’s the ID people proffer, it makes the swiping etc easier, but the implication that a license is required to vote is wrong. This has been pointed out before.

By: Larry Kestenbaum

Larry Kestenbaum — Wed, 07 May 2014 02:14:18 +0000

(1) The bus millage is winning overwhelmingly. Most of the precincts are in, and every one so far has reported a “yes” majority. I admit to surprise that a millage with organized opposition did so well.

(2) Voter ID is the law in Michigan, and election officials have to follow it. Election workers should be quick to point out the affidavit option, and voters who sign the identity affidavit (rather than produce an ID) should be able to vote without any problem.

(3) Scanning the driver’s license is part of the state’s Electronic Poll Book (EPB) program, which is intended to move voting lines more quickly. Only a few years ago, each voter’s name had to be written out, by hand, in the paper poll book.

(4) Making precinct results public at the polling place is a legally required security measure, to make sure the numbers are not fiddled with later on.

(5) Online voting is not going to happen any time soon, because total security and a secret ballot are very difficult to achieve simultaneously.

By: Dave Askins

Dave Askins — Wed, 07 May 2014 02:02:10 +0000

Re: [30] The votes get released to the public when the polls shut down. A copy of the tapes that are printed out by the voting machines is posted on the door of the precinct. For today’s vote, because there was just the one question, some poll workers just called out the tally to anyone who was there waiting to get the very freshest results. No special credentials are required.

By: Jeff Gaynor

Jeff Gaynor — Wed, 07 May 2014 01:57:58 +0000

Leon (and Dave), I’m curious. How did you get the votes from those two precincts so quickly? The general question is how and to whom do the yes and no votes get released?

By: Dave Askins

Dave Askins — Wed, 07 May 2014 00:57:11 +0000

Thanks, Leon!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 07 May 2014 00:19:33 +0000

So I put off doing my due diligence on this topic until last week. On the philosophical side of mass transit I was a “yeah”, but not willing to commit until I saw where the $ were going. I, like so many others, are darn tired of corporate welfare, so upon confirming that this initiative would be public money spent on a public-owned, aka gov’t agency, business I was at ease. I gave this expanded initiative an affirmative vote.

By: Leon Bryson

Leon Bryson — Wed, 07 May 2014 00:14:00 +0000

Results from 5-11: Yes – 479 No – 154

By: Leon Bryson

Leon Bryson — Wed, 07 May 2014 00:12:55 +0000

Results from 5-10: Yes – 240 No – 80

By: David Cahill

David Cahill — Tue, 06 May 2014 23:59:49 +0000

Iacta alea est. The die is cast.

The polls are now closed.