Does Anyone Besides Me

Scattered problems reported in historic U.S. voteStory Highlights

(CNN) -- Damp ballots caused problems in rainy weather Tuesday in Virginia and North Carolina, while other states reported minor glitches with long lines and mechanical breakdowns during the historic U.S. election.

In Virginia, water dripping from voters onto optical-scan paper ballots makes the ballot impossible to scan, said Ryan Enright, a spokesman for the State Board of Elections.

Election officials are encouraging voters to dry off before filling out ballots.

Damp ballots will be allowed to dry before being tabulated, Enright said.

This step will mean a longer processing time for election officials, but it should not affect voters' wait times, he said. Watch people wait in the rain in Richmond, Virginia »

A similar problem delayed the processing of ballots in Wake County, North Carolina, an official said.

In Ohio, the decisive state in the 2004 presidential race, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's office anticipated an 80 percent turnout rate. But the longest wait time reported was about an hour, she said. Watch how some Ohio voters were surprised »

In the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, a caller reported that ballots didn't include the page to vote for president.

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Voters can report problems to CNN Voter Hotline at 877-462-6608.
Cuyahoga County Board of Elections spokeswoman Kimberly Bartlett said the first four voters there had mistakenly been given only the second page of the ballots, without the first page containing the presidential vote. Those ballots were voided, she said, and those voters then received the correct ballots.

In Missouri, another battleground state, at least three precincts in Kansas City's 5th Ward received the wrong registration books from election officials. Shelley McThomas, director of the city's Board of Elections, said cover jackets indicating ward, precinct and sequence numbers were mixed up when the books were assembled.

"They looked like the right books, but when the judges opened them this morning they discovered, no, these pages aren't the right pages," McThomas said.

New books were printed at the Board of Elections after the discovery of the problem, and they were delivered by deputies to anxious judges and voters in the 5th Ward, she said.

In Palm Beach County, Florida, machines were rejecting incomplete ballots, but the ballots were accepted after voters affirmed they had intended to abstain on the races they left blank. Watch what Florida voters are thinking »

Other issues involved apparent attempts to misinform potential voters: People in Texas, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas reported receiving text messages telling Democrats to vote on Wednesday, the day after the election.

An e-mail circulated in Arkansas and robocalls in Missouri also told voters they could cast their ballots on Wednesday.

One such hoax used a fake news alert from CNN.

"I have no tolerance for anyone intentionally causing confusion on Election Day," Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan said in a news release. "Every eligible Missourian should be able to cast their ballot today, and my office will immediately respond to any reports of misinformation."

Carnahan added, "Anyone attempting to deprive voters of their rights on Election Day will be prosecuted."

But many voters experienced no problems at the polls. One voter, casting a ballot in Douglasville, Georgia, outside Atlanta, said it took him six minutes to fill out his paperwork and vote. See people vote across the U.S. »

Longer lines were reported in Atlanta, with about 375 voters queued up at All Saints Episcopal Church near downtown, with the line snaking around the church. But it was moving briskly, with the longest wait at a little more than two hours.

Marian Goldberg said she was willing to wait "as long as it takes." Asked if her boss will be patient with her, she said, "I'm the boss, and I'm going to be patient."

In Indiana, state election officials reported long lines, but no significant voting problems.

Millions already have voted in states that allowed voters to cast early or unrestricted absentee ballots.


CNN will be tracking voter problems through Election Day. If you have a problem or see a problem, or want to tell CNN about your voting experience, call the CNN Voter Hotline at 877-462-6608.

See what issues are concerns in each state by clicking on the interactive hotline map at cnn.com/hotline.