The Election Protection Coalition has an updated list of problems at the polls that are happening right now in some key battleground states, including Virginia. They report problems with voting machines in at least 10 polling stations across the state.
CNN is reporting problems with memory cards in some voting machines in Fairfax County, and has received nearly 1,000 calls already to its “voter hotline” from frustrated Virginia voters.
Elsewhere, big problems are being reported in Pennsylvania with voters complaining of broken voting machines and trouble accessing paper and provisional ballots.
At one polling station in McLean, Virginia, a line of about 150 voters had formed by the time I got there at 6 a.m. 29-year-old Christopher Funk stood at the end of the line, wishing he had gotten up even earlier.
A recent law school grad, Funk just moved to Virginia from California, and while he was one of the youngest in line this morning, he’s confident the 29 and under crowd will be out in big numbers today…
“I think we’re going to vote and vote big, especially with [Obama’s] increased emphasis on college campuses. There’s a feeling that there are some really severe problems and that our future’s on the line. I know I want to have a say in it.”
As the line grew I ran into Sam Carlson, who welcomed the wait. A registered Virginia voter, Carlson works and lives in India. He flew back to the U.S. two days ago so he could vote in person…
“I wanted the satisfaction of actually waiting on line and casting my vote in person. I just wanted to be part of it. And I really want my guy to win.”
Once the polls opened the line moved relatively quickly and as of 9 a.m. there were no reported problems inside.*UPDATED: An election official in Chesapeake, Virginia tells Campaign Insider that the earlier problems with some of the city’s touch screen voting machines have been fixed. In one precinct several machines were malfunctioning, but according to the official, techs were deployed and the problem was short-lived.Shane D’Aprile is web editor at Politics magazine. sdaprile@politicsmagazine.com