Will Election Day be a 'perfect storm?' Four nightmare scenarios for what could go wrong

In Miami, FL today:

A voting debacle in Doral causes chaos and confusion

What began Sunday morning as an attempt by the Miami-Dade elections department to let more people early vote devolved into chaos and confusion only days before the nation decides its next president.

Call it the debacle in Doral.

Elections officials, overwhelmed with voters, locked the doors to their Doral headquarters and temporarily shut down the operation, angering nearly 200 voters standing in line outside — only to resume the proceedings an hour later.

On the surface, officials blamed technical equipment and a lack of staff for the shutdown. But behind the scenes, there was another issue: Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

The Republican had never signed off on the additional in-person absentee voting hours in the first place.

Read more here:
[link to www.miamiherald.com]

Voters may cringe, but a recount could be a factor in close election

As they have fielded seemingly endless campaign phone calls, reams of election mailings and home visits from get-out-the-vote activists, many election-exhausted Nevadans have consoled themselves with the knowledge that it all will be over soon.

But what if it isn’t?

Narrowing polls, recent allegations of glitches with voting machines and at least one arrest on grounds of voter fraud have raised the specter that the election’s outcome will be challenged, kicking off extended recounts and legal disputes that could make the political season drag on for several more weeks.

“It’s the most likely scenario for a statewide race that we’ve seen in awhile,” said Matt Griffin, a lawyer who specializes in elections and served as the deputy secretary of state for elections in 2010. “If there is a very close margin of victory, there is a fair chance that it’ll end up in litigation.”

Read more here:

[link to www.lasvegassun.com]

I suppose there could be a tie, too.

A 269-269 Electoral College tie

It takes 270 electoral votes to win. But what if both candidates win 269?

NJ Lt. Governor invites voters to submit invalid ballots

On November 3rd, the Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey issued a directive, well covered in the media, permitting storm-displaced New Jersey voters to vote by e-mail. The voter is to call or e-mail the county clerk to request an absentee ballot by e-mail or fax, then the voter returns the ballot by e-mail or fax:

“The voter must transmit the signed waiver of secrecy along with the voted ballot by fax or e-mail for receipt by the applicable county board of election no later than November 6, 2012 at 8 p.m.”

We see already one problem: The loss of the secret ballot. At many times in the 20th century, NJ political machines put such intense pressure on voters that the secret ballot was an important protection. In 2012 it’s in the news that some corporations are pressuring their employees to vote in certain ways. The secret ballot is still critical to the functioning of democracy.

But there’s a much bigger problem with the Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno’s directive: If voters and county clerks follow her instructions, their votes will be invalid.

Read more here:

[link to freedom-to-tinker.com (secure)]