Long Election Night Coming- Machines Not Ready

In this article by Rob Moritz, Jefferson, Sebastian and Scott counties report they were not expecting to have electronic voting machines ready by Tuesday.

In addtion, electronic machines also are doubtful in Arkansas, Bradley, Desha, Drew, Izard, Jackson, Phillips and Pope counties. Only eight counties had machines fully set up and tested in time for the start of early voting. It sounds like we are in for a long election night Tuesday, as some key counties will be using the slower paper ballot method. In a worst-case scenario, the electronic machines malfunction and it is not caught until voting is well underway or completed.

The E,S&S voting machine contract has been a headache with the potential of being a disaster. Secretary of State Charlie Daniels has to be hoping that the voters have a short memory after Tuesday. Republican Secretary of State candidate Jim LaGrone has critisized Daniels for ignoring the advice of his own commission to pick E, S&S for the voting machine contract- a company whose lobby has donated to the Daniels campaign.

Two other notes: The article leaves Republican Treasurer candidate Chris Morris off the list of candidates on the ballot, and quotes someone incorrectly maintaining that all of the Lt. Governor candidates are looking for higher office down the road. Lawyer Chuck Banks of Little Rock has maintained that this is his "last rodeo".