Students face roadblocks at Wydown polls

David Brody and Mandy Silver
David Brody

Hundreds of upperclassmen encountered obstacles when attempting to vote at Wydown Middle School yesterday, unaware they were no longer registered at that polling location. Former South 40 residents were offered provisional ballots, which could potentially go uncounted. Many students expressed concern that their voice would not be heard.

According to election officials, St. Louis County Board of Elections sent postcards to students at their previously registered addresses, asking them to confirm their residence. Many students claim that they never received the change of address cards.

Election Official Jill Cummings explained that the students, who originally registered as residents of the South 40, moved off-campus to other areas without updating their addresses with the Board of Elections.

“Apparently the Board of Elections sent them a postcard and they did not respond, so they were dropped [from the rolls],” she said. Cummings instructed the students to call the Board of Elections, which confirmed that the students were in fact registered voters.

Since the student voters were not on the lists at Wydown Middle School, they were not allowed to vote using a normal ballot. Instead, they were instructed to fill out provisional ballots.

A provisional ballot is provided to voters whose names do not show up at a polling location’s registry on Election Day.

“When a person votes provisionally, the election board will verify if a person has a legal right to vote. If the voter casts a provisional ballot at an incorrect polling location or is for some reason ineligible to vote, their ballot is spoiled,” said election supervisor Charles Ault.

John Diehl, chairman of the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners, confirmed that provisional ballots must be cast at the correct polling station in order to be counted.

The prospect of casting provisional ballots was an undesirable alternative to some students because they are not evaluated for up to two weeks after the election. Furthermore, if Wydown Middle School was not the voters’ correct polling location, their ballots would be tossed out.

Senior Aaron Weininger, who now lives off-campus, voted at Wydown Middle School in 2004 when he lived in Hurd House.

“I checked in to vote and they didn’t have my name registered on the list. I was told to fill out a provisional ballot,” said Weininger. “However, I didn’t want to do that because the provisional ballots are not counted the day of the election.”

Problems persist throughout the day

Senior Aaron Keyak, President of College Democrats, received initial reports of problems at Wydown Middle School early Tuesday morning.

Keyak went down to the polling station to aid and inform student voters in a nonpartisan manner. Keyak advised students not to vote with provisional ballots and arranged vans to take students to the St. Louis County Board of Election Commissioners office, where they could cast a regular ballot.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) monitors reported hundreds of Washington University students passing through the commissioners’ office over the course of the day.

Senior Jazzy Danziger went to the election commissioners’ office to cast a regular ballot at 11 a.m.

“I met up with about 12 other Wash. U. students. The location looked incredibly understaffed, and I was told later by someone who had tried to call them multiple times that no phones were being answered,” said Danziger in an e-mail to Student Life.

Danziger said that a staffer told the students to step off to the side, where they waited for a few minutes. When a student asked if they would be helped, Danziger said the students were told to return to Wydown and that they would receive no help at that office. Danziger reports that election workers did not treat the students kindly.

“One voter came up to us to wish us good luck and was yelled at by a woman behind the counter for ‘discussing the ballot in the polling location,'” said Danziger. “We were referred to as ‘kids,’ spoken to in a very condescending tone, and pushed aside.”

The other students eventually were allowed to vote at the Board of Elections office after filling out change of address forms. Danziger noted that by the time the others finished voting, over two hours had passed since they initially arrived at the Wydown Middle School polling station.

By 5 p.m., election official Joseph Goeke III told students that they should return to their polling site because the commissioners’ office did not have the resources to deal with them. He continued by saying that if the students stayed, they would be processed eventually, but must wait outside because they were becoming “rowdy.”

Students ‘disappointed’ with voting complications

Keyak voiced concern that problems encountered at the polls potentially reduced overall student voter turnout.

“It shouldn’t be so difficult to participate in democracy. The concern is that students who left, unable to cast a regular vote, went back and told their friends,” said Keyak. “This could have potentially discouraged students from voting.”

Despite Keyak’s apprehension, several election officials were pleasantly surprised by the efforts of student voters.

“I’ve been very impressed with the students,” said Margaret Donnelly, Democratic state representative of the 73rd district. “The students are determined to exercise their right to vote. I’m discouraged that we’ve established a system that makes it harder for students to be able to vote. We should do everything in our power to make sure they have the opportunity to vote.”

Danziger expressed dismay at what she saw as a failure of the system.

“Frankly, I was shocked that so many of us had this problem,” said Danziger. “The process was long, tedious and frustrating, and would have been fruitless if not for a large amount of determination and assertiveness. It shouldn’t have to be that way. In an election as important as this one, I think it’s an tragedy that so many students faced these obstacles.”

Additional reporting by Erin Fults

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