Election Day

Minneapolis Precinct 1, Ward 3 is now the latest and greatest Ground Zero of messed-up election practices to be exposed during Minnesota’s statewide recount in the U.S. Senate contest between Democrat Al Franken and Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. It’s there, in the Dinkytown neighborhood on the edge of the University of Minnesota campus, that poll workers recorded 133 more votes than they have ballots to show for it. It’s also there that students trying to vote via Minnesota’s same-day registration process last month were turned away — in a re-run of a major snafu at another campus polling place during the last general election two years ago.

As of Tuesday night, Hennepin County officials had yet to recount ballots from Minneapolis’ Precinct 1, Ward 3. But when they do, there likely won’t be as many ballots to count as there were voters who tried to cast them. Residents of a student cooperative on the University of Minnesota campus weren’t able to register at their polling place this year like they did in past elections. The problem: Election officials would not accept the same kind of proof of residency they had in the past. It remains unclear how many students were turned away — and whether their votes could have an impact in the stil up-in-the-air U.S. Senate race. Video and more after the jump.

We’d like to hear about your voting experience today: not only how it went, but what you saw, heard, felt, thought.

Don’t know where to vote? Use the Minnesota secretary of state’s pollfinder.

MnIndy coverage of today’s voting:
Follow us, call us, talk to us on Election Day
Power outage at two St. Paul polling places
Early turnout in Minneapolis: “Wow”
Election Day morning, University of Minnesota campus: mobbed but orderly
Norm Coleman votes, expresses optimismLines everywhere: Minneapolis turning out huge numbers

Polling places were mobbed around the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis early this morning. In a residential neighborhood near campus, a line of 300 people at Marcy Open School stretched out the door and around the corner. Poll workers had planned for the crowd: For the first time in memory (if not ever), four porta-potties lined [...]

At the north Minneapolis precinct where I’ve voted since 1996, 200-300 people were already in line by the time polls opened at 7:00. That’s about five times as many I’ve ever seen there bright and early.
The best commentary on the robust early turnout came from 15-month-old Peter (last pic below) — who, upon arriving with [...]

The Minnesota Independent wants to hear your Election Day stories! Did you witness long lines? Voter challenges? A remarkable tale from a polling place? DROP US A COMMENT BELOW. Or let us know in other ways: Email us your photos or stories, send us a Tweet or give us a ring: 612.245.1434. Help us cover this historic election and your story may appear at the Minnesota Independent, on our Twitter feed or our Flickr site.

This sticker was observed Oct. 21 stuck to the parking lot surface at the K-Mart in Minneapolis — clear evidence that ACORN has been illegally registering inner-city blacktop to vote. The round, red design plays off similar stickers saying “I Voted” that poll workers distribute on Election Day. But that custom may soon enough go the [...]