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United States Politics Technology

Virginia's Voter-Registration Site Goes Offline on Last Day To Register (wsj.com) 112

Virginia's voter-registration website went offline Tuesday on the state's last day to register before the Nov. 3 election, in what officials attributed to an accidental cutting of a fiber-optic cable. From a report: The Virginia Information Technologies Agency said that the Verizon cable was inadvertently struck during work for a roadside utilities project and that several agencies were affected. The Virginia Department of Elections didn't immediately respond to a request asking if the deadline to register, originally set for the end of Tuesday, would be extended once service was restored. Voters can also register using a paper application. In recent weeks, voter-registration websites in Florida and Pennsylvania, both considered potentially decisive swing states for the presidential election, crashed due, officials said, to glitches. Florida extended the deadline to register to vote after its registration website malfunctioned. The state's secretary of state cited unprecedented traffic to the site as the cause.
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Virginia's Voter-Registration Site Goes Offline on Last Day To Register

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  • You would think that lame-stream media would pounce on this story and claim it's a Republican plot at voter suppression in VA.
    • If the official claims are correct and the crashes are due to a record number of people registering to vote (after decades of voter turnout at less than 50%), then there is reason to be hopeful for the state of democracy in America. If the crashes are due to sabotage by the incumbents to maintain their power at all costs, then all hope is lost. I prefer to remain hopeful (for now).
      • by Rockoon ( 1252108 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2020 @02:04PM (#60603740)

        If the official claims are correct and the crashes are due to a record number of people registering to vote

        The official claim is that underground fiber was accidentally dug up at a construction site. SO WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

      • by DamnOregonian ( 963763 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2020 @02:06PM (#60603744)

        If the official claims are correct and the crashes are due to a record number of people registering to vote

        The extreme traffic cut a fiber optic cable?
        That's intense.

      • "record number of people registering to vote" and the site collapsed. If this is true. The system was poorly designed and built. Why does government have problems even running a web site.
        One has to wonder if the gov gave the contract to a big campaign contributor who runs an IT company. Maybe a no bid contract, the graft usually is.

        Odd how much of the government is completely forgetting how to run elections. We have only been doing it for 200+ years. Or are our schools just turning out dumber Americans.
        • This. Seriously, CDN exist for that purpose. When you run a website, do it the professional way, where one line being cut won't cause the website to be down.

        • by Pascoea ( 968200 )

          There was something that changed in the last 200 years since we started running elections here...but I can't put my finger on it. Oh, it was in your first sentence, the Internet. Voting in the last 200 years has involved hauling around massive amounts of processed dead tree carcasses. We're finally(?) turning to the ubiquitous Internet to help run elections smoother. And since each state is responsible for running their own elections, there are 50 completely different systems that need to be built to hel

          • "We're finally(?) turning to the ubiquitous Internet to help run elections smoother. "
            Now this thought is just spooky! Elections and the Internet ;) lol

            "armchair nerds out there" decades as an self employed Independent Contractor! if my stuff doesn't work, I don't get paid! And I also have other numerous problems.
            And yes, I think projects like this "Should Not Fail" and if they do someone f'd up. And this will continue to happen until there are consequences for those involved not rewards.
            • by Pascoea ( 968200 )

              Now this thought is just spooky! Elections and the Internet ;) lol

              Agreed. (That's why I had the ? there) We're not ready yet. Eventually I hope we figure it out. Requesting a ballot is a a different story.

              I think projects like this "Should Not Fail" and if they do someone f'd up.

              Agreed.

              decades as an self employed Independent Contractor!

              Then you should know darn well it's far more complicated then "just a website".

      • If the official claims are correct and the crashes are due to a record number of people registering to vote (after decades of voter turnout at less than 50%), then there is reason to be hopeful for the state of democracy in America.

        Millions of Americans are suddenly on the dole. That is the only reason more citizens suddenly give a shit about politics. Because it's now affecting them directly.

        Once government handouts stop (kind of have already), so will interest in politics and voting. (Unfortunately for 2020, this will also be about the time you find torches and pitchforks sold out on Amazon)

        ...If the crashes are due to sabotage by the incumbents to maintain their power at all costs, then all hope is lost. I prefer to remain hopeful (for now).

        I remain hopeful, but mainly because I think these elected idiots aren't smart enough to pull something like this off. Maintain power at al

        • by BytePusher ( 209961 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2020 @02:53PM (#60603980) Homepage
          I mean, threatening to undo healthcare protections for preexisting conditions, escalating police violence and impunity, the threat of rolling back Row vs Wade, the obvious attempts by Republicans to suppress voting by liberal demographics, talk of delaying and invalidating the election, the impotent and pathetic response to the pandemic, increasing wealth inequality and tax reductions for the rich, all might have something to do with it as well. It could be a lot of people would like to see a federal minimum wage increase that aligns with inflation(which happens to be right about at $600/wk for a 40 hour week). But you know, go ahead and be a cynical classist elitist, siding with power is a good look.
          • I mean, threatening to undo healthcare protections for preexisting conditions, escalating police violence and impunity, the threat of rolling back Row vs Wade, the obvious attempts by Republicans to suppress voting by liberal demographics, talk of delaying and invalidating the election, the impotent and pathetic response to the pandemic, increasing wealth inequality and tax reductions for the rich, all might have something to do with it as well.

            If over 50% of the country never gave a shit enough to vote for a leader, care to explain why voting for one now, would magically change any of that? You act as if the "other side" is throwing up a stellar leader that has all the answers. No, it's just as bad a corrupt clusterfuck on both sides, so you can stop trying to bullshit yourself now.

            Overturn Row vs. Wade? Have you seen what States Rights has done to create this clusterfuck of a response to a global pandemic? You assume an entire country full

          • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

            First off, I hate the choices we have for president this election. They all suck, there isn't even a third party candidate I want to vote for. But I do disagree with much of what you said. But not because I'm a partisan like you appear to be. While Trump does and says some colossally stupid shit, he get far too much credit for being the devil too.

            I mean, threatening to undo healthcare protections for preexisting conditions,

            Who has threatened to do this? However you feel about Trump, he has repeatedly stated that he will protect preexisting conditions if the ACA is repealed. He signed

            • I disagree with most of your replies, but we know that already. I do agree, we need to reverse Citizens United vs FEC and reform election financing. Only Democrats have floated doing anything to address election finance corruption.
              • You also need to undo Buckley v. Valeo, the precursor case to Citizens United vs FEC, which undid many of the campaign finance reforms we already had.

                • You can't "undo" unconstitutionality. The problem with trying to limit the use of private resources for political advocacy is that it inherently abridges free speech and expression.

                  Which isn't to say that there aren't viable approaches to accomplishing the goal of reducing the influence of money, just none politicians are willing to subject themselves to. Easier to publicly complain about a court ruling while privately taking every possible advantage of it.

              • You do realize that case was about the Govt going after someone who made a movie critical of Clinton. Do you really want the Govt going after people who criticize govt officials?
                • by Rhipf ( 525263 )

                  Actually, Citizens United vs FEC was about "a violation of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which prohibited any corporation or labor union from making an "electioneering communication" within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of an election, or making any expenditure advocating the election or defeat of a candidate at any time." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

                  If the film was just "someone who made a movie critical of Clinton" it wouldn't have violated the BCRA. It also wasn't about " the Govt going

            • Who has threatened to do this? However you feel about Trump, he has repeatedly stated that he will protect preexisting conditions if the ACA is repealed. He signed an executive order on September 24, 2020 to protect those as well.

              Trump frequently says one thing but intends another. Trump takes credit for eliminating the Mandate.

              The Mandate is exactly what makes protecting pre-existing conditions work. If you can wait and buy insurance after acquiring a pre-existing condition then insurance will not be affordable. He doesn't understand HC Insurance and apparently you don't either.

              Trump doesn't really care. He has socialized health care that will land a helicopter land in his back yard and whisk him to team of specialist in a

              • by jeremyp ( 130771 )

                Trump doesn't really care. He has socialized health care that will land a helicopter land in his back yard and whisk him to team of specialist in a state-of- the-art hospital.

                I think you'll find that's part of a package of benefits that he receives as part of his current employment contract. There are rumours that he might be leaving that employment in January.

                I for one hope he continues to receive socialised healthcare in a Federal or New York institution, although, with the kind of institution I have in mind, helicopters and state of the art hospitals are unlikely to feature.

            • Why? Are liberals too stupid to have ID in your mind? You need ID to purchase alcohol, many OTC medications, spray paint, cash a check, get on a plane, etc. Saying that requiring an ID to vote is somehow suppression is stupid at best.

              In Texas, university photo IDs are not considered adequate for voting, but a concealed carry gun license is. Pretty obvious which demographic the state wants to vote and which they don't. This is voter suppression, plain and simple.

            • > While Trump does and says some colossally stupid shit, he get far too much credit for being the devil too.

              Disagree. The guy literally coordinated/cooperated/conspired (but not COLLUDED) with Russia to hack the DNC and release e-mails in a timely manner, his son met with Russian Intelligence in Trump Tower, he's caused the whole pandemic to spiral out of control, he's egging on White Supremacists, and he's been given a free pass by every member of the GOP. I'd say he's not getting ENOUGH criticism fr
            • by Rhipf ( 525263 )

              I mean, threatening to undo healthcare protections for preexisting conditions,

              Who has threatened to do this? However you feel about Trump, he has repeatedly stated that he will protect preexisting conditions if the ACA is repealed. He signed an executive order on September 24, 2020 to protect those as well.

              The Republicans have been trying for the last decade to kill the ACA. Trump is currently in court to have the entire ACA declared unconstitutional. It took Trump 4+ years to even put out a health care plan let alone his failure to repeal and replace the ACA. His executive order had no real authority behind it and it is questionable if it could even be enforced if the ACA is killed by the Supreme Court.

          • Did someone not let you know that Trump signed an executive order to protect pre-existing conditions, or how many Republicans in the Senate pledged to do so? What about escalating mob violence and impunity while "police violence" has declined? How are Republicans suppressing liberal votes when those voters and allegations are concentrated in precincts run by Democrats? What's wrong with floating the idea of delaying the election due to the coronavirus when everything else was shut down for it? Nobody is
        • Millions of Americans are suddenly on the dole. That is the only reason more citizens suddenly give a shit about politics.

          Thousands of Billionaires have been on the dole for decades. With poverty growing and home ownership shrinking, NOW people are paying attention

    • by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2020 @02:16PM (#60603790)

      You would think that lame-stream media would pounce on this story and claim it's a Republican plot at voter suppression in VA.

      I know you said this in jest, but you know it's bad when average citizens are questioning how and why a recent news story that happens to be devoid of shit-slinging political vitriol, is still devoid of shit-slinging political vitriol.

      • but everything I see goes so out of it's bloody way to "Both Sides" an issue that you'll see MSBNC & CNN defending literal neo-N_a_z_i_s (Lameness filter).

        This isn't the first voter registration website to go down on the last day. At a certain point pattern recognition kicks in. At least for most of us.

        Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice you can't... you can't fool me again.
        • but everything I see goes so out of it's bloody way to "Both Sides" an issue that you'll see MSBNC & CNN defending literal neo-N_a_z_i_s (Lameness filter). This isn't the first voter registration website to go down on the last day. At a certain point pattern recognition kicks in. At least for most of us.

          Yeah, you know how one particular political party dedicated over three years trying to convince America of Russian collusion, because they were in fact guilty of it themselves?

          I agree. At some point, pattern recognition kicks in. Like this constant shit-slinging we see with all elected leaders. As soon as someone from the Blue Gang starts slinging shit against a member of the Red Gang (or vice versa), the first question I'm wondering is "OK, how guilty is THIS damn stone-tosser who lives in the glass hous

          • because they're the ones that put out a Senate report that showed clear collusion [cnn.com] between Trump's campaign & Russia.

            If the Dems didn't suck so much at everything they do (or if they had a 24/7 propaganda tool like Fox/OANN) then it'd be a bigger deal. But such is life.
            • because they're the ones that put out a Senate report that showed clear collusion [cnn.com] between Trump's campaign & Russia. If the Dems didn't suck so much at everything they do (or if they had a 24/7 propaganda tool like Fox/OANN) then it'd be a bigger deal. But such is life.

              I'm not trying to claim a side here with this, but here is the reality of every report on Russian collusion so far:

              "While the full committee signed off on the facts laid out on the committee's report, Democrats and Republicans ended up with different interpretations about what they say about the Trump campaign and collusion -- a word that is not written into the body of the report itself."

              Yeah. This is about as "clear" as mud, or anything else in politics. A report "proving" collusion, that never ca

    • by sjames ( 1099 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2020 @02:32PM (#60603852) Homepage Journal

      It's almost as if the far-right paranoid fantasy that the media is out to get Trump is just a paranoid fantasy...

      • That's just it isn't it. When the man says and does so many stupid things the media starts to look like a one sided anti-Trump hit mob rather than accurate reporting on accurate reality. I honestly forgive republican diehards for their assessments, this must be a really confusing time for them.

    • dude you're part of that problem. There wasn't enough shit flinging for your taste so now you're here, flinging shit.

      Possibly, just possibly they are not as bad as they are in your head, but you're clearly so invested that I don't expect this data point too permeate.

    • Why would we state that? Just because the Republicans are suppressing voters in other ways?
  • ..you're running the risk that life may get in the way.

    Unless you're legally prohibited by your 18th birthday being today, learn your lesson about procrastination and deal with it.

    • ..you're running the risk that life may get in the way.

      Unless you're legally prohibited by your 18th birthday being today, learn your lesson about procrastination and deal with it.

      Learn your lesson about procrastination? Careful when speaking to the majority. They get testy, especially when taking shit from a likely hypocrite.

  • by Wild_dog! ( 98536 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2020 @02:12PM (#60603766)

    Perhaps if an entire day is lost, then once the line is back up they can allow people to register for one extra day.
    Personally I am not sure why same day registration isn't everywhere.
    Everyone should be able to get to vote and excercise their fundamental right without these barricades which seem artificial somewhat.
    Mass voting by all of the Citizens should be the goal.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      Trump himself has said that if everyone got to vote, Republicans would never win office again.
      • It doesn't matter what politicians or parties say. It is the fundamental embodied in the Constitution that holds primacy.

      • Trump himself has said that if everyone got to vote, Republicans would never win office again.

        Of course they would still win. They would just have to change their policies to attract more moderate voters.

        They likely wouldn't even need to shift very far. Even a few years ago, moderates were winning the Republican presidential primaries. Either Mitt Romney or John McCain would have done well against Joe Biden.

        • Correct, even mainstream Democrats are far right by global standards.
        • Perhaps the problem is that few people actually understand why Trump won. The Dems of course blamed the voters, and the Republicans just assumed that their base magically got bigger. Obviously the Dems have an easier time righting the ship; and giving the nod to Biden and Harris, both as close to the Democratic right as you can get, was a big part of bringing the Obama voters back on board. The Republicans probably knew a long time ago that getting Trump re-elected was an uphill battle, but I don't think ev

          • I think worse for the republicans, Trump if he loses is not going away quietly. I've even heard he wants to start a "news" network. So until he dies, he is going to be one big reminder of what the republicans were.
    • IF you are a citizen, you should just be able to vote. Registration lists are just silly crap so they can know beforehand which areas the politicians need to pander to.

      Don't forget, most judicial offices use the registered voter lists first for assigning Jury Duty. Many want to avoid that duty so it is just another false barrier (or punishment) to free voting...

      Don't get me started on the electoral college and almost every state being winner takes all...
      • by Pascoea ( 968200 )
        I don't have a problem with the registration process, as long as there is a safety valve. Like my home state of MN, registration makes voting a 2 minute process. Had I not registered I can still show up election day with something that proves who I am and vote, making it a 4 minute process. The county clerk validates the write-ins, and the secretary of state to cross check the counties' work. Of course there will be mistakes, and likely fraud, but it's so small as to not have any effect on the outcome.
      • by aXis100 ( 690904 )

        Strangely even in Australia where it is compulsory to vote, you must enroll first. You also have to update your address with the electoral commission if you move, as that will determine which electoral region you're in.

        It's odd that there's not some other central register of eligible voters, but that's the way it is. A small minority of people simply don't enroll.

    • Mass voting by all of the Citizens should be the goal.

      Perhaps. But that is not a politically neutral goal.

      Democrats are more numerous, but also more apathetic and more dysfunctional. It takes more effort to get them to register and to get them to show up and vote.

      So any effort to get more people to vote helps Democrats, and anything that suppresses voting helps the Republicans, even bad weather on election day.

      • It takes more effort to get them to register and to get them to show up and vote.

        This doesn't imply the first.

        Democrats tend to have more restrictive hours on their jobs.

        • Democrats tend to have more restrictive hours on their jobs.

          States that have gone to vote-by-mail have not seen any significant change in voter preferences.

          If restrictive job hours were the root cause that wouldn't be true. The window for mailing a ballot is open for weeks.

          Democrats are less likely to go to the polls. They are also less likely to walk to their mailbox.

          • Can we move the election off a freaking Tuesday?

            Just sayin...

            • Can we move the election off a freaking Tuesday?

              Election day is set by federal law, but not set by the Constitution, so congress could vote to change it.

              There are several proposals to either move election day or make it a federal holiday. One proposal is to merge election day with the Veterans Day holiday.

              But as more and more people move to vote-by-mail, the exact date makes less and less difference.

              I switched to permanent vote-by-mail years ago and don't plan to ever stand in line at a polling place again.

  • for regional/state redundancy in case there was a regional internet outage. Seems like a pretty normal thing for those that operate mission critical infrastructure. Heck even I have 2 different internet providers wired in to this office.
    I mean come on if voting/registration is so important(and it is) why no redundancy?

    Oh right government operation!
  • I did like you asked, Sir. I sliced those cables like a hot knife through butter!

    You promised me $200 and still haven't paid. If I don't get my money by 5 O'Clock i'm changing my vote.

    And NO, you will NOT be getting the other $200 "voting incentive" back.

    Either you pay ME or the orange creepy clown wins.
  • by EvilSS ( 557649 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2020 @02:29PM (#60603838)
    Just goes to show that even democracy itself is powerless against a backhoe. I for one welcome our new backhoe overlords.
    • when I was young had 2 lines of Internet coming into the building from separate directions. We were down wind of a sewage treatment plant and in the middle of nowhere but we had a back up line.

      Funny that the data center powering something this important can be taken out that easy. Funny 'ha-ha'.
    • Just goes to show that even democracy itself is powerless against a backhoe. I for one welcome our new backhoe overlords.

      And I suppose it's just one big coincidence that the backhoe dug up a cable in a blue state. I mean sure you can say it was an accident, but we all know that the driver was secretly paid off by the illuminati to pull that fiber. Did you get his name? No? Ever wonder why? It's to hamper the investigation into the incident and hide the fact that the driver is now missing. Virginia counted 11 COVID deaths yesterday. Did you ever ask yourself why 11 and not 10? Of course not. Coronavirus is such a common way to

  • Or maybe it's not such a coincidence. It'll be impossible to know for sure, conveniently enough.

    Conservatives know that this could be a final battle for all the marbles, to end America's democracy, and they will try all kinds of crazy shit you wouldn't have imagined to throw this election. The classical voter suppression tactics, "poll watchers," and terribly coincidental website outages are just the appetizers. Just before reading this article I saw news of fake ballot drop boxes in California. [cnn.com] Vote by mai

    • I'd like to vote by mail, but I'm under 65 years old, so that's not allowed in my state. I'd like to vote early, but my early voting location is at a church that's only open for a few hours on Sundays. I'm guessing it'll be packed. I couldn't make this shit up [harrisvotes.com] - look at Location #73. The Republican party has also filed a lawsuit [click2houston.com] to close the next-nearest location, #75. So it's looking like I'll either have to borrow a car, or pack indoors with the masses on election day.

      Next stop, Belarus.

      • It is clear the republicans in TX are suppressing votes in the blue metros. Abbott stopping ballot boxes except the one at the county clerk's office is an attempt to make it harder to return ballots in the metros. What houston has 1M+ residents who need to show up to one location? Crazy. Before the governor's order, I think travis county had like 10 locations you could drop off ballots. All staffed by the clerk's office and the staff would validate the dropped off ballot. So weak argument that fraud is more
        • People have been predicting "Texas turns blue" for 20 years, so it might sound passe. But one day it really will happen, and the Republicans will shit a brick. They've been toying with voter suppression for years, but it's really kicked into overdrive this time. It's clear they're worried. All the stops are getting pulled out in preparation, and every step will be taken to invalidate it once it happens.

          By the way, there's some Tea Party clownpirate with an eyepatch who represents me in Congress. No, really.

          • It really could happen this year I think. The county clerk reported 96 or 97% of residents who can register to vote have done so. By 5PM today, the first day of early voting, the clerk reported some 25,000 had already voted. If all of travis votes, a very blue area, and Houston and Dallas do similar, it will be tough to counter.
            • Not sure what that means. In my county well over 150% of resident who can register have done so. In fact we have more people registered to vote than live bodies of all ages. It's too dangerous to clean up the voting roles, so they don't.
              • In texas I think it is important. The state recently got sued (and lost) because it was removing live people from voting rolls for invalid reasons. But I think you missed the part about how many early voted on the 1st day to the point there were 2 hour lines to vote. And before Abbott realized the mess 2020 was going to be for the republicans, he extended early voting an extra week (back in may I think) and the TX GOP sued the governor to rescind the extra week in September. The courts even in Texas figured
  • by xonen ( 774419 ) on Tuesday October 13, 2020 @03:04PM (#60604028) Journal

    Registering for your right to vote sounds odd to me. In my country, anyone with a legal address is automatically invited to vote. If you do not have one or are expat, you can register yourself.

    Now, in my neighboring country, Belgium, there's even a voting duty. And while not enforced, Belgians are by law required to come to a voting boot. They can abstain from the voting itself if they want to.

    • Mandatory voting, like jury duty and selective service, would be a step forward.

      Participate in your society or give up the benefits. I wish we'd set aside some land for Coventry to ship people to when they're unwilling to participate but still want all sorts of benefits, like roads. Or, frankly, if you just don't agree with how things are here. Do away with prisons, save the taxpayer billions, and send them to Coventry.

      If you don't know what I'm referring to, it's from a Heinlein short story.

    • In my country, anyone with a legal address is automatically invited to vote.

      Did you register your legal address? If not how will someone know how many people assigned to a given address? The primary key in your database needs to be controlled somehow.

      The reality is voter registration happens in most countries. In some countries it's explicate (like Australia where you register your name and address with the AEC or risk a fine if you don't), and in some countries it's more indirect such as a country neighbouring Belgium where you have to register your name against your address with

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • Yes exactly. The address situation is secondary to having a list of eligible voters and ensuring that the correct number of votes are sent/counted. Correct addresses only really help determine which local area you vote for, on a national election there is considerable tolerance to error in such measures.

          But critical is a list of people who are eligible to vote, and if you can do that via something everyone has (Personal ID, BSN, or whatever) then that's good. The problem comes in countries like the USA or A

          • Comment removed based on user account deletion
            • Comment removed based on user account deletion
            • I still don't see the need to register to vote every time

              It's not. In Australia you only register once when you're 18 and register again if your address changes. I believe in the USA it's the same but the USA is weird so I'm sure there's difference even within the USA :-)

              Even countries with no formal ID systems certainly have long-term records of all their citizens

              If one thing is true of any country, that's the tax department can find you even without formal ID systems :-D.

    • Election day should be a holiday. People who work and commute have a difficult time voting - especially in areas where it takes hours to vote. Give people the day off and participation would go up.
  • "Oopsie, tee hee. Sorry, we can't extend the voter deadline. That would cause massive amounts of voter fraud"

    And the new supreme court will uphold it.

    Attitudes towards voting is actually a major distinction between liberal and conservative mindsets. I've discussed this at length with a couple of my conservative friends. Conservatives are quite happy to keep voting sorta difficult. They believe that it's a right but feel that there's no governmental obligation to facilitate it. For a lot of them, i

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