The Hound has seen his share of election night screw ups, but nothing like what happened Tuesday night in Lake County, one of the richest counties in the state and the third-largest in population. It was amateur night at the courthouse and heads should roll.
It's not like Lake County doesn't spend money on information technology or on media relations. They have enough media folks to field a football team. Ask the taxpayers if they prefer high-tech or paper ballots and The Hound believes they'll all scream to kill more trees.
One would think Lake County was still Hicksville County around the turn of the century. That would be two centuries ago. After all, this is the 21st century and Lake Countians pay enough in taxes to guarantee things should work, including computer links. Especially after they were tested and found to be A-OK.
And how come when there are glitches, they always occur in the county clerk's office? Willard Helander thought the election was so important she closed down all functions of the office on Tuesday, EXCEPT the voting aspects. Good managerial style, that. The Hound's glad a birth certificate wasn't needed on Tuesday.
The excuse for the snafu Election Night came down, according to the posting on the clerk's Web site, to "poor connectivity". That sounds like Tennessee lawyer talk for "oops," she done it again. Maybe whoever was supposed to take care of this "connectivity" was outsourced to Pago Pago. Perhaps a blue-ribbon commission can get to the bottom of it and connect us laymen with someone who can tell us in laymen terms and not geek speak.
By 9:45 p.m. Round Lake Mayor Bill Gentes, who was competing in the Democratic primary for the 26th Senate District which spans parts of Lake, Cook and McHenry counties, could only look at returns in the latter two, which showed him winning against challenger Richard Hammes by a 12 percent margin.
Gentes called the snafu “frustrating”, which probably would have been the understatement of the night except for "poor connectivity".
“I could have driven from Round Lake to Waukegan despite the weather,” he said. “The same snow storm is hitting McHenry County." McHenry vote totals were smooth, as were Cook County's.
For a GOPster view of this lark was Bonnie Thomson Carter, hoping to retain her presidency of the Lake County Forest Preserve District and County Board seat in District 5. ”This reminds me of the first time I ran (for the board) 12 years ago, back when they brought all the ballots back to the courthouse,” she said. “I didn’t know until 1:30 a.m. This is kind of fun for me.”
Well, it wasn't fun for voters or for candidates waiting for results. Taxpayers deserve better. After all, running elections is the main function of the clerk's office and they only happen twice each year. Once the ballots were driven to the Lake County Building in downtown Waukegan, the counting took hold and unofficial final results were completed by about 11 p.m.
By that time The Hound was snoozing, as were most of the county's electorate.
Lake County officials have some explaining to do. We're not all bumpkins here, you know.
I agree, last night's computer snafu at the county clerk's office was a joke. I was using the clerk's Web site to follow results. They didn't post anything 'til about 9:30, when all of a sudden some numbers popped up. BUT, when you tried to see which precincts were reporting, the Web site kept showing "0" precincts, even though results were posted! The Web site stayed that way for about an hour, with absolutely no change in the numbers. Finally, the "log jam" cleared and they started updating results. But, given all the glitches, how are we supposed to feel confident that the vote tallies posted are accurate??
Oh, and regarding the "connectivity" issue, my sources tell me that the clerk's office tried to blame AT&T; the latter responded that they don't handle the phone lines in the county building! Kind of sad that they don't even know who their provider is, isn't it?
In your call for "heads to roll," I fear that some poor low-level employee of the wrong political persuasion will be scapegoated. I think that the buck stops with Willard Helander! I also believe you need to ask Ms. Helander about her press release before-the-fact saying that results were probably going to be late. At the time, she was referring to the pending weather forecast, but in view of what happened, I have to wonder if their pre-election testing was really "A-OK," or as thorough as it should have been. Perhaps they knew there might be problems, but decided to go ahead and hope for the best. At any rate, Willard has some "splainin" to do!
THE HOUND SAYS: A person who agrees with The Hound, how rare in this Republican rarified air of Lake County. Watch the GOPsters rally round the Marge Simpson of Lake County as taxpayers realize they pay an awful lot of money for stuff not to work. Fortunately, this was an election turnout of less than 40 percent. If we had the near-record turnout Cook County had, who knows?
Get over yourself. They had technical difficulties. A few years back I was an election judge and the clerk's office handled the election amazingly well. So they had problems connecting to the central computers, it happens. Don't you work in an office where occasionally the network goes down? Why use the optical scan paper ballots? Because if something happens to the computer system there is still a paper count and they are extremely simple.
THE HOUND SEZ: Sure, Einstein, our computer system goes down, but Lake County taxpayers didn't pay big bucks for it. Plus, we have IT guys who actually know what they're doing. Besides, The Hound doesn't make six-figures large as our clerk. Get over myself? This is an office which is plagued by perpetual glitches at nearly every election. Occurances as this get people wondering what else doesn't work in the third-largest county in the state. You must be a Republican to put up with such dribble. If you performed in the private sector like the clerk's office did Tuesday, you'd be in the unemployment line.
Computer glitches can happen anywhere, anytime. Just ask anyone who works on computers everyday. It happens to me at work - all of a sudden we lose our network or the internet. Sometimes weather does play a part as well.
I don't think these computer glitches should be used to attack our county clerk, Willard Helander. She does a great job, puts in a lot of hours, and does it all with honesty and integrity.
THE HOUND SAYS: OK, Smarty Pants, glitches happen anywhere. But don't you think the electoral process is something so vital to our way of life we'd take a little better care of it? I'm sure all of a sudden you lose your network or Internet connection, but do you have the votes of 40 percent of the county's registered voters on your Dell? And did the taxpayers pay beaucoup bucks to install said connections? Unless you work in her office, how do you know she puts in a lot of hours? Tlhis wasn't her first election and it wasn't the first election with glitches on her watch.
Even with the problems encountered at Lake County, they finished posting their results an hour before McHenry (which had a "smooth" election). How can the Hound be snoozing by 11 PM and post this blog an hour later? Results started being displayed at 8:30, around the time of other Counties. Final results for Cook County didn't happen until hours after midnight. So, yes, there were technical problems, but the results were published about the same time they usually are - before McHenry and Cook County. Funny how people are complaining about having to drive the ballots to the County Building. That's how McHenry does it every election.
THE HOUND REPLIES: Another Republican apologist heard from.
Dear News Hound:
I fear you have a bad case of itchy flea collar or did your owner lock you out of the house during the heavy snow and make you all wet? As published in press releases sent to the News Sun, the Lake County clerk's office was available on Election Day for vital record services. News Hound, don't you think you ought not spin the story or tell only the part you like? That could keep you from being invited into lots of homes.
Vitals customers could call the office directly or ask the county information desk or security officer to call on behalf of customers. No requests for service are turned away. The office has even opened on Saturdays in December or January when someone knocks during preparation for elections.
The Clerk's office even has Friday evening hours until 7:30 p.m. to make it convenient for customers. Mr. New Hound, please sniff out what other elected officeholders or administrative offices provide routine evening hours to assist working customers. Lake County's early voting is offered 7 days a week, not something all other county election officials do.
Hound dog, can you put your nose to the ground and sniff out the News Sun articles that got all confused about what actually occurred - not one "tabulation computer" or "voting machine" crashed or "glitched." The telephone modem lines kept disconnecting. These same lines had worked hours before, days before, weeks before and months before.
It's understandable that you are upset after so many hardworking, dedicated employees at the News Sun were recently let go. You are likely overworked and underpaid, but that is not the county board's doing.
Some of the other doggie remarks are addressed in a letter to the editor... where opinions of a journalist are published...
Note to the posting below: there was no press release issued. The expected delay posted on the Clerk's website shared the information the IT department could supply. The same posting noted that, because of the snow, it could take longer than normal for the vehicles to drive to Waukegan from all points in the county.
THE HOUND SEZ: Overworked and underpaid? That certainly doesn't apply to the county clerk's office. Guess some county clerk is getting cranky from being overworked in figuring out excuses as to why election results were finally done by 11 p.m. election night. That would be four hours after the polls closed.
Even with the problems encountered at Lake County, they finished posting their results an hour before McHenry (which had a "smooth" election). How can the Hound be snoozing by 11 PM and post this blog an hour later? Results started being displayed at 8:30, around the time of other Counties. Final results for Cook County didn't happen until hours after midnight. So, yes, there were technical problems, but the results were published about the same time they usually are - before McHenry and Cook County. Funny how people are complaining about having to drive the ballots to the County Building. That's how McHenry does it every election.
It seems those criticizing never watched an election night before. The final results were posted at the normal time. They left the Clerk's office at 11:00. In the times I've helped in the past, we didn't get out until after 1 am.
Kudo's to you Hound for taking a bite out of the county clerks office. Should Hellander be accountable???? ABSOLUTELY!
THE HOUND SAYS: She doesn't think so. The fickle finger of fate is pointing at the county's IT department, which is under the purview of the county administrator.
Be careful, News Puppy. I think your collar is on a little too tight. You're showing your ignorance with your response to Willard. Having all the results only 4 hours after the polls close is quite good. Maybe you should do a little journalist work before you dog-drool over your keyboard.
THE HOUND SAYS: Let The Hound loosen his collar, wipe the dog drool off the typewriter and quote from the press release sent out Jan. 31 by the clerk's office :
"Lake County Clerk Willard Helander announced election results will be reported on the clerk's web site for Tuesday's election. Tallies for all ballots cast in the precinct on Election Day will be reported virtually live at www.co.lake.il.us/cntyclk as the results are sent from the precinct locations."
Reread that paragraph and note tallies "will be reported virtually live" Do you consider getting results four hours after the fact "virtually live"?
Fish don't even live "virtually live" after four hours. And, a good attorney would have couched that language to include a shall, perhaps, maybe or expected to be "reported virtually live."
From that press release, Willard Helander was pretty confident those votes were going to be on the web site which offered "color-coded bar graphs or the ability to toggle to precinct maps of the district colored according to the candidates carrying the precinct." Once again, that press release was issued Jan. 31. Was the counting mechanism tested that day?
If you consider the clerk did a "quite good job" in getting those tallies out "virtually live", then you've voted straight Republican far too long. For what Lake County taxpayers pay to make sure votes are counted in a timely fashion and what they pay for county government in total, they deserve better bang for their big bucks.
This is 2008, not 1998. If they have a problem with the IT department, heads should roll. If the problem is in the clerk's office, a head should roll. It's that simple.