Is there inner-city election suppression in Franklin County, Ohio?
November 2, 2004 Election Day Report Columbus, Ohio 12:15pm EST This morning, voters in the 55th and 5th Wards of Columbus near east side, majority African American and overwhelmingly Democratic areas, were waiting between two to three hours to cast their votes. At seven of the eight polling places, Free Press observers counted only three voting machines per location. According to the presiding judge at the polling site, at the Columbus Model Neighborhood facility at 1393 E. Broad St., there had been five machines during the 2004 primary. At Douglas Elementary School, there had been four machines during the light turnout of the spring primary. Many voters are complaining that they believe the Franklin County Board of Elections, headed by Matt Damschroder, former Franklin County Republican Party Chair, deliberately placed too few machines in the center city. The nonpartisan Election Protection Coalition lodged complaints with the Franklin County Board of Elections. One Board of Election
