Twenty-four states had 43 presidential nominating contests yesterday. Florida had their primary on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008, but election offices across Florida reported hundreds of phone calls wanting to know where they can vote yesterday.
Kathy Adams, spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Election Supervisor
reports "We've had over 100 calls at least over the last two days," from dedicated Florida voters that were confused and didn't realize that Florida had already held its primary the week before.
For the record the
results for the Florida primary were:
100% of precincts reporting in:
Democrats
Clinton 50%
Obama 33%
Edwards 14%
Republicans
McCain 36%
Romney 31%
Giuliani 15%
Huckabee 13%
Paul 3%
Orange County elections officials were dealing with confused voters from Florida and California, according to Orange County Election Supervisor Bill Cowles,
"One of my staffers has figured it out. They are California voters going online and looking for the Orange County [California] election office and calling us instead."
Cowles and other election supervisors in Seminole and Osceola counties reported dozens of calls and admit that the confusion between Orange County Florida and Orange County California doesn't explain why one man even showed up at the polling site in Orlando, wanting to vote.
One assistant elections supervisor, Janet Olin, stated that there were more than a handful of confused voters and that they were, indeed a "handful", to the point of actually arguing with the election officials.
Aubrey Jewett, a University of Central Florida political science professor, says he hopes that "they will pay more attention to the process and will be ready to vote the first Tuesday in November, and not the second Tuesday."
Indeed.
