Wednesday, October 31, 2012

ELECTION ALERT: Voter Turned Away From Aventura Polling Site by Police. By Geniusofdespair

See the two circles (one on left voting place) to show you where the police suggested my relative park. Were arrangements made with the Park?  That is a pretty long walk for the oldsters in Aventura as the park is fenced, you can't cut through it.

A family member was turned away from the early voting site in Aventura. The police told him there was no parking. He saw the police letting other cars in and asked them why some cars were let in and not others. The police said they had city business. He said he told the cops that he had a right to vote. The cops said, I don't know maybe you can park at the Park (around the block). The end result: He didn't vote. There needs to be a shuttle to parking or some arrangements made for people not handicapped but older. The median age in Aventura, was about 54 in 2009.

Please keep us informed of any voting problems. Link to early voting wait times.

In other election news, just got word that:

South side of North Shore Library.

2 Photos taken 11:15 at North Shore Library on Collins in North Beach. The elections Department estimated an 1 hour and 1/2 wait time at 11:15. Notice they are giving out water at this location.

The line wrapped around the 4 sides of building (East and part of North side).
1:15: North Dade Regional Library and Coral Reef Library have 4 hour waits. Choose another site. Link to early voting wait times.

27 comments:

peggy said...

no one was turned away from voting. someone was turned away from a parking lot. big difference. if the individual was committed to voting, he or she could park elsewhere and walk to the polls. voting is a right. parking is not.

p.s. debbie wasserman shultz was almost arrested at that polling place yesterday after she had a heated argument with the mayor and a police officer.

Anonymous said...

There is a charge to enter this park.

Geniusofdespair said...

Peggy the Cops had no clear instructions for voters at this polling place on where they were to go to park. Many of the voters coming here are older people. They need a clear plan for parking not discouragement. You turn them away for parking, you turn them away from voting.

Geniusofdespair said...

BTW there is a fence around this park you cannot cut through it.

Russell said...

No parking, no voting. Same thing. You can't leave your car in the middle of the street.

Geniusofdespair said...

Elections said they made arrangements to use Founder's Park for overflow parking.

Maybe no one told the police the plan who were instructing the voters arriving.

Anonymous said...

Parking is not only a problem here, it is a problem at the South Dade Govt. Center too. The overflow parking is at the theatre in the shopping center across the street. It is way on the north side of the shopping center, a very long walk away from the polling place. Not only that they have to cross a very busy four-lane divided highway.Most seniors could not walk it, and many abled-bodied would have a problem too. The Elections Department did not process in parking. Given the volume, they need to quickly get some vans at the polling places now.

Anonymous said...

One of the problems is that the campaign workers show up early, use up all the spaces ALL DAY and leave the voters with no parking spaces.

Anonymous said...

Re Greer Wallace:

They can hand out anything they want as long as it is not to voters in the line or over the designated "yellow" line.

There are big problems at the South Dade Regional Public Library. Most of the Poll Workers are sympathetic to one specific party and have been seen talking to the voters with the Herald Ballot instructions in their hand as they "instruct "them.

One library worker has been all over the polling area talking with anyone they chose. This is clearly illegal, but they continue to do it.

The sad fact is that voter fraud is prevalent in Miami-Dade County and will take sensible planning to even put a dent into it.

My reasoning is, "If my vote is not sacrosanct in Miami Dade, why am I living here?"

Our Obama nightmare will soon be over said...

Aventura is a a major Democratic Party foothold. I blame Obama and his supporters for suppressing the vote.

Anonymous said...

I'm not a fan of what a lot of these campaigns are doing now or in past years. I don't like non campaign workers literally soliciting voters for their own reasons either. But, in the end, it's up to the voters to vote. If they're not informed before they show up, someone will grab them and "help" them out, which is just a sad fact of our electorate.

I'm the one who wrote yesterday about the lack of a separate handicap entrance/assistance in FL City. I don't know if they fixed it or not. The Wallace campaign is heavy down there along with the Dem slate of candidates. I would venture to guess (just an opinion here) that because her husband is the mayor for life of FL City I'm just pretty sure her workers are entitled to do just about anything there and no one would blink.

Anonymous said...

That is outrageous. Let the people doing city business park far away and walk. Elderly voters should of course be allowed to park near the poll. I hope the police are being told to do better next today.

silver said...

To Anon, 3 above or so "RE Greer Wallace" :

Actually, Greer Wallace is a candidate for Judge. It is a non-partisan race and under the judicial rules she is not allowed to be supporting any other candidates. If her campaign workers are passing anything out that has her name on it along with anyone else's, it is a violation.

Anonymous said...

To last anon and/or whoever is reading with a hotline to the election department this is what the greer camp or dem workers are doing at the polls I've tried calling 311 and have been on hold

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Geniusofdespair said...

Campaign workers are not the candidate. If you see her complain.

Anonymous said...

Didn't G.O.D. warn us about the Greer Wallace/Otis Wallace connection? We should have listened to him.

Geniusofdespair said...

Actually I voted for Wallace in the end-- please read
http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2012/07/a-word-to-misguided-judges-endorsed-by.html?m=1

Geniusofdespair said...

Wasserman-Shultz office response:

Thanks for you inquiry about the Congresswoman at Aventura. Your blog post about the limited parking at Aventura City Hall accurately reflects the challenges associated with the record turnout we have seen the past few days in Democratic districts to vote early in Florida.
On Monday, the Congresswoman was greeting voters outside of the 100ft "electioneering line," but in the parking lot, when she was approached by a police officer and advised that, for her safety, she should stay on the side walk due to the heavy amount of vehicle traffic. She expressed concern to the officer about the limited parking for voters, and then returned to the sidewalk. At about that time, the city clerk came down to assess the parking situation and the Congresswoman also spoke to her about the limited parking and cadidates' access to voters. That's it. When she left she thanked the Clerk, the Police Chief, and the officer she spoke to earlier for the work that they were doing.

Thanks for your report on the parking situation in Aventura and for your coverage of local politics.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Beeton
Spokesperson for Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Anonymous said...

Greer Wallace is also Barbara Jordan's sister. It's a real crooked family.

Get a copy of Wallace's phoney pamphlets and report her to the Florida Bar and the Judicial Qualifications Commission. She is a dirty bird who has no business becoming a judge.

Anonymous said...

To Jonathan -- maybe she should have made more of a fuss! City workers, poll workers etc should take the hike from overflow parking to the poll. Don't ask the elderly or infirm -- even if they don't have a handicap sticker - to take a long walk to then have to stand in line without benches or chairs set up. The County should take a serious look at this and maybe run some shuttles at locations where this is a problem. Certainly some temporary seating is in order when you have an hour or more wait.

Anonymous said...

Greer Wallace is not Barbara Jordan's sister. She is her sister in law.

Ted (owner of Ted's of Beverly Hill's) said...

The only reason the elderly have a problem is because they are lazy. Have you seen how slow they walk?

Also, watch them ride around on those electric scooters at Publix even though they can clearly walk. Lazy. Lazy. Lazy.

Geniusofdespair said...

My relative from Aventura did finally vote today...In Miami Beach.

Gina said...

This is a non-issue. Of course there are long lines. There are only 20 early voting polling places. Instead of encouraging people to vote early, you should encourage people to vote on election day when there are 700 voting places and minimal waiting.

Anonymous said...

Gina, hopefully Republicans will follow your advice and wait to vote on election day. As for Democrats, we need to get as many in early voting as we can.

Anonymous said...

Anyone who resides in Aventura can take the free shuttle service that stops at City Hall. That eliminates the need to fight traffic.

If you don't live in Aventura, park at the Mall or near one of the other bus stops (that are posted on the City of Aventura website) and ride the shuttle from there. That parking lot only holds so many cars.