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DENVER -- A state judge rejected the Democratic Party's request to extend voting by two hours because of the myriad of problems that were reported this morning, 7NEWS reported.

There were problems with new computers and problems with checking if people are registered to vote, leading to lines that have taken an hour or more for voters to wade through, 7NEWS reported.

"We had some severe, severe problems this morning as voters came to the polls. They weren't able to vote because the poll books were not operating," said Brian Mason with the Colorado Democratic Party. "The poll books are what keep the list of registered voters, and when the voters went to present their IDs, the election judges couldn't determine if they, in fact, were registered to vote, so they weren't allowed to do so.


"Most of those problems have slowly been fixed but unfortunately, many many voters were turned away and couldn't vote this morning, so we need some extra time for the entire Denver area, in Denver county, for those voters to come back and vote," Mason said.

Judge Sheila Rappaport, in rejecting the request, said that she does not have the authority to extend voting times. She said that voting problems are not unique to Denver County so it would be not right to make special arrangements for Denver but not for other counties that have experienced problems.

The Democratic Party's complaint alleged that the "Clerk and Recorder, City and County of Denver and members of the Denver Election Commision, persons charged with duties under the election code, have committed a breach or neglect of that duty." A court filing said the Denver city attorney, Cole Finnegan, supported the request, which asked for a temporary restraining order so that all voters in line by 9 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

The Colorado Republican Party challenged the lawsuit, saying that the delays don't warrant an extension and problems do not exist at all locations.

Republican candidate for governor, Bob Beauprez, said the lawsuit doesn't have any merit and that voters know what the rules are -- that voting is from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. -- and there's been early voting and absentee voting, so people have had plenty of opportunity to vote.

GOP spokesman Bryant Adams said an extension was unnecessary because anyone who showed up at a polling place by 7 p.m. would be allowed to vote, no matter how long it took. He accused Democrats of trying to win the election in the courts rather than at the ballot box.

Scattered computer problems, high voter turnout and the longest ballot in decades may have also led to the long lines, according to Colorado Secretary of State's office.

Denver Election Commission spokesman Alton Dillard said power failures at some locations are causing the congestion. He said voting machines are not affected because they have backup power. But laptop computers that are being used to verify voter registration are knocked out, and workers instead are calling the central office for the information. Click here to read more about the glitches and delays.

The glitches occurred early in the morning and during the lunch hour at the Webb Municipal Building, 7NEWS reported.

"We are not alleging fraud, we're just simply saying that there were computer problems, there were huge delays, voters were not able to vote and we need some more time to let them come back and vote later tonight," Mason said.

"Please do not depend on polls being kept open late," Secretary of State Gigi Dennis cautioned Denver voters. "If you are at the polls by 7 p.m. you will cast a ballot. All voters in line will be able to vote."

However, Dennis said voters should be prepared for the after-work surge at the polls. Voters are reminded to bring picture ID or other acceptable forms of identification.

"It is great to see so much interest on Election Day. Based on previous election-day turnout, I anticipate one million voters will cast a ballot today. Currently, our records show a little over 410,000 voters have already voted absentee or in early voting," Dennis said at 1 p.m.

Please refresh this page and watch 7NEWS for more information.

Related Story:
November 7, 2006: Long Lines, Glitches Hamper Voters



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