Provisional Ballots, Early Voting, and 10,000 Lawyers

"Send lawyers, guns, and money" ~ Warren Zevon

NPR

In the 2000 US Presidential election, the State of Florida's punch card ballots' "hanging, dimpled, chads" resulted in injunctions, and a 36 day recount. George W. Bush won the Presidency, and the State of Florida by 537 votes.

Subsequently, the Federal Election Commission enacted the Help America Vote Act. The HAVA timeline runs from December 13, 2002-January 1, 2007.

HAVA timeline excerpts: December 13, 2002: Section 101: "GSA establish grant program for payments to States to improve election administration." Section 102: "GSA establish grant program for payments to States to replace punch card or lever voting machines." November 2, 2004: "All punchcard and lever machines replaced in States accepting Section 102 payments unless qualified for waiver." To view the timeline in it's entirety: Help America Vote Act Timeline

Excerpt of text of law of the Help America Vote Act of 2002: Oct. 29, 2002 -H.R. 3295: "To establish a program to provide funds to States to replace punch card voting systems, to establish the Election Assistance Commission to assist in the administration of Federal elections and to otherwise provide assistance with the administration of certain Federal election laws and programs, to establish minimum election administration standards for States and units of local government with responsibility for the administration of Federal elections, and for other purposes." To view the law's text in it's entirety: Help America Vote Act Guide to Acronyms Relating to the Help America Vote Act

10~18~04, Florida, along with Arkansas, Colorado, and Texas began early voting for the 2004 Presidential election. Voters in Michigan, Missouri, and Iowa had an even sooner head start to the polls; they started casting Presidential votes in September of 2004. Early voting not withstanding, Floridians are still having glitches at the polls and legal issues prior to arriving to polling sites. Purportedly, laptops used for registration verification in Broward County were malfunctioning, and in Orange County touch-screens froze [temporarily]. In Volusia County the NAACP filed suit for additional early polling facilities claiming "the county's single location was too far from high concentrations of African-American voters in Daytona Beach." Like-minded litigation in Jacksonville's Duval County was dismissed, as was organized labor's contention that voters in Tallahassee [inclusive of but not limited to those displaced by hurricanes] should be permitted "to cast provisional ballots outside their designated precincts."
Related:

• State to be put to the test. Can Florida get it right this time?
  
• Florida Department of State
  
• Battles Loom Over Who Gets To Vote