U.S. polling places said to lack resources

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Six U.S. election battleground states lack the resources, especially in minority areas, to handle expected voter turnout, a civil rights group said Thursday.

Precincts with large minority populations in Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia could have long lines Nov. 4 -- and thousands of voters could eventually give up and go home -- without more voting stations, voting machines and poll workers, the Advancement Project said.

The problem is that many counties base allocations on past turnout, Jon Greenbaum, Voting Rights Project director of the nonpartisan Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, told USA Today.

National Association of Election Officials Executive Director Doug Lewis told the newspaper most state and local election officials do take registration trends into account but because most machines are purchased far in advance, only the wealthiest counties can afford to buy or rent more when registrations rise.

The Advancement Project said Alexandria, Va., was an example of a potential worst-case scenario, with 26 percent more voters per machine than precincts with fewer minorities. It said it has written to Virginia's chief elections officer requesting changes before Election Day.

Virginia Board of Elections spokeswoman Susan Pollard told USA Today the state didn't take race into consideration in allocating resources.