A friend in the field for Obama passes on this tip:
I'm told the "houndini system" by which BO's HQ in chicago was going to monitor turn out across the country crashed this morning. the system was an 800 number where poll checkers at select precincts across the country could phone in their results to data entry people so chicago could have real time info. unfortunately, the system was overwhelmed and chicago hq doesn't have the real time info they were hoping for.
Another friend working in Ohio chimes in:
That's what we're dealing with here. Have all these attorneys out in the field that were going to monitor names, numbers, and turn out and they can't. Its been down since 6:30am.
"This is just not true," an Obama campaign source responds. But the original tips come from people I know and trust, so I have to think something's awry. Not clear how serious it is, though. Adds friend #2:
It'll be okay, because the McCain campaign's ditto machine ran out of blue ink.
Update: I've now gotten word that the glitch is was for real, but not a big problem and that the campaign is now "working around it."
--Michael Crowley