Trying to Vote
At least three polling stations in the regional capital had been shut down by noon, and one that was open in the Passatge del Pla had at least 200 people queuing to cast their ballots as organizers struggled to keep their computer system online. The crowd applauded each time a voter left the building.
“There are no words to describe what this government has done,” said Anna Bonet, a 56-year-old homemaker who’d waited since 6 a.m. to vote for independence. “We’re living under a state of emergency.”
At least 500 people were waiting in persistent rain to vote at another center on Passeig de Gracia. Organizers were jotting down voters’ ID numbers as they tried to keep track of the ballot and asking people to switch off their cell phones because their 3G connections kept failing.
“I’m going home for a nap and then I’m coming back,” said 59-year-old Joan Guerrero. “I’m scared the Spanish police will remove the ballot boxes so that the votes don’t get counted.”
The Civil Guard has managed to shut down the Catalan electoral register, the Interior Ministry said on Twitter, making it impossible to conduct a proper vote.
Soccer Match
Barcelona soccer club has postponed its home game against Las Palmas this afternoon because of the unrest, El Pais newspaper reported. Las Palmas, from the Canary Islands, was planning to play with a Spanish flag stitched to its shirt.
In Girona near the French border, where Puigdemont had been due to vote, Civil Guards in helmets blocked access to the polling booths, dragging off protesters, and then smashed the doors of a sports hall as they searched for ballot boxes. One protester was taken away by first-aid workers on a stretcher. Puigdemont later voted at a different location.
“The National Police and the Civil Guard had to act,” Millo said in a televised statement. “We had to do what we didn’t want to.”
— With assistance by Rodrigo Orihuela, and Charles Penty
Article Appeared @https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-30/catalans-reach-referendum-day-uncertain-if-they-ll-get-to-vote