Lynchburg voters looking to cast their ballots in the special election for the 22nd Senate District today are encountering an unusual snag in the democratic process – voting precincts out of ballots. For voter Leighton Dodd, who said he planned to vote for Democrat Ryant Washington, he told The News & Advance that he tried to vote at 11:30 a.m. at Bedford Hills School precinct, but there were no ballots. When he came back after lunch, around 1 p.m. the precinct had run out again. “To not have enough ballots is ridiculous,” Dodd said as he sat in a line of 30 voters who were waiting for more ballots to be delivered so that they could cast their votes in the special election. Dodd expressed concern that the ballot snafu could affect the election.
“That’s quite absurd,” reacted voter Bruce Blankinship when he heard the Bedford Hills precinct was out of ballots, as he headed out on his lunch break to vote for Republican Mark Peake.
Blankinship also worried over how the issues with the special election could affect the end result. Blankinship left the precinct without voting, but said he would return to cast his ballot after work.
At nearly 2 p.m. more than 400 voters had been through the Bedford Hills precinct, according to election official Mariana Boska. The precinct had at least three rounds of ballots delivered. However, Aaron Evans, who was standing outside Bedford Hills to promote the Republican ballot, said that around 50 people had left without voting since the precinct did not have ballots available.
Full Article: Lynchburg voters continue to report problems after ballot shortage in Lynchburg during special election | Local News | newsadvance.com.