In an effort to make sure all voters receive the proper ballot, the Shelby County Election Commission has added an extra step that chairman Robert Meyers said could slow the voting process for everyone in Thursday’s elections. The ballots will feature state and federal primaries, Shelby County general elections and suburban referendums related to the creation of municipal school districts. Ballot problems following redistricting of state House and Senate and U.S. House voting boundaries led to more than 3,000 voters appearing to cast ballots in incorrect races during the early voting period. The majority of the incorrect ballots involved state House party primaries, although some of those are uncontested. Problems related to the referendums on municipal school districts in six suburban towns were corrected in the first week of early voting, but problems continued in state and federal primaries. Those voters most likely affected by the problems will be on a list at every precinct, and when someone shows up to vote who has been identified as a potential victim of the computer glitch, poll workers will attempt to ensure the proper ballot is issued and voted upon.
“We’re working very hard to see that there are no errors,” Meyers said. “But there are so many potential voters, it is possible there will be errors.” Meyers said the checks could create delays, although early-voting turnouts suggest volume should not be especially great for election-day voting. “In spite of working around the clock and the state working around the clock … we have not been able to completely rectify the problem and that’s why we put these other steps in the process to make sure every voter is able to vote on the correct ballot,” Meyers said.
Full Article: Shelby County Election Commission will slow process to prevent ballot problems » The Commercial Appeal.