Local voters share concerns over ballots being reject by tabulation machines

The Florida Primary is underway across the state. At local precincts, some voters are sharing concerns about their ballots not easily being accepted by tabulation machines.

An Action News Jax Viewer reported concerns at Precinct 608 at the Mandarin Public Library off San Jose Boulevard.  Since cameras were not allowed in voting locations, Action News Jax reporter Cole Heath watched as several voters had to insert their ballots several times before the machine accepted them.

“Are you concerned about your ballot not being counted?" Heath asked voter Wendy Regas.

“No,” Regas answered, “Because the ballot ran through, so I don’t think it would have run through if it hadn’t accepted it," Regas responded when asked why she wasn't concerned.

Working with Action News Jax’s news partner News 104.5 WOKV, we’ve learned the Duval County Supervisor of Elections Office is using a new vendor for ballots this election. Our news partner found out that means some ballots were printed just slightly out of the specs to where they could be read by machines at polling locations.

Officials tell News 104.5 WOKV if a ballot is not accepted by the machine, it is collected in an “emergency compartment”, which is not touched until the end of today. Then at the end the voting period, the poll workers will try to run the ballots through the machines at the precincts again.

But if that doesn’t work, the ballots are put in an “unscanned bag” and scanned again with a different machine that isn’t as sensitive to the size of the ballot either tonight or tomorrow at the elections office according to WOKV sources.

Cox Media Group