Politics
Tennessee governor candidates urge voters to report touchscreen ballot concerns
Marsha Blackburn and Jerri Green urged voters to contact election officials after reports that voting-machine screens sometimes displayed a different candidate than the one selected. State Elections Coordinator Mark Goins said the incidents were voter errors, not votes being switched, and advised voters to ask poll workers for help before casting a ballot.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee voters who say touchscreen voting machines have failed to register their selections should alert poll workers and local election officials, the two leading candidates for governor said as early voting continued across the state.
Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn and Democratic candidate Jerri Green responded to reports from a handful of voters who said a machine either did not recognize their choice or highlighted another candidate. The reported voters ultimately made the selections they intended after consulting polling-place staff, and were told not to submit their ballots until the choices were correct.
“The integrity of our elections is paramount to preserving trust and legitimacy in the final outcome,” Blackburn said in a statement. She urged anyone who witnesses or experiences an irregularity to contact their local election commission and the Tennessee Secretary of State.
Green said her campaign had heard concerns from voters who believed their choices for her were switching on the machines. She said the campaign was monitoring the reports and encouraged voters to contact local election commissions. Green also urged Democratic voters to call the Tennessee Democratic Party’s voter hotline.
Mark Goins, the state’s coordinator of elections, attributed the incidents to unintended touches rather than machines changing votes. He said a voter’s fingernail might touch an adjacent selection on the screen without the voter noticing.
Goins advised voters to review their selections and ask a poll worker for assistance if anything appears incorrect. Election staff instructed the voters involved in the reported cases not to cast their ballots until the selections were right.
Early voting began Oct. 14 and is scheduled to end Oct. 29. Tennessee’s general election is Nov. 3. Voters who encounter a problem can seek help at their polling place or report it to their local election commission.