A programming bug has made things go a little slower at the polls in one northeast Iowa county. Butler County Auditor Holly Fokkena says the problem developed with people who vote a straight party ticket.
Fokkena says if you vote republican or democrat, the scanner sees it as a vote for the 13 races. But, she says the scanner then sees the open spots next to the candidates names and tells the voter they undervoted. Fokkena says the votes are being counted as they should.
Fokkena says the tabulation is 100-percent correct, but she says it’s a nuisance that the discovered during testing and found the tabulation of the vote to be correct. Fokkena says voters get concerned when they see the undervote message after putting their ballot in the scanner.
Fokkena says, “This is just bothersome to the voter because they’re afraid that maybe their race hasn’t been voted or calculated. But it has been.” Fokkena says this is something that popped up recently. Fokkena says this is the second year they’ve used the machines, and it’s the first year they’ve had the problem. Fokkena says they could’ve reprogrammed the machines, but “didn’t realize the ramifications that the voter would feel unease with this.” Fokkena says it’s a message the voters don’t usually see.
Fokkena says she hasn’t kept direct tabs on the number of voters, but believes they’ll see turnout higher than most mid-term elections.