Ballot errors affect 200

Ballot errors in two N.C. counties prevented some people from having their say in Tuesday’s elections.

Incorrect ballots in New Hanover County prevented about 200 citizens from voting in local elections Tuesday, and Surry County’s poll book glitches caused delays for hours that morning.

Two precincts in New Hanover County had the wrong ballot, and some local races were not even on the ballot, said Jason Thompson, chairman of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners.

“It wasn’t until the voters realized they had the wrong one — or that some names were missing — that precincts realized what was going on,” Thompson said.

Other ballots did not mark the candidates chosen by the voter.

“Had one of the races been really close, we probably would have had to do this whole thing over,” Thompson said.

Poll workers did not record voter information so they were unable to contact voters to recast their votes after the mistakes were fixed, said N.C. Rep. Carolyn Justice, R-New Hanover.

She was one of the candidates missing from several ballots in New Hanover, but she still won her race.

She is calling for an investigation by the state into the county’s board of elections and Tuesday’s proceedings.

“If that’s a process and decision that’s being made in the local places here, that needs to be fixed,” she said.

Thompson has called all those involved in the mishap for a public hearing and statement later this month.

But any formal reprimand or firing of employees would be up to the state.

Glitches in the computer system caused the problem in Surry County, said Susan Jarrell, director of the Surry County Board of Elections.

The county’s computer system was using information from the second Democratic primary race, which was only open to registered Democrats.

All registered Republicans, Libertarians and some unaffiliated voters were not allowed to vote when polls opened at 6:30 a.m.

About 22 percent of the county’s voters could not cast their ballots until the problem was fixed three hours later when the precincts received new poll books.

Jarrell said most people came back to cast their ballots later in the day.

The polls stayed open until 8:30 p.m.— one hour later than elsewhere in the state — to accommodate more voters.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.