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‘Trust votes will be counted;’ Henrico official says after machine jams

Posted at 1:37 PM, Nov 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-07 13:39:25-05

HENRICO COUNTY, Va., -- Some voters reported a paper ballot scanning machine jamming at a precinct in Henrico County, less than an hour after polls opened.

The jammed machine caused a slight delay at the Bonnie Brae Church of Christ polling location on Staples Mill Road just before 7 a.m. Tuesday, according to the chief officer.

"An individual put their voting sheet in and it came out jammed," Phyllis Doby said, and held up a folded ballot.

A CBS 6 viewer said he was forced to leave his ballot into an emergency slot, until a technician was called to fix the machine. Voters were concerned their ballot wouldn't be counted with the official total.

"I told them that I would make sure that the votes are counted," Doby said. "You can trust that the votes will be counted."

The machine was down for about 10 minutes. Doby said she would scan the ballots entered into the emergency slot during a lull in voting traffic.

On Sept. 8, the Virginia Board of Elections voted to immediately de-certify all paper-less voting machines in the state.

Those were the machines that allowed voters to vote by touching the screen.

Over the summer at a  security conference in Las Vegas, the demonstration of hackers prompted the de-certification of machines after vulnerabilities were showcased in some Commonwealth machines.

On Tuesday, other voters reported a smooth voting process at the Bonnie Brae polling location.

"It was very smooth and this is my first time voting in a local election in Virginia," Becky Bell said.

For full election coverage, click here.