RICHMOND, Va. — The precinct chief for the Calhoun Street voting precinct in Richmond's Gilpin Court has been replaced from the position following Tuesday morning's ballot irregularities, the precinct's new chief told CBS 6. She came over to Precinct 310 from the Office of Elections in Richmond at 11:15 a.m.
The change occurred after the Richmond Electoral Board Vice Chair C. Starlet Stevens blamed “human error” for voting issues at the Calhoun Community Center in the East End on Tuesday morning.
Several voters contacted CBS 6 saying they were given federal-only ballots inside the voting precinct on Calhoun Street in Gilpin Court instead of the full ballot with municipal races.
While they could vote for U.S. President, they were unable to cast a ballot in the Richmond mayor, school board, and city council races.
“When I got my ballot the back of it was blank. I asked [the precinct chief] where was the school board race and she said that was the correct ballot,” one voter who wanted to remain anonymous told CBS 6.
That voter was 11th in line and brought the inconsistency to the attention of candidates and polling monitors outside.
“I went back in there and said something to [the precinct chief] and [the polling workers] said she knows what’s she doing. The whole time they were handing out the wrong ballots,” the voter explained.
Watch: Virginia addresses early-voting, absentee ballots, and Election Day issues
Stevens said the precinct chief handed out federal ballots to 11 voters and it was too late when the Board was notified.
The voters who inserted their ballots into the counting machine weren’t legally allowed to vote again.
Stevens said the incorrect ballots could’ve been “spoiled” if they weren’t already counted.
Multiple voters and candidates, including Richmond School Board District 3 candidate Kevin Starlings, described the precinct chief as argumentative and “rude.”
“I’m mad and pissed off,” the voter said. “She was being nasty all morning.”
CBS 6’s Brendan King also faced resistance from the precinct chief when attempting to get information. She wrongly asserted the media was not allowed to physically stand inside the polling location if they weren’t voting.
The Virginia Department of Elections expresses in their “guidelines for news media during elections” that “News media representatives may visit, film and photograph inside Virginia polling places on Election Day for a reasonable and limited period of time while the polls are open.”
“Everyone voted just fine,” the precinct chief stated when pressed for details. She denied a request for an interview from CBS 6 and other outlets.
Stevens said the precinct always had access to the federal and full ballots. She noted the precinct also opened late because poll workers had trouble opening the building.
Department of Elections Commissioner Susan Beals addressed the issue at a 10 a.m. briefing on the mistake.
"For some specific issues that we're aware of this morning at the polls, in precinct 310 in Richmond, this is the Gilpin Court precinct, there was an issue with election workers handing out federal-only ballots. I believe that happened to 11 voters," she said. "That issue has since been resolved."
Did you have issues voting in Virginia on Tuesday? Email the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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