VALDOSTA – Voters in at least two Lowndes County precincts experienced issues going to the polls Tuesday morning, but the Lowndes County Board of Elections says the issues have been fixed.
Deb Cox, supervisor of elections, said machines used to prepare voting cards malfunctioned at Precinct 1 in Hahira and at Precinct 7 on Madison Highway. Once the problems were identified, backup systems were put in place and voters who had concerns about their ballot were directed to cast provisional ballots, Cox said.
Hahira resident Brianna Fleener told ValdostaToday she is unsure if her vote will be counted despite casting a provisional ballot.
“I show up, I fill out the paper and I give it to the man at the counter,” Fleener said. “Next, I was given a card to insert into the machine, and when I pulled up the screen I realized I was given the wrong ballot.”
In Georgia, voters must choose which political party they will be casting a vote for in the primary: Democrat or Republican.
“As I look around, I notice I’m not the only one. Turns out that anyone voting Democrat received a Republican ballot,” Fleener said. “After making some phone calls, we were told we could fix it, but we were showing up in the system as voted when none of us had casted our ballots.”
Cox said accounts of voters being given incorrect voter cards were inaccurate and that voters who experienced the issue more than likely filled out their voter form incorrectly.
“It happens all the time,” Cox said.
Fleener maintains she filled out her voter form correctly and is still concerned her vote will not count.
“We were then given sheets that explicitly read ‘To find out if your vote counted,'” Fleener said. “If my voted counted? As a citizen, I meet all the requirements for my vote to count. I am beyond upset.”
Despite the morning issues, Cox said Lowndes County voting was busy but going smoothly.
More than 5,000 Lowndes County residents cast ballots during the early voting period, which is more than double than the last presidential primary in 2012, Cox said.
