2 weeks Ago
SAND LAKE, Mich. — Voters at a polling location in Sand Lake ran into some long lines on Election Day as ballots were not going through the machines. Nelson Township Clerk Laura Hoffman said the room had gotten a little warm when the problem began.
"We turned down the temperature, the humidity started to have the ballots swell a little bit, and it was after 3:30, so after school, after work, the line grew," she said. "We called the election source. They came and cleaned the screen, which we had to shut down for 5-10 minutes and then restart.
" Hoffman said she tried to explain the issue to voters waiting, but not all of them heard her. Some people walked away without casting their vote due to the wait. Voter Tracy Quinlan said she waited in line for about 45 minutes and that the person in front of her had tried to put their ballot through the tabulator "about 30 times.
" "Not joking, when somebody's ballot would go through, they would like cheer and give them candy," said Quinlan. Voters who were unable to put their votes through the machine were instead able to put them in the auxiliary, a bin where they're stored to be hand counted later by both a Republican and a Democrat. While Hoffman said some voters were upset, most were grateful and understanding.
"They smiled, they thanked the poll workers for doing their jobs," she said. Quinlan said she saw some voters upset, one man even slammed down his envelope after his ballot had finally been tabulated. Hoffman also said this isn't the first time they've dealt with this, and that when there's humidity this is just something that happens.
"The same thing happened to me in August here during the primaries, and we got the same explanation," said Quinlan. Quinlan said she is frustrated that this has been an ongoing issue, and wished it would've been resolved by now. Voter Jim Phillips was frustrated as well, saying that having issues casting his vote gave him a feeling of insecurity with the whole process.
"I'm not saying there's foul play either," he said. "But you need to feel confident when you cast a vote." Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck said they saw this issue as well in Ottawa County, as the humidity was causing ballots to stick together, the morning of Election Day.
He said they were able to fix it..
