Ballot scanner in Adams Township jammed, fixed around 1 p.m.
Regular voting in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, midterm election has resumed in Adams Township Precinct 3 after a ballot scanner had a jam, a situation the Butler County Bureau of Elections director said is not uncommon.
Chantell McCurdy said the scanner was down in the early afternoon, but not for long. The issue was fixed shortly after 1 p.m., according to McCurdy.
Voters were advised they could wait for it to be fixed or put their completed ballots in a sealed compartment to be counted later. She said the judge of elections breaks the seal on the compartment once the issue is resolved and representatives from both political parties watch as poll workers run the ballots through the machine one at a time.
“It doesn’t happen often, but I wouldn’t say it was abnormal,” McCurdy said. “If the scanner goes down at any point, voters are allowed to still check in, vote. But if they’re done with their ballots there is a compartment that is separate that is sealed and locked.”
McCurdy said her office believes the issue was caused by a small piece of paper getting stuck in the scanner.
