Ballot confusion hits Victoria polling place
Published on -8/5/2008, 1:02 PM
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By GAYLE WEBER
VICTORIA -- A special question regarding USD 432 was missing from ballots here early this morning.
At least four voters selected the wrong ballots on the electronic voting machines. They were able to cast their votes correctly for local and state races, but were unable to vote on a $3.5 million bond issue in the school district.
"They evidently didn't realize they had the wrong ballot even though they knew they didn't have the bond issue on there," said Marilyn Wagner, Victoria election board worker. "If they come and tell us they have the wrong ballot, then we go back in and bring up the right ballot."
County Clerk Alberta Klaus said election board workers are instructed to use the information from the polling book to determine which ballot each person should be voting on. However, Klaus did say board workers are not responsible for physically selecting the correct ballot on the touch screen.
"If the voter gets the wrong ballot, they should tell us about it," Klaus said.
Wagner said the voters who selected the ballot without the special question on it were given the opportunity to vote by paper ballot on the bond issue.
"If they let them vote on it, I don't see any problem with it," Klaus said.
Victoria Superintendent Linda Kenne said she visited the polling place this morning and was assured the problem had been taken care of.
"I just find it absolutely incredible that they wouldn't know what ballot to give people in the first place," Kenne said. "I talked to our bond agent and just as long as everybody gets an opportunity to vote, that's all we can hope for."
Wagner said the confusion arose when voters had the option of voting on their township ballot or their township ballot plus the USD 432 ballot. Not all voters in the three townships using the Victoria polling place reside within the borders of USD 432.
"We asked them and sometimes they're half listening," Wagner said. "If they don't tell us they got the wrong ballot, then we don't know."
When asked this morning, Klaus said the problems here had not been brought to her attention.
"Errors happen. People working on these polling places are human," she said.
