Ballot Counting Problems in Cuyahoga County  (OH)

Fox News Cleveland    07 November 2007

Troubles with the computer server handling the incoming votes to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections forced a shut down of the system for portions of election night.

Cuyahoga County Board of Elections Director Jane Platten tells Fox 8 News I-Team reporter Bill Sheil a glitch in the server shut down all ballot counting shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening.

According to Platten, the computer server that uploads totals from memory cards at polling locations was restarted and in working order after 30 minutes. But later in the evening the problem occurred once again, forcing the shutdown of the ballot counting system for a second time.

Platten says as a precautionary measure the computer server will be shut down every 45 minutes to protect all counted votes in the system.

According to Platten the cause of the computer glitch is not known but a security break-in and a computer virus have been ruled out as possible causes.

Voters had to use paper ballots at a few locations in Cuyahoga County when polls first opened because workers had difficulty getting electronic voting machines running.

Platten said the problem was due to insufficient poll worker training, not glitches with the machines.
 
The county has had problems in the past with poll workers showing up late or not at all to polling locations.

Cuyahoga has had equipment malfunctions as well, thousands of ballots had to be counted by hand in the May 2006 primary delaying results for days.