Ballot Problems Delay Final Returns for Hinds County

County Spent $1.6 Million on Voting Machines

POSTED: 12:50 p.m. CST November 6, 2003
UPDATED: 1:16 p.m. CST November 6, 2003

Jackson, Miss. Some election officials say problems with new touch-screen voting machines that led to delays in completing the count in Hinds County are extremely disappointing.

Vote counting continued on Thursday in the county, two days after the general election.

District Four Election Commissioner Connie Cochran said the county election commission must count 2,584 affidavit ballots, more than 1,400 ballots and about 2,000 ballots.

Cochran said Election Day problems included voting machines that overheated, a lack of paper ballots for voters to use when machines went down, and the long waits in line.

Hinds County Tax Assessor Bill Burrow Jr. said he was frustrated that the result of his re-election bid are unknown considering the county paid $1.6 million for the new voting machines. Burrow is trailing Democrat Eddie Fair.

At last count in another race that was too close to call, Republic state Sen. Richard White held a 49-vote lead over Democratic challenger Dewayne Thomas.

Originally published by http://www.thejacksonchannel.com