Phila. D.A.: No planted votes; machine counters misread

By L. Stuart Ditzen

Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer  02 November 2004

 

Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham today refuted reports that 2,000 votes had been "planted" on voting machines at several polling places.

Cathie Abookire, spokeswoman for Abraham, said poll workers misinterpreted numbers they found on voting machines before the polls opened. Abookire said the city's new electronic voting machines have two windows that display voting numbers - one that shows the total number of votes ever cast on the machine, the other that shows the number of votes cast today.

Some poll workers saw the number of prior votes from past elections on the machines and thought that meant votes had been planted.

"They misread the machines," Abookire said. "There were no planted votes."