Glitches gum up results
Election returns slowed by new equipment
The Register-Mail Online. March 22, 2006
By TAMMY BOULD

GALESBURG - Murphy's law took effect Tuesday at the Knox County Courthouse, causing a delay in tabulating primary election results.

For Knox County Clerk Scott Erickson, it started early Tuesday. He arrived at the Knox County Courthouse at 5 a.m., and around 7:30 a.m. learned two of the tires on his vehicle were flat. That was just the beginning.

When the ballots from the precincts started to arrive after the polls closed at 7 p.m., some did not include the memory cards from the new touch-screen voting machines.

It was a "breakdown in communications," Erickson said. "We thought they knew what to bring in and they thought they had what we needed."

When workers in the election office realized some did not have the memory cards from the new machines, Erickson said his office immediately tried to contact the other precincts before election officials left, but most were already on the road.

Although election judges were trained before Tuesday's election, Erickson said part of the problem may have been the fact the "teachers" are accustomed to using terms that some judges may have misunderstood.

Erickson said the delay was not the fault of the election judges.

"We greatly appreciate everything they do," he said.

Some debriefing took place after the ballots were counted and will continue today. Election officials will continue to discuss how to streamline the process and create a better check list for the judges to review.

Being the first time the touch-screen voting machines were used, Erickson was expecting a few glitches. That always happens with new equipment, he said.

Another delay was caused by the new machines when it was time to add in the absentee ballots. Erickson said the absentee ballots cannot be tallied until after the polls close. Each precinct judge adds in the ballots before taking everything to the courthouse.

Early ballots cast on a touch-screen machine at the courthouse also had to be added in there.

During the confusion, some anxious moments occurred when Erickson started having "some pains" and paramedics were called.

Shiela Parkin said Erickson grew pale and said his chest was bothering him and his arm was tingling. Office workers finally persuaded him to go into his office where his family attended to him.

Erickson said he did not pass out, but it had been "a very long and stressful day," and he had not eaten very much. He has never had such pains before and paramedics cleared him to keep working.

"We were worried and concerned," Parkin said, "But you have to go on and do what you can."

Erickson said once everything is in place, he is confident things will run much smoother during the fall election.