In addition to severe mix-ups in polling places (some of which were moved at the last minute) and disenfranchisement of voters who cast invalid provisional ballots because of the mix-ups, Broward County experienced many electronic voting machine malfunctions. Some broke down, others registered votes incorrectly.*

An improperly calibrated machine at the polling place at 2501 Coral Springs Dr. in Coral Springs was used by an undetermined number of voters before it was replaced, said Carl Fowler, pubic information officer for Broward's Emergency Management Agency.

If voters on that machine had reviewed their ballots before hitting the red "Vote" button, they could be certain their votes were recorded accurately, Fowler said.

However, if they did not review their ballots, it is possible that some votes were recorded inaccurately. If a machine is not properly calibrated, a vote intended to be cast for one candidate can be recorded for a different candidate. "I think the chances that happened are slim, but it's a possibility," Fowler said.

The machines were taken to the Voting Equipment Center in Fort Lauderdale, where the votes cast on them were to be counted. County officials said they did not know how many votes had been recorded on any of the malfunctioning machines.

Many of the other 20 machines suffered problems with electrical power, said Gisela Salas, Broward's deputy supervisor of elections. Most of them had been used by some voters before being taken out of service.