Machine Issues Cause Missing Ballots, Count Now Balanced

TUSCALOOSA, AL. — Mechanical issues resulted in hundreds of absentee ballots throwing off the final balance for Tuscaloosa County election officials on Election Day, according to Tuscaloosa County Circuit Clerk Magaria Bobo, who said the issue was pinpointed and resolved.

Bobo said in a statement that, in response to the reported missing ballots, which totaled roughly 800 in number, election officials had double hand-counted the ballots, with the total now balanced and ready for certification as accurate totals.

"We have no ballots unaccounted for," she said in a press release. "It has been determined there was a mechanical issue with the machine that was used for the first two counts. The ballots will be hand-fed into different machines beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 6 to complete the count.

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Prior to the explanation for the missing ballots, Tuscaloosa County Probate Judge Rob Robertson stressed the importance of reconciling the discrepancy, despite the number of votes not being sizable enough to impact any races on the ballot.

"I would be {upset]," Robertson said when asked what he would tell voters as the recount moved forward. "I waited at a polling place for an hour and 15 minutes. If I were to find that my ballot maybe wasn’t counted, I would not like that one bit."

In following statewide and national trends, Tuscaloosa County saw historic voter turnout, with more than 51% of the county's 149,969 registered voters casting ballots.

This story has been updated following a statement issued by the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Clerk's Office.