Havre de Grace Man Among Voters Reporting Defective Machines

Maryland election officials have gotten word that some machines are changing voters’ selections, and a Havre de Grace man is reportedly among those who experienced the glitch.

William Childers of Havre de Grace said when he cast his ballot at the HEAT Center in Aberdeen, the machine logged his vote for Republican Congressman Andy Harris but then changed his vote, illuminating Democratic candidate Bill Tilghman’s name instead, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Fewer than 20 machines had been identified as problematic as of Monday, the Maryland State Board of Elections said. Of those, technicians could not replicate the issue in 12 machines; the others were taken out of service for more testing, according to the state.

A state elections spokesperson said voters should be sure to check their summary screen, which is where the issues were usually detected, WTOP reported. If voters do experience a problem, officials say they should contact the election judge.

However, a voter in Montgomery County said she informed an election official, who advised her to “work with it” until she asked for the chief election judge, who provided the same response before ultimately removing the machine, according to Maryland Reporter.

Campaign officials for Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Hogan stated Wednesday that voting issues had been reported in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Caroline, Dorchester, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Washington and Worcester counties.

Republicans attributed the problem to the age of the machines, which are due for replacement by 2016, according to WTOP.

Voters should use a fingertip not a fingernail on the touchscreen; review the summary screen; and inform an election judge of concerns before casting their ballots, the Maryland State Board of Elections says.

Early voting continues through Thursday, Oct. 30. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Related: Where to Vote Early in Havre de Grace in 2014 Election

Screenshot from CNS YouTube video.