Election Officials, Vendors Asked To Appear Before Mercer County Commissioners

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — To get to the bottom of election day issues that plagued the county, Mercer County Board of County Commissioners have asked election officials and vendors to appear before them on Nov. 21.

On Nov. 8, issues with voting machine scanners were reported across the County, and residents had to resort to manual balloting. More: Voting Machine Issues Reported In Mercer Co. On Election Day: Clerk

Later, ballots were reported missing from Princeton and Robbinsville. Officials had to go to court for permission to open storage compartments of voting machines to determine if any ballots were left behind. More: Ballots Go Missing In Mercer County, Officials Go To Court

“The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy and it is a right that should be protected. In light of the challenges our county faced on election day, we ask that our officials remain focused on completing the count to ensure that every vote has been counted,” the County Commissioners said in a joint statement.

“After that process is concluded, we will need an account by all parties involved in the election process to find the errors that were made and correct them immediately. No voter should ever be left to feel disenfranchised.”

Chair of the Board of County Commissioners, Nina D. Melker has asked all election officials and vendors to attend the Nov. 21 meeting and testify as to what happened on election day.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the McDade Administration Building, Trenton.

After the widespread issues, County Executive Brian M. Hughes called for a “comprehensive overhaul” of the election process in the County. More: Official Calls For 'Overhaul' Of Election Process In Mercer County

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com