High Humidity Temporarily Snags Voting In Parts Of North Carolina

WAKE COUNTY, NC — Voting got a bit sticky in eastern North Carolina Tuesday morning, after election officials were notified that some precincts were having issues getting completed ballots through tabulators. The reason why, however, was blamed on a uniquely southern problem: high humidity levels.

And, said the North Carolina State Board of Elections & Ethics, there was a procedure in place for an event just like this.

“When ballots cannot be read by tabulators, they are stored securely in ‘emergency bins’ and will be tabulated as soon as possible, NCSBE said in a statement. “All ballots will be counted.”

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State officials are now advising precincts to keep conditions as cool and dry as possible with air conditioning and keeping doors closed when possible.

“After the election, the State Board conducts a series of post-election audits,” including a check comparing the number of signed authorization-to-vote forms against the tabulated ballots from each precinct, NCSBE said. “This audit ensures that the number of voters who present to vote matches the number of ballots counted.”

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Photo: Daisy Capote, a Miami-Dade election support specialists, checks voting machines for accuracy at the Miami-Dade Election Department headquarters on August 8, 2018 in Doral, Florida. The test includes setting up the equipment for transmitting and tabulating results. It is just one of several measures that are taken by Miami-Dade election department during the preparation for an election to ensure that voting equipment is ready for use. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)