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Glitch Causes Heavily Republican County's Voting Machines To Go Down for Hours

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A county-wide glitch this morning in heavily Republican Spalding County in Georgia caused voting machines to go down for hours before the issue was resolved shortly before 10 a.m.

“The computers at all polling locations across Spalding County are down,” the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.

“The problem is being worked on and hopefully will be resolved quickly. Until the issue is fixed, paper ballots are being used at all locations.”



The error was traced back to workers in Spalding County who incorrectly loaded information onto the poll pads Tuesday morning, WSB-TV reported.

Provisional ballots were rushed to each precinct so voting could continue, but some voters chose to come back later in the day.

“Spalding County Elections Supervisor Marcia Ridley urged everyone to be patient and assured voters that they will be able to cast their ballots,” WSB-TV reported.

WGCL-TV reporter Rob Hughes said that earlier in the day, machines were down at some locations while machines were working at others.

Do you think glitches like this will cost Trump the election?

There are currently no plans for the Georgia polling locations to stay open past 7 p.m. unless there is a court order.

Anyone who is in line by 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast their ballot.

Spalding County is a largely Republican-leaning county with 15,636 votes cast for President Donald Trump in 2016, according to Politico.

In 2016, 60.3 percent of Spalding County voters chose Trump and 36 percent of voters chose Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

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Christian County in Missouri also experienced a glitch at polling places Tuesday morning, KYTV-TV reported.

Christian County Clerk Kay Brown said the glitch impacted the electronic polling pads and slowed the voting process but didn’t stop it.

Election officials had to go to each precinct to fix the issue.

Trump also won Christian County in 2016 with 74.7 percent of voters choosing him over the 20.5 percent who chose Clinton, according to Politico.

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Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. A University of Oregon graduate, Erin has conducted research in data journalism and contributed to various publications as a writer and editor.
Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. She grew up in San Diego, California, proceeding to attend the University of Oregon and graduate with honors holding a degree in journalism. During her time in Oregon, Erin was an associate editor for Ethos Magazine and a freelance writer for Eugene Magazine. She has conducted research in data journalism, which has been published in the book “Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future.” Erin is an avid runner with a heart for encouraging young girls and has served as a coach for the organization Girls on the Run. As a writer and editor, Erin strives to promote social dialogue and tell the story of those around her.
Birthplace
Tucson, Arizona
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated with Honors
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, University of Oregon
Books Written
Contributor for Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future
Location
Prescott, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, French
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Health, Entertainment, Faith




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