MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - The Shelby County Election Commission says it has fixed a problem reported on over 1,000 early voting ballots.
Blogger and Shelby County Commission District 1 candidate Steve Ross says by his count, 1,019 voters were given the wrong ballot. Ross says he traced the errors back to the voting database, which was updated this year because of redistricting. Ross says if the database is wrong, voters end up getting the wrong ballot.
The election commission stated Tuesday that it identified ballot discrepancies with the Tennessee House District 93 and District 98 races.
“We would like to thank the candidate as well as other citizens who have been so diligent during this early voting period in pointing out potential areas of concern so we can investigate them and make corrections as soon possible,” stated Robert Meyers, Chairman of the Shelby County Election Commission, in a July 24 news release. “Everyone agrees that this has been an extremely complicated election with many issues and many elements that were still moving right up to the beginning of early voting. It is our singular focus to ensure accurate elections, and citizen input is an important fail safe in that process.”
As for votes that have already been cast, Meyers explained, “Once a vote is cast, it is, by law, impossible to retract or change by anyone.”
Other problems have also been reported in early voting, such as the Municipal School Districts referendum not appearing on ballots for some Bartlett and Collierville residents.
Early voting continues through Saturday, July 28. Election Day is Thursday, August 2.
