MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As the Shelby County Election Commission sees record numbers of early voters, leadership is also trying to set the record straight.
Tennessee State Representatives G.A. Hardaway (D-Memphis), Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis) and Shelby County Election Commissioner Venecia Kimbrow held a press conference Thursday, Oct. 17, to say that they have heard from constituents that errors are occurring when they try to cast their votes.
“We’ve received several calls from constituents who are concerned that their votes are being miscast,” said G.A. Hardaway.
The problem facing voters is where they place their fingers to vote. If someone clicks the top left corner instead of the name of the candidate they want to vote for, the machine may register the vote incorrectly.
Linda Phillips with the Shelby County Election Commission said while voters may want to press the small box in the top left corner of the candidate's box that they are voting for, they will want to press the candidate's name instead to avoid a error that has been brought to the public's attention.
“Whichever pressure is heavier, it will pick that one, and that may be the one above it, so the real simple fix to that is use a stylus, but the easiest way is to click the candidate's name,” said Phillips.
During the Oct. 17 press conference, Rep. Parkinson had mentioned the leaders had only heard about Democrats having their votes changed to the Republican candidate. However, this likely comes down to how the candidate's names are arranged.
In the voting section for both the President and US Senate, the Republican candidate is listed above their Democrat opponent, so pressing the top left corner of the Democrat may appear as a Republican vote if not careful.
Kimbrow said that in about 10 to 12 precincts, she has received reports of some irregularities with the voting machines. According to Phillips, though, the voting machines in Shelby County are very much secure. Each machine goes through multiple tests before they are declared ready to go.
“They’ve been certified by the federal election assistance commission, they’ve been certified by the state election commission," said Phillips, "They have to go through tests like dropping them off a table.”
But if you still experience issues, do not leave; instead, find a supervisor.
“Call the proper supervisors in that precinct so that you can show what that error is,” said Kimbrow.
If you continue to run into issues, a paper ballot may be given to be filled out instead.