Gwinnett County struggles with equipment issues in first test of new voting setup

“There were several polling places that opened today at 7 a.m., but did not open with their equipment, or not all of their equipment set up and ready to go,” county spokesman Joe Sorenson said. “So, those people who came to vote were offered ‘emergency ballots.’

“Emergency ballots are a kind of provisional ballot (but) one of the biggest differences between an emergency ballot and a regular provisional ballot is those people (who cast the emergency ballot) don’t have to do anything else. They cast their ballot as though they were casting another kind of ballot, like an advance by mail, so their ballot is done. There’s nothing else they need to do. They voted. Their votes will be counted in with all the other votes.”

Since the presidential preference primary was postponed, and folded into the general primary, because of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic, this is the first election day in Gwinnett where Georgia’s new voting machines have been in use.

The system with the new machines entails a voter marking their ballot on a touch-screen device, then printing their ballot out and feeding it into a scanner.

Two precincts — Konaheda Elementary School and the precinct normally located at St. Mary’s of Egypt Orthodox Church — opened late, and therefore had to stay open past 7 p.m., per a judge’s order. The church’s precinct had been moved to Beaver Ruin Baptist Church, a move announced before elections day, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

State Rep. Donna McLeod provided the Daily Post with a list she said she received from Gwinnett elections officials detailing 28 precincts that reportedly experienced equipment issues Tuesday morning. That list was later shared by the ACLU of Georgia as well.

“The Georgia elections held (Tuesday) were a massive failure,” ACLU of Georgia Executive Director Andrea Young said. “Countless Georgians were deprived of their sacred right to vote. Whether it is incompetence or intentional voter suppression — the result is the same — Georgians denied their rights as citizens in this democracy.”

A list released by the county, however, listed only 16 sites in the county that opened Tuesday morning without having all of their voting equipment.

“However, every voter who showed up to vote at those polling places was able to cast an emergency ballot,” according to the county’s statement. “Gwinnett County Voter Registrations and Elections assures those voters that their ballots will be counted just like any other ballot that is cast today or was cast by mail or in Advance in person voting.”

Gwinnett has 156 precincts so that would equate to somewhere between 10.2% and 17.9% of precincts experiencing some degree of issues when the polls opened, depending on whose list you look at.

“This is unacceptable,” McLeod said early Tuesday morning as she reported issues at Mountain Park United Methodist Church to the Daily Post.

The state legislator later called it “incompetence,” adding that she has expressed concerns to county elections officials several times this year.

“I knew we were heading for disaster,” she said.

County Commissioner Ben Ku said he heard there had been no paper for printers at the Calvary Baptist Church precinct in Lilburn. Other reports came in to the Daily Post of all but one of the machines at the Collins Hill library branch in Lawrenceville being down, and of there being no printers at the Gwinnett School of Math, Science and Technology precinct early Tuesday.

Eric Rovie said voters were not being directed to use voting machines at the Gwinnett Community Church precinct at Five Forks Trickum and Arnold Roads when he went to cast his ballot late Tuesday morning.

“There were at least three polling machines in the (facility) but none were in use while I was in the building,” Rovie said. “All voters were given a paper ballot. When we finished bubbling our paper ballot, we folded them and placed them in something that looked like a suitcase.”

Meanwhile, Dionne Shy said she is concerned the ballot she cast at Hebron Baptist Church in Dacula may not be counted. There was no scanner to feed ballots into, and she said she and other voters were being told to put their ballots in a bag marked “Provisional Ballots” instead.

People who cast provisional ballots have to go to the county’s elections headquarters in Lawrenceville within a few days after the election to verify they were eligible to cast the ballot. If they don’t do so, their ballot won’t be counted.

“When I asked the poll worker why the bag was labeled ‘provisional ballots,’ she explained that the scanner that was supposed to be delivered (Monday) night at 7 p.m. was not delivered,” Shy said. “She said the scanner was also not delivered this morning so she was told to have all voters drop their ballots in the bag labeled ‘provisional ballots.’

“She says all the ballots will be scanned in elsewhere later and that the cloth bag in which the provisional ballots are being held is zip tied/locked shut. This irregularity gives the impression to all voters who come to this location that their ballots might not be counted.”

Sorenson said those ballots at Hebron Baptist Church should be treated as emergency ballots.

“It’s an emergency ballot because they don’t have to do (anything else),” he said.

But, not every voting location had issues.

In other polling places across Gwinnett County, voters experienced 10-15 minute wait times, but described their experience with the new voting machines as quick and efficient.

“It was very efficient and safety conscious to me it seemed,” Candace Rutherford, who voted at the Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology, said. “We were encouraged to social distance, you know, the six feet apart when we entered. It was quick…. They had everything necessary.”

Another voter, Del Salter, who voted the Dacula Park Activity Building, said the whole process “was very easy.”

“The people are very nice,” he said. “With the new machines, it was very efficient — no problems at all. It was like a zero wait time for me.”

Sorenson said the issues were resolved by mid-morning. That stance was reiterated by the county’s statement Tuesday night that said equipment had been delivered by 9:15 a.m.

“As far as I’ve been able to ascertain, at this point, everything is running relatively normal now,” Sorenson said shortly after 10:30 a.m. “The majority of the 156 precincts opened without issues with equipment, but there were some that definitely had problems this morning.”

Gwinnett was one of several counties where issues were reported Tuesday, however. The reports of issues in the state, particularly in metro Atlanta, prompted Speaker of the House David Ralston to direct the Georgia House Governmental Affairs Committee to launch an investigation.

“We are hearing anecdotes from around the state ... this morning of unacceptable deficiencies: poll workers not being properly trained, voting equipment not working and absentee ballots not being received among other issues,” Ralston said. “Our poll workers give of their time to serve Georgians, and they do not deserve to be blamed for systemic problems beyond their control.

“The legislative branch of government has an obligation to go beyond the mutual finger-pointing and get to the truth and the real reasons underlying these frustrations and concerns. I have directed Chairman Blackmon and our House Governmental Affairs Committee to investigate today’s primary elections process and recommend changes – legislative or administrative – to correct these issues and prevent future problems.”