May 18, 2021 5 min read

Notice: Undefined offset: 0 in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/includes/single/strategically_placed_photos_article.php on line 412

Notice: Trying to get property 'term_id' of non-object in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/includes/single/strategically_placed_photos_article.php on line 412

Some Fayette County voters found their ballots were rejected by the scanning machine on Tuesday because they were missing bar codes due to a printing error.

Commissioner Scott Dunn said they received word that “many” Republican ballots and some Democrat ballots were printed without bar codes. As of late Tuesday afternoon, Dunn said he couldn’t give a total number of ballots that would have to be counted by hand.

Dunn said poll workers were told to put the ballots that could not be scanned into the emergency slot in the machines, and assured voters that they would be counted.

“We will have to likely count them by hand,” Dunn said. “If we have to do it, we have to do it, but your vote will count.”

The Fayette County Republican Party filed an emergency petition in common pleas court, asking that at the close of the day at each polling location, all unscanned ballots be tabulated by the location’s judge of election and other workers.

The request was granted by Judge Steve P. Leskinen, who ordered unscanned ballots to remain with those judges of election until they’re transferred directly to the county election bureau office. At that time, each judge of elections will certify the tabulations of the unscanned ballots from their location.

Leskinen further ordered the election bureau to physically review each unscanned ballot and specifically tally the number of votes for each candidate as well as the answers to the referendum questions to be included in the official vote count.

Poll workers said they took notice of the issue first thing in the morning after some ballots were placed onto the scanner and then spit back out.

Betty Rae Smith, a judge of elections for Washington Township, said all of the Republican ballots there were without bar codes.

“I’ll just have to count them by hand,” she said early Tuesday.

Joe Scalise, a judge of elections for Fayette City, said he had a rough morning with Republican ballots being rejected — and then he started hearing that it wasn’t just his precinct, but a countywide issue.

Dunn said precinct workers were told to have voters use machines for those with disabilities. Those machines are configured differently and will print out ballots that the ballot scanner will accept, he said.

Around 1 p.m., Dunn said officials were working to get ballots reprinted for the bigger Republican districts in the county; however, he said that would take time.

“The sheets are 17 inches long, and we have to print them on both sides,” Dunn said.

Around 4 p.m., he said they were able to send the reprinted ballots to about eight or nine precincts.

He said he couldn’t explain what happened during the printing process, but said the issue wasn’t with Dominion’s voting machines as the company does not print the ballots.

“We’re just trying to get through the day and trying to make sure as many votes get in as humanly possible,” Dunn said.

Other than the bar code issue, Dunn said they also received concerns over the Sharpie marker pens bleeding through the other side of the ballot.

He said the machines only scan ballots where there’s a circle to be filled in. When the marker ink bleeds to the other side of the ballot, there aren’t any circles on the other side that would be affected by that.

Scalise said ballot issues were compounded by a lack of people volunteering at polling places.

The first-time judge of elections said only he and one other worker were stationed at the polls as of late Tuesday morning, although there were supposed to be seven people there.

“People aren’t signing up,” he said.

Rick Smerecznick, a judge of elections for the Fayette County portion of Belle Vernon, said only he and his wife were going to be at the precinct, so they recruited some friends to help. He said the day went smoothly because they had a low turnout.

Smith said her district had a steady turnout, and Kory Olesky, the judge of elections for Perry Township, said turnout there was steady, too, but extra hands would’ve been helpful.

“There are people with opinions, but they don’t help out,” Olesky said.

Some voters didn’t seem to notice, and said they came out to vote because it was their civic duty.

“I haven’t missed an election since I was 18 years old,” said Darrell Harris of Arnold City. “I always voted.”

“We feel like we’re shirking our duty if we don’t come out,” said Kay Nelson of Belle Vernon, who voted with her husband, Duane Nelson.

Like Harris, the Nelsons didn’t come out for any specific race or question on the ballot, but the couple appreciated some candidates making the time to visit their home during the campaign to discuss the issues.

“They took an extra effort,” Kay Nelson said.