A voting machine at a Bartlett church left four judicial contests off the screen for roughly 300 early voters, prompting a Shelby County Election Commission investigation just days before the Aug. 6 election. The commission’s initial review points to human error, but officials are still working to determine exactly how the ballot problem happened and what it means for affected voters.
Linda Phillips, Shelby County’s administrator of elections, said her office received reports of an incomplete voting-machine ballot at the Christian Life Church early voting site. The issue is believed to involve one machine, and the four missing races were judicial contests in the 30th Judicial District, according to WREG News.
The problem also lands against the backdrop of an earlier absentee-ballot error. The Daily Memphian reported that the same judicial races were missing from approximately 700 absentee ballots sent out in early July, with affected voters expected to receive supplemental ballots.
Election officials face a tight timeline
Early voting runs through Saturday, while Election Day is Thursday, according to the Shelby County Election Commission. Nearly 70,000 people had already voted early by Thursday, meaning the commission is investigating the issue while a substantial share of the electorate has already cast ballots.
Phillips is scheduled to hold a media availability Monday at the commission’s operations center, where she is expected to discuss unofficial early-voting numbers, the ballot irregularity and preparations for Election Day. The commission said it expects final confirmation on the scope of the problem Monday, WREG’s report said.
For now, officials say the issue appears limited to one voting machine rather than a countywide ballot configuration problem. The Monday briefing should provide the clearest update yet on whether any additional steps are needed for voters who encountered the incomplete ballot before the polls close.
