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ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia voting machine apparently malfunctioned as a voter tried to cast an early ballot for Hillary Clinton, but Donald Trump's name kept showing up instead. But election officials say they still have confidence in the state's voting machines.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (http://on-ajc.com/2fbzNPM ) first reported the account on Thursday.
The newspaper says an unnamed Bryan County voter complains that a touch-screen machine incorrectly showed his presidential selection. The voter said he touched the screen to vote for Democrat Clinton, but instead it selected Republican Trump — twice. On his third try, the voter said he was able to select Clinton.
A spokesman for Secretary of State Brian Kemp says the county improperly tested the machine.
"We are confident that machines are not 'flipping' votes," said Kemp Chief of Staff David Dove in a statement.
Every county in Georgia began using electronic voting machines in 2002. The process includes a summary screen, giving voters a chance to review selections before submitting a ballot.
Merle King, executive director of the Center for Election Systems at Kennesaw State University, said the voter acted appropriately by using the summary screen to check that his selections were accurate. County officials also were right to remove the machine from use, he said. Ballots cast on that machine will be counted with all others after polls close on Nov. 8.
Bryan County Elections Supervisor Cindy Reynolds said in a written statement that all machines "were correctly calibrated" and passed required testing. She said county officials don't know what caused "the initial voting issue," but the machine was taken offline as a precaution.
"This incident has been the only reported event during the early voting cycle in Bryan County which has seen much higher turnout than previous elections," Reynolds said. "Having your ballot count as you voted is our primary goal and our training, procedures and dedicated staff are all aligned with that goal."
King said the center, which certifies all voting machines in Georgia, has received no other reports of problems with the devices this year. Early voting began last Monday, and more than 800,000 people had voted in person as of Thursday morning.
"This is highly uncommon," King said. "Every vote is important and every voter's experience is important but statistically it's very isolated."
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