Voting Machine Removed After Forcing Vote for Reeves

By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

A voting machine at the District 4 voting precinct in the Burgess community in Lafayette County has been removed after it malfunctioned early this morning.

The machine would apparently override votes in the Republican primary runoff governor race, changing a vote for candidate Bill Waller Jr. to Tate Reeves.

Lafayette County resident Ethan Peterson recorded the machine’s actions and posted it on Facebook.

Peterson was finally able to cast his vote once clearing the screen by pressing the “X.”

https://www.facebook.com/oxfordethan/videos/10104625399249686/

Circuit Court Clerk Baretta Mosley said the calibration of the machine was lost due to it being either dropped or “man-handled” during transportation.

The machine was taken out of service after the poll worker at the District 4 precinct reported the issue. A technician was dispatched to fix the problem, which Mosley said was “resolved quickly.”

She said the other voting machines are “working fine.”

“They were all tested on Friday and all worked fine,” she said. “Sometimes when we transport them to the precinct they get bumped around and the calibration is off.”

Polls are open until 7 p.m. tonight. Hottytoddy.com will be reporting the results live from the Lafayette County Courthouse.