Voting machine snafu hits county
By Alexis Garrobo, The Beaufort GazetteBeaufort County voters who wanted to cast early ballots Monday in the Nov. 4 general election had to cast paper ballots because voting machines weren't working.
However, some voters chose not to cast their ballots until the machines are working.
About 10 voters showed up at the election office Monday in Beaufort, but only two cast paper ballots, said Agnes Garvin, head of the county elections office, adding most decided to return when the machines are functioning.
They "will be up and running (today)," she said.
The Beaufort County election office "ran into a snag," said Garvin, because it had an incorrect password for the software that links voting machines to a database on the S.C. State Election Commission Web site.
The machines should upload ballot information to the state commission through a secure Internet site, according to S.C. Election Commission public information officer Chris Whitmire.
The password problem was discovered this past weekend as the machines were being programmed. However, county officials had to wait until the state commission offices opened Monday to get the correct password, which was entered Monday afternoon, Garvin said.
