MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX News) — Some Madison County voters have reported problems while casting their ballots during the first two days of early voting.
Voters told LEX News that voting machines were slow and, in some cases, screens selected a different candidate than the one they intended to choose. Some also raised concerns about their ballots.
Tammy Gay, a voter who experienced issues, described her experience at the polls.
"The machine is very, very slow compared to other experiences. I kept having to press over and over again what my selection and things were," Gay said.
Madison County Clerk Kenny Barger said the office received those reports and immediately took action.
"We calibrated every machine, every express voting machine, every marking device this morning," Barger said.
Barger explained how the screen errors can occur.
"If the voter doesn't touch the center of the square or the rectangle where the words are — where the candidate's name is — there's an opportunity there for it to select a different candidate. That's not good; we don't want that to happen," Barger said.
Barger urged voters to notify a poll worker immediately if they notice an error before scanning their ballot.
"Until that ballot's scanned, you have not voted. So that's the opportunity to do it when you have the time. Take the time. Don't be in a rush. We don't want anybody to rush out of here. Take the time, make sure your ballots are correct. Then scan your ballot because then you know everything is counted correctly," Barger said.
Despite the reported issues, other voters said the experience was positive and emphasized the importance of casting a ballot.
"It was a really great experience. I really love the fact that we all as people have a right to exercise our vote. And I teach that and instill that into my children also. Our ancestors fought for this right, so to me it's really valuable. Really important that we express our values and opinions," said Chante Perryman, a voter.
Gay also pushed back on the idea that individual votes don't matter.
"People have won and lost elections by five, six, and 10 votes. So if you think your vote doesn't count, then I don't know what to tell you because every vote counts," Gay said.
Perryman echoed that sentiment.
"It's super important because we don't wanna like — other countries don't have that right, and so we as Americans we have that right. And so for us, as this is a democratic nation, we should be able to express our votes, express our thoughts, and voting is part of that process," Perryman said.
Voter Sean Parks kept it simple.
"I mean every vote counts, so go for it," Parks said.
Early voting continues until Monday, Nov. 1 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Anyone who got in line at 6 p.m. will still be allowed to vote.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
