Crawford County’s electronic voting equipment malfunctioned on the first day of early voting

Little Rock, Arkansas – Election officials in Crawford County had to turn off electronic voting equipment on the first day of early voting on Monday.

On the polling machines, party affiliations were not listed next to candidates’ names.

According to Tim Walker, the county’s election coordinator, a coding error was to blame.

Election authorities placed sample ballots with party affiliations listed in the voting booths for people to serve as a guide once the issue was identified.

Walker claimed that while trying to recode the electronic voting equipment at the Van Buren polling place, he had turned them off.

Poll workers started handing out paper votes with party affiliations listed on them as soon as the voting machines went offline.

Before the voting machines were corrected, more than 500 people, according to election commission head Bill Coleman, cast ballots in Crawford County.

Voters with difficulties at the polls can start the voting process over at any moment before putting their ballot into the tabulator machine, according to a representative for the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office.

By 2:30 p.m., the machines were anticipated to be back online. Early voting is available till November 7. Nov. 8 is election day.