Some western Pennsylvanians who tried to vote at their local polling places on Tuesday morning reported problems with the new touch-screen voting machines.

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Call 4 Action Looks At Statewide Voting Problems

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Allegheny County Elections Director Mark Wolosik said about 20 machines failed in various locations throughout the county and had to be pulled out of service.

In other cases, poll workers were either unable or didn't know how to print out a zero tape on the machines in their precincts. Those situations have been corrected, the county said.

"It wasn't the machines failing, it was a training issue with the poll workers," said Wolosik. "You have to remember, it's a brand new system."

Other problems with nonworking machines were fixed with phone calls to local elections judges, Wolosik said. In the meantime, while the touch screens were delayed, votes were cast on paper ballots at some locations -- including Monroeville.

"It's a big election, so everybody wanted to vote, and they just really got outraged, and there was just nothing we could do for them," said poll worker Zeta Thomas.

Despite the problems, Allegheny County election officials said they are pleased with the progress made Tuesday in adapting to the new electronic voting machines.

They said under the old system, problems were also common, forcing polling places to open late.

But in Westmoreland County, elections officials said the voting machine company programmed the wrong date into machines at polling locations in Arnold, Jeannette, Monessen, Unity and Greeensburg, so when poll workers turned the machines on, the devices thought the polls were already closed.

Voters at those locations were turned away until provisional or paper ballots were brought to each precinct. Technicians were sent to reprogram the machines with the correct date, and all sites except Jeannette are running correctly again.

Early Tuesday morning, WTAE Channel 4 Action News received several reports of nonworking machines in the following areas of Allegheny County:

• White Oak - Vol. Fire Dept. No. 1; White Oak Elementary School; one local church
• Wilkinsburg - Hay and Biddle streets
• Lincoln-Lemington - Lemington School, 7061 Lemington Ave.
• Hill District - Addison Hall, 2136 Elmore Square; Vann School, 631 Watt St.
• East Liberty - United Methodist Church, 325 N. Highland Ave.
• Oakland - St. Hyacinth Church, 3201 Craft Place
• Bethel Park - South Hills Assembly, 2725 Bethel Church Road; George Washington Elementary School, 515 Clifton Road
• Liberty - Early Education Center

In compliance with the Help America Vote Act, this is the county's first general election in which the new iVotronic machines are being used.

The Allegheny County Elections Division may be reached at www.county.allegheny.pa.us/elect/index.asp or 412-350-4500.

The Westmoreland County Elections Division may be reached at www.co.westmoreland.pa.us or 724-830-3150.

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Related Links:
More Allegheny County News

Previous Stories:

• March 28, 2006: Team 4: Voting Machine Issues Investigated
• April 5, 2006: Team 4: Allegheny County Switches Voting Machines ... Again

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