Election Day Alert: Why Voters Should Double Check Their Votes Before Casting Their Ballots by Elisa Schmitz

I was up bright and early on Election Day 2018, excited to rock my vote. My husband I got to our polling place and went through the line together. Being the tech entrepreneur, I chose to place my vote electronically, while my husband opted for the paper ballot.

That's when things got weird.

The machine I used changed my votes several times. Seriously! I would press my vote, and it would flip to the opposite, right in front of my eyes. I went back and fixed the incorrect votes, and then on the “review your votes” screen, it had flipped some votes again. I went back and edited my votes and reviewed again until all my votes were recorded correctly. I then checked the printed version of my votes to make sure they were correct.

These are unsettling times we are living in, my friends. Please double check your votes and make sure they are what you intend them to be! I let the voter officials know, and they said other people had reported the same thing and they were going to address the issue. Let’s hope so. The integrity of our voting process matters! Our votes are our voices.

Update: I posted about this on social media and it turns out, I am not the only one who experienced this. And, I was encouraged to report to local authorities what had happened. I called the Office of the Attorney General, which referred me to Election Central. I spoke with a representative there who asked what happened, at what location, and also requested my name and number. She said they would send out a team to the polling place right away and check it out. In the meantime, there was nothing else they could do. 

In our current political environment, I have to tell you, it was uncomfortable to file that report. But I believe we have to stand up and use our voices and share our experiences in order to make positive change. Your vote matters, so please double check it before you cast your ballot!

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