Texas

TexasTowelie

(112,456 posts) Wed Oct 26, 2016, 04:48 AM Oct 2016

‘Voter error’ flipped GOP ballot to Democrat in Tarrant County

A voter complaint about trying to cast a straight-party Republican vote — and noticing that the presidential vote flipped to Democrat — was resolved in Tarrant County before the ballot was cast, election officials say.

The incident became the talk of social media after a description of the problem was posted on Facebook.

This was one of two such complaints on the first day of early voting in Tarrant County, said Frank Phillips, the county’s elections administrator.

A record 43,000 voters turned out to cast ballots on the first day of early voting in Tarrant County, weighing in on the presidential election, the Arlington stadium proposition and a slew of other races.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/election/article110330177.html

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‘Voter error’ flipped GOP ballot to Democrat in Tarrant County (Original Post) TexasTowelie Oct 2016 OP

So 42,298 don't have a problem however they voted tirebiter Oct 2016 #1

If it's a touchscreen, it could simply be a technical error because the material ages. DetlefK Oct 2016 #2

tirebiter

(2,539 posts)

1. So 42,298 don't have a problem however they voted

Reply to TexasTowelie (Original post)

Wed Oct 26, 2016, 04:56 AM

Oct 2016

And 2 do.

DetlefK

(16,423 posts)

2. If it's a touchscreen, it could simply be a technical error because the material ages.

Reply to TexasTowelie (Original post)

Wed Oct 26, 2016, 05:16 AM

Oct 2016

In a touchscreen, the edges of a glass-sheet are glued on a frame. The touch is detected by calculating how long the shockwave of the impact of the finger on the glass took to reach a sensor in each corner. (triangulation)

Problem:
If the touchscreen is too old (electronic voting-machines are in use for 5+ years) then the glue degrades and the glass no longer sits tight on the frame. This changes how the shockwave travels inside the glass-sheet and this changes to where it's triangulated.

It's not necessarily hacking or election-fraud. Sometimes the electronics simply have aged badly.

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