NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A growing number of Tennessee early voters say the ballot-marking touchscreen highlighted a candidate they did not pick, and state election officials are urging everyone to double-check before the ballot goes into the scanner.
Most of the complaints have come from Davidson and Williamson counties, with voters in Franklin, Spring Hill and Nolensville describing similar trouble this week. Several said they pressed the name of Democrat Jerri Green in the governor’s race and saw Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn light up instead, sometimes needing a few tries to fix it.
Mark Goins, the state’s coordinator of elections, has said the cases look like unintended touches, such as a fingertip or long nail brushing a neighboring box, rather than votes being flipped. His office said it had taken only a handful of calls. When a problem is reported, it contacts the county and sends one Republican and one Democratic technician to inspect the machine. Equipment is tested before every election with both parties involved.
Because Tennessee lists Republican candidates first on the ballot, an accidental press near the top of each race tends to land on the Republican, which helps explain why the reports lean one way. No voter has described a choice changing after the ballot was confirmed. Shelby County complaints in 2024 were traced to voters pressing the wrong part of the screen.
The touchscreen does not store votes. It prints a paper ballot, and that paper is what the scanner reads and counts. Voters get three chances to catch an error: the highlighted choice on the selection screen, the review screen and the printed ballot itself.
Davidson County is bringing back plastic stirrers that work as styluses, which voters can request at the polls. Officials say anyone who sees a wrong selection should stop and ask a poll worker before casting the ballot. Blackburn’s campaign said voters who see an irregularity should contact their county election commission or the Secretary of State.
Election Day is Nov. 3.
Section: More Chattanooga TN politics news
Filed under: Chattanooga TN Politics News
