STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. — Many voters in Stockbridge encountered issues at the polls Tuesday morning because machines were down, officials said. The issue lasted for about two hours.
Shana Thornton, the public relations director with the city told 11Alive many voting machines in Stockbridge had been down since the polls opened. To rectify the situation, Thornton said a staff member was sent to the locations to provide provisional ballots.
Provisional ballots are often given to a voter when there is an issue at the poll or if poll workers are having trouble confirming a person's eligibility to vote. Common reasons that a voter is given a provisional ballot are issues with the voter's registration; concerns the voter may have already voted; a voter is trying to vote in-person after requesting a mail-in ballot; or a voter may not have a required identification.
By the afternoon, 11Alive learned the three locations - Red Oak United Methodist, Merle Manders Conference Center, and Stockbridge First United - were back up and running.
However, it's still unclear as to what might have caused the issue.
Mayor Pro Tem Elton Alexander was frustrated that voters were able to use the machines with the polls first opened.
"Two hours, no one in the City of Stockbridge was able to vote this morning at all at any location," he said. "That is unacceptable on every level because normally in the past, if you have one location down you have others up. In this case, there was not a single location that was working."
Officials said the election precincts will have extended hours. It's unclear at this time how long they will remain open.
Voters in Stockbridge are deciding on a mayor's race and two councilmember seats. 11Alive will be tracking the races as the votes come in on election night to provide real-time updates. To see a list of hot races and other election results once the polls close, click here.
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