New Wrinkle.. That is, Crease.. in Tabulating Votes

The election isn't until Tuesday, but already there is a vote counting problem in Palm Beach County. Some absentee ballots are apparently being kicked out of counting machines because of-- creases.

When you vote absentee you have to fold, or crease, your ballot before placing it in the proper envelope for mailing or dropping off at an elections office. Those creases are causing the rapid scan tabulating machines to read a double vote in some races, and reject the ballot.

"The creases, sometimes they fall close to a race," explained acting elections supervisor Brad Merriman on Friday. "And if they do, that might cause the ballot to not be read properly through the high speed tabulators."

Even if the voter made just one mark in a particular race, the machine is sometimes reading both the voter's mark and the crease, as a second vote. So the machine is kicking out the ballot.

Merriman said when that happens, "the ballot gets duplicated on an unfolded ballot, reviewed by the canvassing board, then sent back through the machine, where it's read again." So the votes will be counted, but it is more work for the county's canvassing board. Friday canvassing board members spent most of the day dealing with the absentee ballots the machines set aside.

The day before elections workers began the process of tabulating absentee ballots. The numbers will be stored in the machines, then actually counted, or added to the totals in the different races, on election night.

Friday acting supervisor Merriman predicted a stunning turnout in this year's presidential vote. "Based on what we've seen with early voting so far," said Merriman, "we would not be surprised to see a 90 percent turnout." 62 percent voted in Palm Beach County in the 2004 presidential election.

As of Thursday night, 110,000 had voted early in Palm Beach County. At least that many are expected to vote absentee. There are approximately 830,000 registered voters.