Supporters of Tuesday’s recall election against California Gov. Gavin Newsom were shocked to arrive at the polling place only to be told they had already voted.
The reports fueled deep suspicions that many GOP voters already held over the questionable absentee-ballot procedures, which included allowing some voters to print their own ballots and mailing ballots to every eligible voter, which could then be “harvested” by third parties.
Some Los Angeles voters said they were forced to use provisional ballots after two voting locations suffered glitches that resulted in the error.
At least two poll centers in Woodland Hills had to scrap the electronic poll book devices they use to check-in voters after multiple voters were told by the system that they had already voted.
One resident, Monica Almada, said she tried to vote at the Disabled American Veterans 73 Vote Center but was told by the clerk that they were having a hard time allowing voters to cast their ballots because of the system failure.
“So my concern basically is why is the system glitching like this? This is a pretty serious glitch,” she told NBC Los Angeles. “My confidence is not the same as it used to be about the voting system.”
At the other voting location, the El Camino Real Charter High School Vote Center, resident Estelle Bender said clerks gave her a provisional ballot since the system was down only to be told she had already voted. She said she “left really angry,” according to KTLA 5.
“I’d still like to know how I voted,” she said.
Bender said she knows of several other voters who had experienced the same problem while trying to vote, and almost all of them were registered Republicans.
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s office did not explain how this systematic failure occurred but said every voter affected by it was given a provisional ballot.
“The voters who experienced this issue were offered and provided a provisional ballot, the fail-safe option to ensure no one is turned away from voting. After troubleshooting the issue, the equipment at the locations was replaced and voting continued,” the office said in a statement.
