NASHVILLE (AP) - A Davidson County election worker has been fired after problems with electronic poll books allowed some people to vote twice.
The Tennessean (http://tnne.ws/1mSs1aQ) reports Election Commissioner Tricia Herzfeld wrote a letter to the elections administrator saying that in addition to double voting, there also have been reports of lost voting records and voters being turned away. Unless those issues are addressed, Herzfeld has said she could vote not to certify the election results at the May 19 commission meeting.
Election officials have said that some people were allowed to vote twice because an outside vendor did not update electronic poll books with the names of early voters before Election Day. The fired Davidson County worker failed to cross-check early voting tallies against the poll books.
Herzfeld also complained that election officials did not want to make the problems public.
In her letter to Elections Administrator Kent Wall, Herzfeld writes, "As you are aware, I have repeatedly asked for an emergency meeting of the Davison County Election Commission so that the issues with the loss of early voter histories, double voting, and potential voters who were turned away from the polls on Election Day could be investigated and the public notified as soon as possible."
Davidson County previously had problems with the electronic poll books.
A state review of the 2012 primary elections found electronic poll books defaulted to the Republican ballot. It further concluded that the problem could have swung two state House contests.
The report said the missteps undermined the credibility of the voting process in Nashville.
At that time, the electronic poll books were being used in 60 of the county's 160 precincts.