NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In a high-pressure gubernatorial race, Gladys "Mickey" McCowen knows her vote is important.
"I pushed the middle of Jerri Green's name and it came up Marsha Blackburn," McCowen said.
McCowen said she called over a poll worker, then a supervisor to troubleshoot the problem, which required a few more button pushes for her candidate.
"I was alarmed," she said.
The final step: McCowen checked her paper ballot. It was accurate, so she cast her vote. But the experience eroded her confidence in the voting machine, so she took to social media and found she wasn't alone.
"That's why I became concerned and wanted to raise awareness," McCowen said. "If it happened to me, what's gonna keep the same machine from doing it again?"
After McCowen raised her concern, Davidson County Election Administrator John D. Richardson says they've started hearing more reports.
Richardson says the machines in Davidson County have been the same ones used for the last decade or so, and that the screens react to pressure — meaning fingers or nails can be less precise.
"If they're not accurate or you change your mind, just talk to a poll official," Richardson said.
Richardson also says the county has begun reintroducing stir sticks as a tool for voters.
"In fact, we're bringing back the stir sticks for that reason. So folks would like to use a stir stick like a stylus. They can press the center and that way they can make sure that their vote is properly counted," Richardson said.
Across the state, Elections Coordinator Mark Goins says they are hearing reports mostly from Davidson and Williamson counties. Goins says what's important is that it's not the machine that casts your vote — it's the paper ballot voters are responsible for reviewing before casting their ballot.
"If anyone thinks that it would be intentional that votes would be flipping, there's no way that someone would do that with all the checks and balances in place because the voter is going to visibly see who they selected at all times throughout the process," Goins said.
McCowen's advice to fellow voters is simple.
"Just be more observant and careful when you do vote and don't automatically assume when you pushed a button that will be the actual result," McCowen said.
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