While we wrote about the normal course of events favoring the Republicans in the run-offs in Georgia and Democrats not feeling hopeful about their chances of winning based upon the facts, that’s if there’s no funny business that goes on.
But here we go, this morning came the reports of problems already in multiple voting precincts in Georgia of problems with Dominion voting systems. And oh hey, just coincidentally, they’re Republican precincts. Who’d a thunk?
Heres @jfradioshow with the scoop.
"Dominion machines in 3 of the largest Republican precincts are down.They are told they cant scan their ballots because the machines dont work.The pole workers are saying 'When it's fixed we'll scan it for you'. There's all kinds of red flags" pic.twitter.com/zIMzDMpd3b
— WW News 🚨 (@WW_NEWS_) January 5, 2021
This looked like part of the same question:
This is the poll place pic.twitter.com/PONXvYkHVP
— Nicomachus (@qnerd88) January 5, 2021
UPDATE. I called @GaRepublicans hotline and the guy said they are already hearing about these types of problems!
— Nicomachus (@qnerd88) January 5, 2021
Sen. David Perdue reported about them.
On the Todd Starnes Show @sendavidperdue confirms there were voting "anomalies" involving Dominion voting machines in three Georgia counties.
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) January 5, 2021
The voting systems implementation manager, Gabriel Sterling, acknowledged there were issues.
Some issues in Columbia Co. There was a programming error on security keys for some locations scanners & pollworker cards. Voting continues on backup emergency ballots. Newly programmed keys&cards are being taken to locations via law enforcement.
— Gabriel Sterling (@GabrielSterling) January 5, 2021
President Donald Trump tweeted about the issues shortly after noon.
Reports are coming out of the 12th Congressional District of Georgia that Dominion Machines are not working in certain Republican Strongholds for over an hour. Ballots are being left in lock boxes, hopefully they count them. Thank you Congressman @RickAllen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2021
By then, Sterling claimed the issues had been resolved. But sorry, people holding onto ballots they haven’t scanned and telling voters they’ll be scanned later, if that’s what actually happened, doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence now. People are reporting him as a “Georgia official” but he’s actually an independent contractor which is more than a little odd.
GEORGIA.🚨
"The man who oversees Georgia’s voting system, Gabriel Sterling, negotiated a [$200K/yr] contract… *QUIT* his state government job and has worked as an *INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR* ever since."
This is very problematic for GA's election spin. đź”»https://t.co/CrUccuChUf
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) January 5, 2021
WRDW/WAGT, local CBS and NBC affiliates, explained that in the voting system, “which the state has used for less than a year, voters receive a key card to activate a voting machine, then use a touch screen on the machine to make their selections. The machine prints a paper ballot, which voters take to a scanning station and insert to record their votes.”
Hours earlier, Sterling announced in a tweet that there was a “programming error on security keys” for some scanners and poll workers’ cards at the start of the day. He said that the voting locations were still operating but doing so on “backup emergency” paper ballots.
Now, hopefully, that means the issues are minor and resolved, that they don’t have an impact on the vote.
Trump called for everyone to “flood the Swamp” the night before at his rally, to come out in droves to vote to overwhelm any possible issues by sheer numbers. It may take a while to shake out who’s won, we likely won’t know tonight given all the early voting and mail-in ballots.
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