Broward software glitch turns voters away; Fulton scanners need rescan

A countywide software glitch in Broward County, Florida, left poll workers unable to submit some ballots Tuesday morning, and an unknown number of voters were turned away, NBC News reported.

Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott said at a news conference that the problem involved a feature meant to help poll workers hand voters the correct ballots after redistricting, and that it was fixed within 20 minutes, according to NBC. Scott urged anyone turned away to come back before polls close at 7 p.m. About 45,000 votes had been cast by 10 a.m., NBC reported.

In Georgia, two scanners that failed during early voting last month in Fulton County will require a modified tabulation procedure and possibly a rescan of some ballots. In a memo, Election Director Nadine Williams said one scanner showed a 'paper jam error' even though troubleshooting found no obstruction; it had processed 708 ballots. The other had processed 361 when a voter's wheelchair rolled over its power cable and shut it down, NBC reported.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said about 1,000 ballots need rescanning. 'It's one of those things that can happen, and we have always had procedures in place,' he said, adding the issue would not delay results. CBS News reported the county election board was due to consider the plan at a 6:30 p.m. meeting; rescanning requires its approval.

Our take: Nothing reported so far suggests wrongdoing, and we are not claiming any. But two big-county hiccups in one morning, plus scanner trouble in Westchester, is exactly why observers matter. Voters turned away in Broward should go back. And in Fulton, a rescan should happen in full public view, with observers from both parties watching every ballot.