Flash drive causes snag

Just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, a snag in the accounting of Washington County ballots was discovered.

"We are in the process of scanning about 12,000 ballots right now," Karen Pawloski, deputy director of the Washington County Board of Elections, announced to the sparsly-filled Emergency Operations Center conference room Tuesday.

Directpr Mandy Amos explained that while all 50 Washington County precincts had returned day-of ballots successfully to the board office just after 10 p.m., the early votes logged in-house were impacted by a flash drive failure discovered Tuesday night.

So long into the night Amos, Pawloski, staff and board members resubmited the flimsy voting receipts of approximately 12,000 ballots, by hand through the scanner.

"All of the early absentee that went through that [machine] and certain paper ones that were brought and run through it also," said Chairman of the Board Dennis Sipe.

Each board member lent a hand, with Khadine Ritter rolling through a thousand before 11 p.m. behind the board's fencing.

"We have a few machines back there running and then Mandy has one up front running them through again."

Final unofficial tallies of those votes were not available by press time for print, but check online at www.mariettatimes.com for tallies shared with Times' staff by 6 a.m. Wednesday.

But for what votes were tallied from voter turnout day-of, poll workers and location managers were astounded.

"Sometimes you feel like what you're doing isn't important, but this one is different," said Jedd Butler, while checking in on the Reno voting location at the Marietta Township Recreation Center.

Poll workers Debbie Eichhorn and Linda Stanwick shared their joy in seeing so many voters, especially young and first-time voters, arrive to perform their civic duty.

"We've been thinking maybe there should be a sticker for first-time voters," laughed Stanwick.

"Or even a variety pack," added Eichhorn.

Location Manager Candy Nelson said turnout had been steady all day, with pollbooks ready at 6:29 a.m., and a line already waiting outside the doors.

"That before work crowd was probably people mostly 20-50 years old," she explained. "They were ready and waiting outside."

Then, more elderly folks began arriving in larger numbers, she said, around 9 a.m.

One poll worker said he was honored to check in a World War II veteran arriving to vote.

Others said seeing families voting together brought them hope.

"I'm loving seeing families bring their kids in and showing them how to do it," added Butler. "How to be a citizen."

Other voters across the county shared their reasons for arriving at the polls Tuesday.

"I vote because I believe it's my God-given right," said Tamra Haring, 54, of Waterford, after leaving St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Beverly with her ballot cast. "It gives me the right to complain in my father's house. You can't complain if you don't vote."

Janelle Patterson may be reached at jpatterson@mariettatimes.com.