Rock Island Co. replaces voting machine after complaints

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (KWQC) - Rock Island County Clerk Karen Kinney said an early voter claimed a machine in her office altered votes and posted the machine’s serial number, which led to others making the same claim.

“We did change up the machine, the one that received the first complaint, just in case there was some validity to the complaint,” Kinney said.

On Tuesday the Illinois Board of Elections called her after they received a complaint.

Kinney told the board she’d already swapped the machine last week.

Also, two weeks before the voting began, she said the machine underwent required testing and did not have any issues.

The person who posted the claims also said Kinney replied that it “happens from time to time.“

“That the machine jumps — yes — if you use your finger and not the stylus. It happens from time to time that the machine may jump, but somebody cut off what I said," Kinney said. “I did say that; I admit to that, but I also said, following that comment, I said, ‘you have every chance to correct it.’”

Voters have seven opportunities to check their ballots before submission, she said.

Why are the claims persisting?

“People heard that this person had a problem,” Kinney said. “They didn’t know that we changed out the machine, so they were going to that #1 machine and claiming the same thing simply because they saw it on Facebook.”

She said she wants to ensure trust with Rock Island County voters.

“We do not want to lose voter confidence. We want them to have confidence in the process and know that the election and their vote is in good hands and that every vote counts in this office,” Kinney said.

“Your vote is very serious. We take it seriously. We handle it with great care, so we are not going to do anything to compromise your vote; we are not going to do anything to deteriorate your trust.”

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No matter the problems early voters are still heading to the polls.

EARLY VOTING BY THE NUMBERS

Rock Island County as of Oct. 24: 4,000 in-person voters at the county office; over 13,000 vote-by-mail ballots had been returned; and over 3,000 people had voted at off-site voting locations, including Western Illinois University, Milan Municipal Building, and Silvis City Council Chambers.

Scott County as of Oct. 29: Auditor Kerri Tompkins recorded that over 27,000 people have voted. Just over 17,000 of that are in-person voters.

DROP BOX SAFETY

On a national scale, two ballot drop-boxes in the Pacific Northwest were damaged in a suspected arson attack just over a week before Election Day, destroying hundreds of ballots at one location in Vancouver, Washington.

In neighboring Portland, Oregon, a fire suppression system contained a fire, and only three ballots were damaged.

Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage as they try to identify who is responsible.

Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia allow ballot drop boxes. Placement can vary widely. In some communities, they’re located inside public buildings, available only during office hours.

Elsewhere, like in Scott and Rock Island counties, they are outside and accessible at any hour. Local election officials said the drop boxes here are under surveillance and are checked regularly.

Tompkins said Iowa law only allows one drop box per county. Scott County’s is outside the administrative building in Davenport.

“It is under camera. We are close to the sheriff’s department down here, so I think we are in a good location. We do keep an eye on it, obviously. We have to check it four times a day.”

“We have had very good luck with our drop box in the front of the building. We have security cameras on it which I would think would discourage someone from thinking they are going to do damage to our drop box, spray paint it, or set it on fire,” she said.

“They will be caught.”