Wayne County declares primary election results   (WV)

CHRISTIAN ALEXANDERSEN   Huntington Herald Dispatch    06 June 2008

Wayne County has finally declared its May 13 primary election results following concerns raised about voting machine inaccuracies.

County Administrator Brett Jones said about 15 people, including three candidates, spoke at the commission meeting Thursday in regard to voting machine inaccuracies.

Jones said the commission is set to meet on Tuesday, June 10, to certify the results and file them with the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office in Charleston.

Following the vote declaration, candidates have 48 hours to request a recount. If no request is made in the time limit, the Board of Canvassers, comprised of the three county commissioners, will meet again and certify the results.

The iVotronic Touch-Screen Voting System came under fire from some Wayne County residents who said the county's voting machines malfunctioned during the primary. The system is used by 35 counties, including Wayne and Cabell.

Wayne County Clerk Bob Pasley has said the commission had concerns with the voting machine inaccuracies and the performance of the hand-count.

In both Wayne and Cabell counties, printers attached to the voting machines caused problems.

In addition, Wayne County Commissioner Rick Wellman has filed a complaint with the Secretary of State's Office claiming that the county's touch-screen voting machines malfunctioned during the primary election. In late May, Wellman cited affidavits from voters saying they had difficulty getting the machine to register the candidate they intended to vote for.

Cabell County declared its primary results on May 29.