After Middle Tennessee voters took to social media during the first week of early voting to report ballot issues at polling stations, the Davidson County Election Commission deployed a piece of technology to help ensure ballots are properly cast: stir sticks.
Over the past few days, a number of voters, including Dolly Parton's sister, Stella Parton, have taken to social media to report problems with voting machines, saying the devices did not display their intended selections or changed their selections.
The reported complications come after hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans started casting ballots on Oct. 14 for governor, U.S. Congress, the Tennessee General Assembly and three proposed constitutional amendments.
To address the issue, Davidson
County announced the reintroduction of stir sticks on Oct. 22. The sticks were previously used during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent elections until voters requested that their use be discontinued, Davidson County Deputy Administrator of Elections Lisa Pierce told The Tennessean.
Here's why Davidson County election officials implemented the sticks and how the Tennessee Secretary of State recommends voters verify their ballots before casting them.
Why did the Davidson County Election Commission decide to reintroduce stir sticks?
Pierce said the decision to reimplement stir sticks followed voter complaints that selecting a Democratic candidate sometimes appeared to highlight a Republican candidate on the voting machine.
"These voters told us their intention was to select the Democratic candidate, but the Republican candidate listed in the box above was highlighted on their screen. They changed their selection and proceeded to print their ballot," said Pierce.
The use of stir sticks might seem odd, but their purpose in this scenario is quite simple: improving accuracy and mitigating the chance of error.
"[Stir sticks] are narrower than one’s finger, so they help ensure there is no unintended tapping of an adjacent box/candidate name. The user taps straight down on the candidate’s name vs. at an angle when using their finger," Pierce added.
How the Tennessee Secretary of State's office says voters should check their ballots
"Tennessee's voting systems are designed with multiple safeguards to help ensure that ballots are recorded consistent with voter intent," Tennessee Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins told The Tennessean regarding the reported issues.
In addition to assuring voters that Tennessee's voting systems have multiple safeguards, Goins reminded voters of the several opportunities they have to verify their selections before casting a ballot. Goins said those opportunities are as follows:
- Selection Screen: When a voter makes a choice, that selection is clearly displayed on the voting machine screen.
- Review Screen: Before casting the ballot, voters are presented with a summary screen that displays all selections made during the voting session.
- Paper Record: Voters should carefully review the paper ballot or paper record generated by the system to confirm that their choices are accurately reflected before the ballot is cast.
What to do if you encounter issues at the polls
If voters encounter problems at the polls like the ones mentioned, they should immediately notify a poll worker or their local county election commission so the issue can be addressed before the ballot is cast.
Tennessee election officials also encourage voters to carefully review their ballot selections before final submission. The Tennessee Secretary of State provides election resources and contact information on its website.
Peter Burditt covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact him at PBurditt@nashvill.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville brings back stir sticks after ballot machine complaints during early voting
