Dozens of people showed up at the polls in Mobile on Tuesday, hoping to elect a new mayor.
However, a technical issue with electronic poll books, combined with inaccurate voter rolls, dampened those hopes.
After voting without issue in the August 26 municipal election, some voters swiped their voter ID for the September 23 runoff and encountered confusion, as their voter status was listed as “inactive.”
City of Mobile director of communications Jason Johnson initially told 1819 News the voter rolls that showed the voters as “inactive” came from the Secretary of State’s Office. However, the Mobile County Board of Registrars is responsible for updating voting credentials and changing voter status.
“The voter rolls that the city clerk receives come through the Board of Registrars’ office, which is also a state entity,” Johnson later corrected.
Johnson said the city does not maintain or oversee the list of registered voters.
However, there was another issue on voting day.
The proper procedure for inactive voters is to provide them with a voter registration update form, then allow them to vote on a regular ballot. However, the Tenex Electronic Poll Book, used by poll workers, was only allowing those voters to gain access to provisional ballots.
The voters cast their provisional ballots but remained concerned about why their status had been changed to “inactive.”
Mobile City Clerk Lisa Lambert was made aware of the issue and was able to resolve the technical glitch. No further issues were reported on Tuesday afternoon, but it remains unclear how many voters were affected. Lambert's office stated that she hopes to obtain more details and release information by Wednesday.
Provisional ballots from properly registered voters will be counted, but not until September 30.
1819 News reached out to both Barbara Drummond and Spiro Cheriogotis's campaigns about the issue. Drummond's team did not respond.
The Cheriogotis campaign said they are aware of the issue.
"We have a really tight ballot security operation," said Candace Cooksey, with the Cheriogotis campaign. "We were alerted to the issue first thing this morning and were in communication with election officials to ensure they were aware and working on a solution."
Cooksey said the campaign will continue to track developments.
"It is always frustrating for voters and campaigns when these glitches arise on Election Day," she said. "However, the City Clerk and other officials worked to swiftly address the issue and get it resolved with the technology company who operates the elections system in use today. We will certainly keep a close watch on provisional ballot numbers, but things seem to have been running smoothly since mid-morning."
Voters with concerns are encouraged to speak with their poll workers and cast a provisional ballot if necessary.
The Mobile County Board of Registrars has not responded to 1819 News.
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