Mississippi officials confirm multiple cases of voting machines changing votes in GOP governor runoff

State officials have confirmed at least three reports of voting machines in two counties changing voters’ picks in Mississippi’s GOP gubernatorial primary runoff.

Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves are currently in a runoff for the Republican nomination in the governor’s race to see who will take on Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood in the November general election. Reeves led Waller in the Aug. 6 balloting by a 49-33 margin, though the race went to a runoff after no candidate hit 50 percent. 

{mosads}The issues emerged Tuesday morning, with one Facebook user posting a video showing a touch-screen voting machine changing their selection from Waller to Reeves. 

“It is not letting me vote for who I want to vote for,” the voter says in the video. “How can that happen?” a woman in the background asks.

Though officials confirmed the issues with only three machines in two counties, the Waller campaign told the Clarion Ledger that it had received reports of the same problem from Leflore, Lamar, Pearl River, Lincoln, Washington, Forrest and Scott counties.

A spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office told the Ledger that their office was made aware of the problem and contacted Lafayette County, later sending a technician to the precinct. One machine in that county was later replaced after 19 votes were cast.

Two other machines in Calhoun County exhibited the same issue of switching voters’ selection from Waller to Reeves, circuit clerk Carlton Baker told the Ledger. 

All three machines in question are of the same model. 

“We’re doing what we can to rectify the situation,” Baker said.