LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — Voters at multiple polling sites in Lancaster County, South Carolina say their ballots are coming back blank.
Those voters claim they are going through the process of making their selections, but when they hit print – there’s nothing on the ballet.
“When it printed it was completely blank. But there are millions of people voting, machines make mistakes – I don’t think there’s a greater evil that’s going on,” said one voter who didn’t want to go on camera with WCNC Charlotte.
County elections officials said Wednesday this is the first year they’ve seen this problem and that it seems to be because people are trying to vote on a straight party ticket.
“Some voters choose straight-party and then they start choosing the same people, person by person," said Mary Ann Hudson, the director of registration and elections for Lancaster County. "They uncheck everyone they checked when they chose straight-party.”
When those ballots print blank, she says voters are instructed to go back and make ballot selections again. However, in South Carolina there are only two ballot cards per voter - so they only get one more chance to get it right.
Her best advice for voters now is to take your time “through the review process” and double-check before hitting print.
Contact Anna King at aking2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.