Paper Ballots Still Yet to be Counted in Benton County
By: KNWA, Fayetteville, AR
Updated: November 8, 2012
BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- After some counting machines malfunctioned late Tuesday night, election workers in Benton County worked around the clock trying to count paper ballots.
"Right now, I am currently going on 36 hours with 2 hours of sleep," says Benton County election coordinator Kim Dennison.
It's a shift no one wants to cover.
"Long hours, lack of sleep, too much coffee," says Benton County Election Commission chairman John Brown.
After three vote-counting machines broke down late Tuesday night.
"Nobody has any idea what happened," Brown says.
The Benton County Election Commission was left with the task of counting all paper ballots -- by hand.
"Going through 57 precincts, it is a very time-consuming process," Dennison says.
Wednesday afternoon the commission called in a technician from Kansas, to begin repairs.
It's a machine called a 6-50 machine, capable of counting hundreds of paper ballots per minute.
"A human can't go that fast," Brown says.
So with the mighty machine out of commission --- commission workers begin to tally by hand, with heavy eyelids. For hours on end.
"You start to go cross-eyed, and when you're as tired as we are right now, it puts a lot of stress on everyone of us," Dennison says.
Fifteen or so helped out Tuesday night, and around six showed up early Wednesday morning -- some of them working both shifts.
"I have a great crew, and I could not do this alone without each and every one of those poll workers and county clerk employees," Dennison says.
After more than four hours of unsuccessful repair attempts Wednesday, Benton County will resort to an alternative option.
"We have had an offer from Washington County to take the ballots down there and run it through their 6-50 machine," Dennison says.
A light at the end of the tunnel for some exhausted, election employees.
"Right now, I am currently going on 36 hours with 2 hours of sleep," says Benton County election coordinator Kim Dennison.
It's a shift no one wants to cover.
"Long hours, lack of sleep, too much coffee," says Benton County Election Commission chairman John Brown.
After three vote-counting machines broke down late Tuesday night.
"Nobody has any idea what happened," Brown says.
The Benton County Election Commission was left with the task of counting all paper ballots -- by hand.
"Going through 57 precincts, it is a very time-consuming process," Dennison says.
Wednesday afternoon the commission called in a technician from Kansas, to begin repairs.
It's a machine called a 6-50 machine, capable of counting hundreds of paper ballots per minute.
"A human can't go that fast," Brown says.
So with the mighty machine out of commission --- commission workers begin to tally by hand, with heavy eyelids. For hours on end.
"You start to go cross-eyed, and when you're as tired as we are right now, it puts a lot of stress on everyone of us," Dennison says.
Fifteen or so helped out Tuesday night, and around six showed up early Wednesday morning -- some of them working both shifts.
"I have a great crew, and I could not do this alone without each and every one of those poll workers and county clerk employees," Dennison says.
After more than four hours of unsuccessful repair attempts Wednesday, Benton County will resort to an alternative option.
"We have had an offer from Washington County to take the ballots down there and run it through their 6-50 machine," Dennison says.
A light at the end of the tunnel for some exhausted, election employees.
