SALEM, N.H. -- Some local towns say they are running low on Democratic ballots due to the high turnout in today's New Hampshire primary.
Salem Town Clerk Barbara Lessard said several of Salem's polling places ran out of Democratic ballots at various times during the day, forcing them to use absentee and photocopied ballots. That could prove to be a problem tonight, she said, as those ballots must be counted by hand since the machines won't read them.
Rumors started to surface around middday that some towns, including Nashua, Pelham and Londonderry, were running out of ballots. Londonderry wound up having enough, while Pelham was expected to run out around 6:30 tonight.
Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan said many towns were reporting that they were low on ballots today, but Salem was the first one he had heard of that had actually run out.
"It could be that Salem still has the ballots, it's just how they've been distributed," he said. "We are getting calls from towns now that the polls are ready to close that they are right down to the wire. But up until this point, we have had no reports of towns running out of ballots."
Scanlan said the fact that some towns had to use absentee or copied ballots that can't be read by the voting machines could delay tonight's results somewhat, but he doesn't think it will have a major impact.
"We're talking about a ballot that has two offices on it -- president and vice president -- so it should be fairly easy to count," he said, "and we don't expect there are going to be that many."
Election Connection
Ballot shortages at some polling places
- Election Connection
-
-
Obama takes charge in Maine Democratic caucuses
Barack Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton in Maine presidential caucuses Sunday, grabbing a majority of delegates as the state's Democrats ignored the snowy weather and turned out in record numbers for municipal gatherings.
Continued ... -
Romney quits campaign for president
John McCain effectively sealed the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday as chief rival Mitt Romney suspended his faltering presidential campaign. "I must now stand aside, for our party and our country," Romney prepared to tell conservatives.
Continued ... -
McCain seizes GOP command on Super Tuesday; Clinton, Obama battle for Democrats
Sen. John McCain seized command of the race for the Republican presidential nomination early Wednesday, winning delegate-rich primaries from the East Coast to California. Democratic rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama traded victories in an epic struggle with no end in sight.
Continued ... - Clinton wins Massachusetts; Romney takes home state
- Super Tuesday voters find machine hiccups and delays, but voting goes smoothly
- Obama wins Georgia for Democrats, McCain seeks GOP supremacy on Super Tuesday
- Officials predict record turnout in Massachusetts primary
- Voters across the nation cast their ballots on Super Tuesday
- PHOTO SLIDESHOW: Republican candidates
- PHOTO SLIDESHOW: Democratic candidates
- Friday, January 11, 2008
- Tallying the votes: Republicans - United States
- Tallying the votes: Democrats - United States
- Wednesday, January 9, 2008
- Huckabee greets voters in Londonderry
- Clinton, Paul supporters duke it out
- Edwards greets supporters in Manchester
- Republican supporters greet candidates in Nashua
- Obama supporters optimistic
- Tuesday, January 8, 2008
- McCain, Clinton win N.H. primary
- LIVE ELECTION RESULTS: Republicans - Southern New Hampshire
-
