BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
When Sandy Brooks showed up to the North Natomas Library this morning to vote, she had to wait.
That’s because poll workers were unable to access voter’s information used to print the correct ballot. They had to reboot their systems — twice.
“It started with just about five of us in line outside,” said Brooks, a Natomas resident, who arrived at about 9:30 a.m. “The people inside were also in limbo, trying to figure out if they’d be able to vote.”
The delay was due to a statewide connectivity issue with the voter database, according to Sacramento County Elections spokesperson Janna Haynes. The issue, she said, did not just impact the Natomas polling site or Sacramento County.
“I looked back and didn’t see people leave,” said Brooks. “Which was really encouraging. People are ready to vote and ready to do what it takes to cast their ballot.”
No voters left during the delay, confirmed one North Natomas Library poll worker who was collecting completed mail-in ballots outside at the time the computers had to be rebooted.
Haynes said poll workers did have the option to call the Sacramento County Elections home office with a voter’s address, get their precinct information and then print them out the correct ballot and have them fill out a Conditional Registration Form/ballot.
But that wasn’t an option Brooks and others waiting in line were offered.
“It’s possible they were not yet briefed on the procedure when it first happened,” Haynes explained.
A call to the Secretary of State’s press office had not been returned as this article went to press.
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