Firewall issues delayed Detroit's primary election results
Detroit election workers had to drive election results across the county Tuesday night after the state primary, delaying the reporting of unofficial results.
Detroit election workers had to drive election results across the county on Tuesday night after the state primary, delaying the reporting of unofficial results on election night.
The delays were due to a faulty firewall, said Dorian Tyus, a spokesman for the Wayne County Clerk's Office. The issue kept local clerks from electronically submitting their results, which meant they had to physically transport the vote tallies into downtown Detroit.
Results started posting online well after midnight. But the episode worried some who fear delays could encourage conspiracy theories and frustrating those who expected more prompt election results — particularly after last year’s major overhaul in election rules. Once again, Michigan is expected to be a pivotal swing state in November.
Daniel Baxter, a top aide in the Detroit City Clerk’s office, said the bulk of results would have been ready around 11 p.m. if not for the technical issue. Instead, they started posting online after midnight. The large batch of approximately 10,000 mail ballots that were dropped off on Election Day took until 6 a.m. the next morning to count, he added.
Mail ballots arriving the day of elections are a common source of delay in results, since it takes time to verify signatures and conduct other ballot processing. Those steps take place while people wait in line and check in when they vote in person.
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