MERCER COUNTY Precincts suffer 447 lost votes

Paper ballots were successfully used in some precincts.
MERCER, Pa. -- Official election results released Tuesday show that 447 votes were lost because of machine malfunctions in the Nov. 2 general election.
The lost votes were from only two precincts out of 14 where significant problems occurred.
Probe
Problems with machine malfunctions and a reported insufficiency of back-up paper ballots are the subject of an investigation by an eight-member committee appointed last week by Mercer County commissioners.
Director of Elections James Bennington said the official count shows that only in Farrell precincts 1-1 and 1-2 were a significant number of votes missing. The votes are considered lost because of the low percentage of voters in those precincts who are recorded as having voted in the presidential race.
While the actual number of votes cast numbered 297 and 296, respectively, in Farrell 1-1 and 1-2 precincts, only 88 and 58 votes were recorded for presidential candidates there. This means that while in other Mercer County precincts, an average 92 percent of those casting ballots voted in the presidential race, in Farrell 1-1 and 1-2, only 29 and 19 percent, respectively, did so.
A breakdown of the other 12 precincts where major problems were experienced shows that the other Farrell precincts 1-3, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 and 2-4 recorded 97, 92, 93, 90 and 95 percent votes, respectively, cast for president.
Bennington said he believes that despite the machine malfunctions, paper ballots were successfully used in the other precincts to record votes, although numerous critics have said sufficient paper ballots were not available in all precincts.
However, he agreed that there is no way of calculating how many votes were lost when voters who encountered malfunctioning machines left the polls and did not return.
Asked why the large number of votes were lost in the two Farrell precincts, Bennington replied that the two precincts had the paper ballots "but never used them."
However, the number of lost votes in the two precincts would not have changed the outcomes of any races or issues on the ballot, he said.
The official vote tally shows that 55,621 votes were cast in Mercer County.
President Bush carried the county with 26,311 with Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., getting 24,831.
On the Shenango Valley Consolidation question, residents of affected municipalities defeated the measure 12,792 to 7,038.
In the U.S. Senate race, Republican incumbent Arlen Specter garnered 26,401 to Democrat Joseph Hoeffel's 21,511. Constitution Candidate James Clymer received 2,109 and Libertarian candidate Betsy Summers, 1,052.
U.S. Rep. Phil English, R-3rd, carried the county with 26,276, and Democratic challenger Steven Porter had 20,466.
In the Fourth Congressional District, Democrat Stevan Drobac Jr. got 3,809 votes, and incumbent Republican Melissa Hart 2,119.
Republican Tom Corbett won the attorney general's race in the county with 24,951, trailed by Democrat Jim Eisenhower with 23,138 and Green Party candidate Marakay Rogers with 881.
For auditor general, Democrat Jack Wagner got 25,805 votes and Republican Joe Peters received 22,681.
In the state treasurer's race, Democrat Bob Casey Jr. got 30,231, and Republican Jean Pepper got 19,411. Libertarian, Green and Constitutional candidates got 649, 333 and 295 votes, respectively.