Popcorn blows out the system

YOUNGSTOWN — It’s kind of an unwritten rule at the Mahoning County Board of Elections. When all the computers are on tallying ballots, you’re not supposed to use the microwave in the nearby kitchen areas.

Well, you guessed it, someone decided to use the microwave to pop popcorn causing a circuit breaker to trip and shut down the board’s computer system.

Even with the slippery situation, board employees were able to not only get the computers starting in a matter of a few minutes, but get all the results tallied by 9:21 p.m. It was the quickest the board has finished an election since it went to an electronic touch-screen system in 2001.