When the polls close, the microwave is unplugged

YOUNGSTOWN — When the polls close at 7:30 p.m., something else also shuts down — the microwave in the Mahoning County Board of Election’s kitchen.

The plug is pulled at 7:30 p.m. and a sign telling people not to use the microwave goes up.

When elections officials were tallying votes during the November 2007 election, someone decided to use the microwave for popcorn. That caused an electric circuit to trip and shut down the machines in midcount for a brief time.

Not wanting a repeat performance, the microwave is now disconnected when the polls close.