Some voters hit polls twice after ballot glitch in Ocoee

OCOEE, Fla. — A small glitch could have a big impact on a local race in Ocoee that’s become very heated.

Both camps for mayor will be staying at the polls until they close, a time that could change with Gov. Rick Scott’s approval.

One voter, who asked not to be identified, said she had to return to the Lake Shores Center a second time to cast her vote because the first time she tried to vote, the center was out of ballots.

An election worker called the woman to say the problem was fixed, and local candidates are hoping others voters who missed out will get a call as well.

Voters were given the option of using an express voting machine, which is Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, but that came with a wait.

Mayoral candidates who have been campaigning for months spent the last hours at the polls.

Now they’re hoping voters will make a second trip.

It’s the first full-term election for mayor since Scott Vandergrift left the post he’d held for 23 years.

“I think it’s very, very poor planning for supervisor of elections,” said candidate Jim Sills.

“That’s not a good thing. We’ll have to address that to Bill Cowles. You should have the ballots ready,” said candidate Rusty Johnson.

Sills and Johnson battles for mayor in a special election last year.

Johnson won a sixth term by 17 votes, so this is a race in which every vote counts.

Cox Media Group