"Pennsylvania County Vows to Rectify Vote Flipping Error for Judges"
A clerical error by voting machine company Election Systems & Software caused votes in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, to appear flipped on a ballot question regarding the retention of two state appeals judges. Although the error was noticed by voters and brought to the attention of poll workers, the actual choices were properly recorded by the machines' backend system, ensuring accurate tabulation. The glitch, which affected all the county's voting machines, was isolated to the two retention votes in Northampton County and did not impact any other races statewide. The county obtained a court order allowing the continued use of the machines, and officials assured voters that their votes would be counted as intended. The error was attributed to a coding mistake by Election Systems & Software, which acknowledged fault and expressed regret.