Hand sanitizer causes ballot scanner to jam at Des Moines, Iowa, polls

David Meyer

featured

Nov 4, 2020

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An Iowa voter feeds her ballot into the voting machine today.AP

Johnson County precinct election official Adam Ralston disinfects a voter booth in Iowa today.AP

The polling location at North Liberty Community Center in North Liberty, Iowa.AP

Hand sanitizer knocked out a Des Moines ballot scanner on Tuesday, the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office said.

A rep for the secretary of state said a buildup from voters’ sanitizer-soaked hands caused the scanner to stop working, according to the Associated Press.

The machine was back in working order in about an hour.

Iowa state officials distributed 1,500 gallons of sanitizer to precincts for Election Day, Iowa Public Radio reported.

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