Hacking democracy: North Carolina voters report voting machines switching their votes to GOP candidate

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Voter in front of voting machine at polling station

A voter in Guilfrord County, attempting to take advantage of early voting in North Carolina, told the News-Record that the voting machine he used repeatedly switched his vote for a Democrat to a vote for her Republican opponent.

Percy Bostick, 69, of Greensboro said he tried casting a vote for Democrat Kay Hagan - who is locked in a tight battle with her GOP opponent - however the machine, located in the Old Guilford County Courthouse - assigned his vote to Republican Thom Tillis.

"I called one of the poll workers over," Bostick explained. "She said do it again. And again, I touched the screen at the proper place for Kay Hagan, and it again reported it for Thom Tillis."

According to Bostick, the machine finally recorded his vote for Hagan on the fourth attempt.

A poll worker then stepped in and cancelled Bostick's ballot altogether and directed him to another machine which registered his vote correctly. The problematic machine was taken out of service.

On Wednesday a voter using a machine at the Craft Recreation Center in Greensboro experienced the same problem with their vote going to Tillis.

According to Guilford County elections director, Charlie Collicut, his office has received 14 reports of voting problems since early voting started Oct. 23, including seven from people who grew concerned after they got home.

Collicut urged voters to check their vote against the paper roll next to the screen to ensure that the machine properly registered their selections. He also advised voters to report any problems to poll workers immediately.

The Hagan/Tills race is expected to be one of the most costly races for a Senate seat ever, with campaign spending expected to exceed $100 million .