


New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin is set to open an investigation into a local school board election after a poll worker inadvertently counted some votes twice, the Democrat announced last week.
The announcement comes after the results of a nonpartisan school board race in Monmouth County were altered due to a human error that caused some ballots to be tabulated twice, according to Katina Granger, a spokesperson for voting machine vendor Election Systems and Software. The state will open an investigation into the matter and provide recommendations for how to avoid similar mistakes in the future.
ELECTION ERROR: VOTING MACHINE HICCUP FLIPS LOCAL ELECTION IN NEW JERSEY
"Based on public reports regarding the 2022 General Election in Monmouth County, a full investigation is warranted to encourage and preserve public trust in our elections, including recommendations for reforms to benefit the conduct of contests statewide," Platkin said.
Election officials have remained confident in the voting system itself, noting the mistake was made due to a “human error.”
"Typically our software blocks this from happening. Unfortunately, a human error in a July software reinstallment missed the step that would have flagged the mistake," the company told the Washington Examiner earlier this month. "This anomaly is isolated to Monmouth County. The integrity of elections are ultimately protected by a series of checks and balances, and we’re grateful for an audit that revealed this human error."
As part of the county’s election rules, the top three candidates are awarded a seat on the school board. However, due to the error, Steve Clayton came in third place with 3,523 votes, besting candidate Jeffrey Weinstein by 20 votes. However, a post-election audit showed Weinstein beating Clayton by one vote.
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Clayton, who served on the school board from 2015-2018, said he was “shocked” by the mistake and would explore legal options with his attorney.
Election Systems and Software called the tabulation error an “isolated incident [that] occurred due to a human procedural error. An audit of the system yielded this information.” They also pledged to "work with Monmouth County to ensure all necessary steps are taken to ensure election accuracy."