FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — An early voting machine issue at an Allen County polling site prompted an election board response Tuesday after a voter reported that a machine may have misrecorded their ballot.

The Allen County Election Board said a paper jam affected a state-mandated auditing device at Christ’s Community Church, a satellite early voting location. Election Director Amy Scrogham said the jam displayed the selections made by a previous voter, but stressed that the voting panel recorded the current voter’s selections as intended.

WPTA’s 21Alive News reported the issue after contacting the election board about the voter’s complaint.

Scrogham said the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail, or VVPAT, is used to verify voters’ selections for auditing purposes and does not tally votes. The jam was discovered and repaired by election mechanics after they became aware of the problem.

According to Scrogham, when a voter presses the red “Cast Vote” button, the selections are recorded on the voting panel. On election night, those votes are transferred to a tally card, which is then read into the Election Management System.

The paper audit device serves a separate purpose: allowing the state to verify voting selections during an audit. Scrogham said the paper jam did not change the selections recorded on the voting panel.

The election board is now working with its equipment vendor to find ways to prevent similar jams. Scrogham also said election officials will contact poll workers and instruct them to check the VVPAT window to make sure it is clear before another voter uses the machine.

The issue comes as Allen County voters continue casting ballots during the early voting period ahead of the November 2026 election. The board’s response focused on distinguishing the paper audit display problem from the recording of votes on the voting panel.

Scrogham said the voting panel recorded the voter’s choices correctly, and the immediate concern was ensuring the audit window remained clear for subsequent voters.