http://www.poststar.com/articles/2009/09/16/news/local/doc4ab0f8eb9e565487435712.txt

District Attorney primary totals updated after voting machine malfunction

By NICK REISMAN

reisman@poststar.com

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 10:42 AM EDT

Washington County District Attorney Kevin Kortright picked up 97 additional votes after a malfunctioning voting machine in Whitehall was fixed Tuesday night, but that did little to close the gap against his opponent, Robert Winn.

Winn, a former district attorney, received 76 votes after the machine was fixed.

With all districts reporting, Winn now leads Kortright 1,822 to 1,601, according to unofficial results.

Election officials blamed a paper jam for the voting machine malfunction. The breakdown delayed the posting of results for District 5 in Whitehall until late Tuesday night.

"They couldn’t get the paper out," Board of Elections Commissioner Donna English said of the machine malfunction. "That happens a lot of the time. The custodian got there and got it straightened out."

Winn and Kortright have been locked in a fierce battle for the Republican nomination in the general election.

The Board of Elections received another five absentee ballots on Wednesday, pushing the total to 197. The county sent out 300 ballots for the Tuesday primary elections.

The ballots will be opened on Sept. 22, English said.

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