Comanche County voters who stayed up refreshing the results page Tuesday night had a long wait. A software glitch blocked the county from uploading General Election results until Wednesday afternoon, according to Election Board Secretary Amy Sims. Roughly 5,000 in-person absentee votes had to be manually entered from voting machine tapes, and Sims and her staff worked through the night, finishing around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The delay also sparked friction inside county government. Commissioner Josh Powers criticized Sims for not responding to officials, including a congressman, who called overnight looking for information, calling the lack of communication unacceptable. Sims defended her office and denied social media claims that some Comanche County votes went uncounted, emphasizing that the ballots were counted and entered by hand when the software failed.
County results will be certified by 5 p.m. Friday, with statewide certification following next Tuesday. For Fort Sill families and voters across Lawton, the takeaway is simple: paper backups exist for exactly this scenario, and the timeline remains on track. Have you ever had results night go sideways in your line of work? Share your story with us.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.