TAMPA -- A nonpartisan voting rights coalition says it has received calls about several machines that scan ballots in precincts breaking down in Hillsborough County. Elections officials can't say how many machines were affected, but say their roving tech crews are addressing problems and they are not impeding voting.

Mia McCormick, spokeswoman for Elections Supervisor Buddy Johnson's office, says if a ballot reader breaks down, it doesn't interrupt the voting process, because ballots are collected and then scanned into the reader when it is repaired. The office has 15 two-person crews that are roving the county to address technical issues with machinery.

Election Protection, the voting rights group, says it has received dozens of calls from voters throughout Florida reporting broken-down machines, including some in Hillsborough County. McCormick was checking to see if she could confirm any breakdowns.

Times staff