CONCORD, NH – Today, New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan reported a minor technical issue related to State Primary Absentee Ballots that were electronically delivered to 13 overseas/military (UOCAVA) voters.
The ballots were sent electronically because state and federal law permit UOCAVA voters to request ballots be delivered via email. The issue involved Adobe’s new digital image descriptions, a default setting that Adobe rolled out earlier this year to address accessibility standards. When hovering a mouse over portions of these electronically delivered ballots, the feature would cause overlayed text to pop up that included a few sentences that inaccurately described the actual content of the ballot. The feature did not impact the actual content of the ballot.
The Secretary of State’s Office caught the problem quickly and ensured the feature is turned off for all future electronically delivered UOCAVA absentee ballots. The few voters who were initially e-mailed a ballot with this feature are being notified and e-mailed replacement absentee ballots.
Transparency is of the utmost importance to the Secretary of State’s Office, and the office will continue to inform local election officials and voters of all aspects of the election process.