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More Concerns Raised About Election Irregularities

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — Democratic leaders are asking for a delay in certifying the August primary results after reports that voting machines in Davidson County defaulted to the Republican primary ballot.

A letter was sent to Secretary of State Tre Hargett Wednesday by the entire Democratic state legislative leadership. The letter states "voting apparatus should never default to one party or another" and calls for a full investigation.

An analysis of August voting showed a 27 percent increase in Democratic turnout, compared with a 350 percent increase in Republican turnout. Concerning the spike, the letter says: "Frankly, it doesn't even pass the laugh test."

Brandon Puttbrese is a spokesman for the Tennessee Democratic Party.

“The numbers speak for themselves. The Republican ballots that were turned in in Davidson County far exceed the ballots measures that have happened in previous elections. It’s an aberration. It’s a statistical anomaly. There’s obviously something wrong here.”

Puttbrese says there’s no way to know how widespread the problem may be, but he notes that significant voting irregularities have also been reported in Dickson and Shelby Counties.