Travis Doss, the assistant director of the Board of Elections, and Linda Lively remove computer cards and sort through computer printouts from the state's new touch-screen voting machines at the Board of Elections offices in Augusta. MICHAEL HOLAHAN/STAFF

Augusta elections officials attributed delays to a new routine of counting votes caused by the new touch-screen voting machines, a county Web site that was slowed by an overload of visitors and a record-high turnout of voters.

"We're all adjusting to the new procedures and the new way of doing things," said Lynn Bailey, the executive director of Richmond County Board of Elections. "But I do think that with all things considered with the nature of the election that we had today, we're doing fine. I think we're doing as well as we would be if we were counting punch cards."

The late returns kept several closely watched races from being immediately declared, including Augusta's mayoral race, the state Senate District 22 election and several state House races.

Richmond County was the only section of the 12th U.S. Congressional District that was still missing nearly 40 percent of its voting reports by early today. Savannah's Chatham County and Athens-Clarke County had more precincts counted by 10:30 p.m. Tuesday than Augusta did by 12:45 a.m. today.

Mrs. Bailey said one of the biggest challenges was the high turnout, which she estimated to be more than 60 percent.

"I don't think it's higher than the (2000) presidential election, but I think we've probably set some type of record for a midterm election," she said.

The new computer system also brought delays, though. Officials had a complicated process getting the information from the machines to the county Web site.

"It's all kind of creeping along because we've got so many people hitting our Web site," Mrs. Bailey said.

Reach Preston Sparks at (706) 828-3904 or Heidi Coryell Williams at (706) 823-3215.

--From the Wednesday, November 6, 2002 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle