November 9, 2006
KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- Knox County sheriff's deputies will get a new, defined pension plan after technicians helped retrieve 2,625 uncounted votes in Knox County.
The pension plan passed by a 497 vote margin, or 50.24 percent.
An error with a voting machine used during early voting at the Downtown West polling place delayed the results from Tuesday's election. A metal pin in the door of the machine slipped out of place, causing it to short circuit.
The machine was taken to Control Technology Inc. on Thursday. Election commission workers for the Republicans and Democrats escorted it to the lab.
Technicians from Hart Interactive, the machine's manufacturer, came to Knoxville to help election officials with the vote retrieval. They removed the memory chips, rebuilt them and took them back to the election commission.
After inserting the chips in a new voting machine, the votes were counted with no more problems and no votes lost.
"Well I think this just proves that the electronic machines work and all the data was there," says Election Commission Chairwoman Pamela Reeves. "We were able to retrieve it. It took a little bit longer than we would have liked. But we got what we needed."
The data on the machine was backed up three times, meaning technicians had three tries at retrieving it.
"The voters have seen fit to give them this pension, now they can retire," says Fraternal Order of Police President Stan McCroskey.
The Election Commission is due to certify the results of the ballots within the next 10 days.
But the new pension will come at a cost. The county has to find $8 million a year to pay for it and that will have an effect on taxpayers.
6 News Reporters Jeff Lennox, Catharyn Campbell and Anchor Tim Miller contributed to this report.
Technicians removed the memory chips and rebuilt them.
