Florida election websites crash, this tech company takes the blame

Tallahassee-based VR Systems said an increase in website traffic contributed to the problem, casting doubts on their ability to handle the presidential election in November.

An elections technology company is taking full responsibility for glitches that kept many Florida county elections officials from immediately posting primary results Tuesday night.

While the problem didn’t affect voters or ballot counting, there were still unanswered questions Wednesday.

Tallahassee-based VR Systems issued a brief statement but refused to answer questions on how widespread the problem was, why it wasn’t prepared for websites that slowed or crashed, and how it’s going to fix a problem that popped up during a low-turnout primary when it deals with a much larger demand for information during a hotly contested presidential election in less than three months.

The problem didn’t affect how counties reported the primary vote to the state, nor did it affect the state’s ability to provide election updates. But people checking local election websites Tuesday night couldn’t access results as they came in.

“We share everyone’s sense of urgency to identify why people may have experienced problems accessing our customers’ websites,” the company said in a brief statement. “First and foremost, the election night reporting of the unofficial results was not impacted, and there is no indication of malicious activity.”

The company said an increase in website traffic contributed to the problem.

VR Systems didn’t return emails and phone calls from The Associated Press seeking more details on the glitch. A reporter went to its office to ask for additional information in person and was told anyone authorized to speak on the issue was too busy. The reporter was also told to visit the company’s website for a statement and that the company was unable to print a copy of that statement at its corporate headquarters.

While the issue didn’t affect the process of casting, tabulating and reporting votes, it did cause a headache for the counties that use VR Systems, including some of the state’s largest.

“This had no impact on our ability to report our unofficial results. We did so without any delays at all,” said Gerri Kramer, a spokesperson for the supervisor of elections in Hillsborough County, which encompasses Tampa and many of its suburbs. “Our unofficial results were uploaded to the state, and shared publicly via social media and in our public Canvassing Board meeting. Additionally, we made sure media knew where to find the results so that they could report them, as well.”