Early voting can't come soon enough for some Washington residents. But early voting may not be easy voting for some 7,500 District voters.
The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics announced that a barcode error printed on voter cards affected 7,579 people, the AP reports. Though the voter card is not necessary to vote, the barcode speeds up the voting process.
The election board said that a vendor used the wrong data to print the barcode, printing the wrong ward for four precincts.
Voters in precint 51 and 52 in Ward 4 comprised the greatest number of affected voters. The area made up by these two precincts in Northwest -- roughly bound by Western Avenue to the north, Broad Branch Road to the west, Military Road to the south, and Beach Drive to the east -- is home to 6,336 affected voters.
Only 35 Ward 2 voters were affected in precinct 129, an area from Independence Avenue stretching to the Tidal Basin and including East Potomac Park in Southwest, according to BOEE.
In Ward 1's precinct 138, which is bound by Connecticut Avenue, Piny Branch Parkway and Beach Drive, 1,208 voters were affected.
Conveniently, the board released today a new web-based service that will allow voters to check their status online. By clicking on this site, voters can check their absentee ballot status and their early voting status.