Utility, Insurer Sued Over Damage to Voting Machines in Mississippi County

A southwest Mississippi county is suing an electrical utility and its own insurer, seeking more than $500,000 for damage to voting machines caused by a 2016 power outage.

The Enterprise-Journal reports Pike County in Sept. sued Entergy Corp. and the administrator of the Mississippi Association of Supervisors Insurance Trust.

The county claims a poorly maintained power line caused a short circuit on the election night of March 8, 2016. Officials in the county building in Magnolia used a generator and extension cords to nearby buildings while counting votes by flashlight.

The county says the machines and peripheral attachments are permanently damaged.

Entergy spokeswoman Mara Hartmann says it appears the lawsuit is the first time the county made a claim against the utility for damages. She says Entergy is investigating.