ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County's supervisor of elections blames a new payroll company for issuing bad checks to nearly 1,400 poll workers on election night.
Bill Cowles told News 6 that ADP payroll services representatives told him they did not transfer funds into the proper account before issuing the checks on Tuesday, resulting in at least one bounced check.
"I regret that this happened," Cowles told News 6. "It was not planned like this."
Cowles' staff spent Wednesday evening printing new checks issued directly out of the Supervisor of Elections Office. He hand-signed all 1,400 checks.
His staff set up a drive-through station in back of the elections building, where poll workers could pick up their new checks without leaving their cars.
The deliveries continued until 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The same drive-thru will be operating Thursday and Friday, and poll workers can also request to have their new paycheck mailed to them.
"Tonight's priority and tomorrow's priority is to make sure that these hard-working poll workers get their pay, and that they can then use their money," he said.
The checks ranged from $160 to $325.
Cowles said he wanted ADP to reimburse his office for any overdraft fees his workers may have incurred. He also wants the company to pay for the overtime his staff used cutting the new checks.
News 6 spoke with an ADP representative Wednesday night. He said he did not know about the situation with the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office.
He said he would investigate.