CHARLESTON, W.Va. - County clerks all over West Virginia have been told there is a problem with the optical scan ballot to be used in this fall's election, a Kanawha County official said Monday.

Early voting is scheduled to start in West Virginia on Wednesday.

The problem involves a programming error that causes some votes in the Supreme Court race to be tabulated incorrectly, according to County Commission President Kent Carper.

"There's a problem with the Supreme Court race when people vote a straight ticket," Carper said. He called an emergency meeting today at 10 a.m. at the county's Voters Registration office to "find out what in the wide world of sports is going on here."

Someone from Secretary of State Betty Ireland's office told a Kanawha County official about the problem on Monday, and said every West Virginia county that uses an optical scan ballot was being notified, Carper said.

Other Kanawha officials and representatives of Ireland's office could not be reached for comment Monday; public offices were closed for Columbus Day.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - County clerks all over West Virginia have been told there is a problem with the optical scan ballot to be used in this fall's election, a Kanawha County official said Monday.

Early voting is scheduled to start in West Virginia on Wednesday.

The problem involves a programming error that causes some votes in the Supreme Court race to be tabulated incorrectly, according to County Commission President Kent Carper.

"There's a problem with the Supreme Court race when people vote a straight ticket," Carper said. He called an emergency meeting today at 10 a.m. at the county's Voters Registration office to "find out what in the wide world of sports is going on here."

Someone from Secretary of State Betty Ireland's office told a Kanawha County official about the problem on Monday, and said every West Virginia county that uses an optical scan ballot was being notified, Carper said.

Other Kanawha officials and representatives of Ireland's office could not be reached for comment Monday; public offices were closed for Columbus Day.