As voters go to the polls Tuesday to elect a new Congress, a number of localities across the country have reported problems at polling places and with election-related websites.
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The integrity of election systems has been highly scrutinized ahead of Election Day, especially as numerous Republican candidates have cast doubt on the election process throughout the 2022 campaign and have questioned the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.
Pennsylvania
Voters in the Pennsylvania county of Luzerne encountered substantial problems Tuesday after numerous voting precincts reportedly ran out of printer paper necessary for ballots. A local judge has ordered the polling locations in the county to remain open until 10 p.m. Polls in the Keystone State are scheduled to close at 8 p.m.
WNEF reported that a number of voters were waiting in line around the county, which includes the township of Wilkes-Barre. Voters were still able to cast provisional ballots, the outlet reported.
Arizona
Officials in Maricopa County in Arizona said they are experiencing issues with vote tabulators at about 20% of polling locations, according to the county elections department. The county’s Twitter account released a video showing elections board chairman Bill Gates and county recorder Stephen Richer explaining the issue and that uncounted ballots would be transported to a central location to be tabulated.
https://twitter.com/MaricopaVote/status/1590009384377384961?s=20&t=iKp9yVkdSL1PlTI0CzIRbA
A campaign account for Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake sarcastically responded to the county’s tweet, saying, “So the votes get to be tabulated at a second location because you guys can’t do your jobs right. That makes us feel so much better.”
https://twitter.com/KariLakeWarRoom/status/1590000340350676992?s=20&t=EWp2GaRST51GUmB0s1b0TA
Maricopa County is Arizona’s most populous county and was the subject of election integrity questions following the 2020 election. Lake has loudly and repeatedly said that the 2020 election was stolen.
Former president Donald Trump blasted the county’s struggles in a statement on his social media platform Truth Social.
“Maricopa County in Arizona looks like a complete Voter Integrity DISASTER. Likewise Detroit (of course!), Pennsylvania, and other places,” the former president said.
By Tuesday afternoon, Richer apologized for the county’s issues.
“I am very sorry for any voter who has been frustrated or inconvenienced today in Maricopa County,” Richer said. “Every legal vote will be tabulated. I promise.”
https://twitter.com/stephen_richer/status/1590088696581459968?s=20&t=DPK3CsxKwGlEIC4knsn_FwThe county reported that it had found a resolution to the issue by changing printer settings.
https://twitter.com/maricopacounty/status/1590088467983499265?s=20&t=xdwZdjKmGoYcZaDm0ilc0gThe RNC announced Tuesday evening that it was filing an emergency lawsuit against the county in a bid to extend voting hours due to long lines at polling locations.
“The RNC is joining a Republican coalition to file an emergency motion to extend poll hours in Maricopa County because voting machines in over 25% of voting locations have experienced significant issues,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. “The widespread issues — in an election administered by Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs — are completely unacceptable, especially as Republicans flock to the polls to vote in-person on Election Day. We have dozens of attorneys and thousands of volunteers on the ground working to solve this issue and ensure that Arizona voters have the chance to make their voices heard.”
Louisiana
Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin said Tuesday morning that the state’s election website and GeauxVote app were experiencing technical difficulties. Voters can use the site to review a sample ballot and find their polling location. Three hours after the initial issue was reported, Ardoin announced that the issues had been resolved.
https://twitter.com/Louisiana_sos/status/1590015488226394112?s=20&t=VIq-iGrqm-m2A9taxHa5iANew Jersey
Officials in Mercer County in New Jersey reported that all voting machines are currently down “due to a Mercer County-wide system outage.” The county said that the board of elections is working with Dominion, the machine’s manufacturer, to resolve the issue.
https://twitter.com/westwindsorpd/status/1589962815049187328?s=20&t=4LtPQPqkXB8D742W15QE4A”The Board of Elections has advised the county of issues with voting machines. Poll workers will be on hand to walk voters through the process. The board is working with Dominion, the machine maker, to resolve the issue,” the county wrote in a Facebook post.
https://www.facebook.com/mercernewjersey/posts/441867388122566
Nevada
The Nevada Secretary of State’s Office, in response to a complaint on Twitter that the state’s election website was not working, said, “There is an issue currently causing state websites to be unavailable.”
https://twitter.com/NVSOS/status/1590070520959373314?s=20&t=CMjLjC6QhU_tXmq7IQTInQ
The Washington Examiner experienced no difficulties accessing the site. However, the Secretary of State’s Office said the “State IT department is working on a resolution.”
Oklahoma
Reports circulated Tuesday afternoon that poll workers at a Tulsa, Oklahoma area voting precinct had been dismissed after a number of Republican voters were reportedly not given ballots to vote in the Tulsa City Council election. According to local FOX 23 reporter Rick Maranon, officials had launched a criminal investigation.
https://twitter.com/RickonFox23/status/1590074695931437058?s=20&t=N4Bot_MQMotF6_gR1FAoMwTexas
After polling places in Bell County, Texas, experienced difficulties throughout the morning Tuesday, a judge in the state ordered poll locations in the county to remain open until 8 p.m., an hour later than originally scheduled.
In Houston, the Houston Chronicle reported that a city employee died near a polling location, likely from electrocution. The polling location was closed and voters were routed to alternate locations.
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This story will be updated throughout Election Day.
