Voters in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, were given extra time to cast their ballots on Tuesday after a judge accepted a petition to extend voting hours.
Cambria officials were notified early on Election Day that a software issue in the county’s electronic machines prevented voters from scanning their ballots for hours. County Solicitor Ron Repak then filed an emergency petition to extend voting hours.
According to the petition, the malfunction caused long lines and confusion, with some voters leaving without casting a ballot. The Cambria County Board of Elections urged voters to stay in line and confirmed that all votes will be counted.
“There is a process in place for issues of this nature,” the board of elections wrote in a statement. “All completed ballots will be accepted, secured and counted by the Board of Elections. The County Board of Elections has expressed [that voting machines at precinct locations should] continue to allow voting electronically while still allowing hand ballots to be cast.”
Now Cambria County voters were to be able to cast their ballot until 10 p.m. All ballots cast after the original 8 p.m. closing time were to be provisional ballots, meaning they would be assessed before officially counted.
The Pennsylvania Department of State said it’s working with Cambria County officials to resolve the electronic voting issue while voters continue to vote on paper ballots.
“The Department of State is in contact with county officials in Cambria County. Voters are continuing to vote by paper ballot, in accordance with normal operations, while the county resolves the issue with in-precinct scanning,” the department wrote on X. “We are working with the county to resolve this technical matter and remain committed to ensuring a free, fair, safe and secure election.”
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.