Keeping An Eye On The Keystone State: Pesky Problems Plague Pennsylvania Polls

Election day is here, and Twitchy will be keeping a close eye on the swing state of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth and the 19 electoral votes it holds have made Pennsylvania a critical must-win for both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Bob Casey and Dave McCormick are neck and neck in the state's senate race. The winner could swing the balance of power in the US Senate.

Polls across the state opened at 7:00 am and it didn't take long for problems to start popping up.

ABC Affiliate WTAE in Pittsburgh reported an election judge did not arrive on time in the Lincoln Place neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Polling location in Lincoln Place opens late when election judge doesn’t arrive on time | Click on the image to read the full story https://t.co/GYaUEttm2N
— WTAE-TV Pittsburgh (@WTAE) November 5, 2024

The story explains.

The District 31, Precinct 3 polling place on Muldowney Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln Place neighborhood opened late Tuesday when the election judge did not arrive.
workers did not have the supplies needed to open up the site.

A fill-in judge was brought in and the polling station was up and running by 8:15 am. It isn't clear why the original election judge didn't show.

In Cambria County, a much larger problem has occurred. A software malfunction is preventing scanners from counting voter's ballots.

Several election ballot scanners are currently inoperative at multiple polling locations in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of State said that it is in contact with officials in Cambria County to resolve the technical issues.

Read More: https://t.co/HmLc5CSGNS pic.twitter.com/YihVKKes69
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) November 5, 2024

The PA State Department has been working on the issue.

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. We are working with the County to resolve this…
— PA Department of State (@PAStateDept) November 5, 2024

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. We are working with the County to resolve this technical matter and remain committed to ensuring a free, fair, safe, and secure election.

Voters in Cambria are filling out paper ballots while the issue is being worked on. The state has extended voting hours in the county because of delays this situation has caused.

A court order has extended polling place hours in Cambria County until 10 p.m. tonight. Voters in line before 8 p.m. will be able to vote on the county’s regular voting system. Voters who get in line after 8 p.m. will vote by provisional ballot. Polls in all other counties will…
— PA Department of State (@PAStateDept) November 5, 2024

A court order has extended polling place hours in Cambria County until 10 p.m. tonight. Voters in line before 8 p.m. will be able to vote on the county’s regular voting system. Voters who get in line after 8 p.m. will vote by provisional ballot. Polls in all other counties will still close at 8 p.m., and those counties may begin reporting their unofficial results at that time.

Cambria has been the epicenter of the software malfunction of the ballot scanners. The PA Department of State has been busy with other areas as well. A much more isolated issue with the state's voting apparatus has occurred in Luzerne County. Laflin Borough will have voting hours extended as well.

A court order has extended polling place hours in Laflin Borough (Luzerne County) until 9:30 p.m. tonight. Voters in line before 8 p.m. will be able to vote on the county’s regular voting system. Voters who get in line after 8 p.m. will vote by provisional ballot.

Polls in all…
— PA Department of State (@PAStateDept) November 5, 2024

Meanwhile, in Erie County, an unknown number of voters have not received their requested mail-in ballots.

ERIE COUNTY:

Any voter who has not yet received their mail ballot, you have a couple options available to you. You can either:

A: Go to the Election Office at the County Courthouse and request a replacement mail ballot. You can complete the ballot there and return it…
— PA Department of State (@PAStateDept) November 3, 2024

Instructions for voters who have not received their mail-in ballot.

Any voter who has not yet received their mail ballot, you have a couple options available to you. You can either: A: Go to the Election Office at the County Courthouse and request a replacement mail ballot. You can complete the ballot there and return it immediately. The office is open today until 4PM and tomorrow from 8AM to 6PM. B: Go to your polling place on Election Day and vote by provisional ballot. We're working closely with Erie County to ensure every voter is able to vote. If you need more info, contact the County directly at 814-451-6275

As you might expect confidence in the system is a bit shaken.

Your incompetence has no bounds and you have no soul. @GovernorShapiro @PAGOP
— Daniel Lacinski (@DanielLacinski) November 5, 2024

Look, we get it. It's frustrating. Especially after the debacle that was 2020. But we can't stress this enough, no matter how frustrated you are, you have to get out there and vote.