{"id":2364610,"date":"2024-11-05T20:21:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T01:21:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-pa-counties-extend-voting-hours-after-problems-at-polls\/"},"modified":"2024-11-05T20:22:14","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T01:22:14","slug":"two-pa-counties-extend-voting-hours-after-problems-at-polls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-pa-counties-extend-voting-hours-after-problems-at-polls\/","title":{"rendered":"Two PA Counties Extend Voting Hours After Problems At Polls"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftwo-pa-counties-extend-voting-hours-after-problems-at-polls%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2364610&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>On Election Day in Pennsylvania, polling opened late in Laflin Borough, Luzerne County, at 8:30 a.m., an hour and a half \u200dafter scheduled. The Luzerne County Board of Elections sought court approval \u2063to\u2063 extend polling hours, which \u2062was granted, \u2064allowing voting to \u2064continue until 9:30\u2064 p.m. The Luzerne\u2062 County Democrat and state Republican \u2064parties supported this request. The late\u2064 opening was attributed to the failure of election officers to timely open the location.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Cambria County faced its own \u2064voting issues due to a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">malfunctioning electronic voting system<\/a>, leading to long lines and some voters leaving without casting their\u2062 ballots. The court extended voting hours in Cambria until\u2063 10\u200b p.m., but votes cast after 8 p.m. would be provisional as the county resolved the technical difficulties. The Pennsylvania Department of State was \u2063in communication with county\u200c officials to address these issues.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Polls opened at 7 a.m. on Election Day in Pennsylvania, but not in Laflin Borough, in Luzerne County. The polls there opened at 8:30, an hour and a half late.<\/p>\n<p>In response, the Luzerne County Board of Elections went to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leader-of-tiny-indian-fishing-village-asks-court-to-allow-him-and-600-followers-to-commit-suicide\/\" title=\"Leader Of Tiny Indian Fishing Village Asks Court To Allow Him And 600 Followers To Commit Suicide\">court seeking permission<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-house-passes-omnibus-election-reform-bill\/\" title=\"Georgia House Passes Omnibus Election Reform Bill\">extend voting hours<\/a> in Laflin, which is near Wilkes-Barre. The court agreed to the extension and ordered the polling place to be open for 90 extra minutes, closing at 9:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>The Luzerne County Democrat party and the state Republican Party joined the county in requesting an extension.<\/p>\n<p>The court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pacourts.us\/Storage\/media\/pdfs\/20241105\/193059-images-2024-11-05t141317.043.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filing<\/a> did not explain why the polling place opened late, saying only that the Board of Elections learned that &ldquo;election officers failed to timely open the polling location in Laughlin which resulted in delays in the process of voting.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>Local television WNEP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wnep.com\/article\/news\/local\/luzerne-county\/polling-issues-in-luzerne-county-lafflin-borough-st-maria-goretti-church-hall-judge-of-elections-scanner-poll-workers\/523-879c2441-3f2f-4327-8315-c399e2cc7ffe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> that the judge of elections arrived late and when the poll did finally open, workers could not open the ballot scanner, leaving the first voters to vote by paper. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Bad Ballots<\/h2>\n<p>Voting was extended in Cambria <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/05\/ballot-scanners-stop-working-in-deep-red-pa-county-cause-unacceptable-delays\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">County<\/a> too, after the electronic voting system software <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jamdalu\/status\/1853802123625898048\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">malfunctioned<\/a>. This caused long lines, and some voters left before voting.<\/p>\n<p>According to Cambria&rsquo;s court filing to request extended voting hours, the system was down for hours and was not functioning by the time the county <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pacourts.us\/Storage\/media\/pdfs\/20241105\/155407-11-05-24petitionforemergencyrelief2024-4706.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filed<\/a> the request for more time.<\/p>\n<p>The court agreed to extend voting until 10 p.m., but after 8 p.m. in Cambria, all votes <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PAStateDept\/status\/1853855242724757734\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">will be provisional<\/a>. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">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&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; PA Department of State (@PAStateDept) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PAStateDept\/status\/1853810980414697806?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 5, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Late in the day, a county official <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/watch\/?v=1146275710348468&amp;rdid=WqgTOpOiEm1hGH1f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> that the problem was a code on the side of the ballot that the scanner would not read. The county dispersed new ballots to polling locations, and voting was expected to proceed normally, according to a statement Cambria County issued.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Those individuals who have already voted please be assured that said ballots are secured,&rdquo; the statement said. &ldquo;The Election Board has taken emergency protocols to safeguard that certified individuals have followed the chain of custody to ensure each vote is secured and will be counted.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The ballots that were cast but could not be scanned will be kept in a lock box and will be counted by hand, a county official said.<\/p>\n<p>Election Day got off to a rough start in other Pennsylvania counties, as Republican poll observers were <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/05\/republican-poll-watchers-blocked-from-duty-in-multiple-pennsylvania-counties\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">turned away<\/a> from polling places in Philadelphia, York, Westmoreland, Allegheny, Lehigh, Cambria, Wyoming, and Lackawanna counties. The Republican National Committee intervened, and ultimately the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-poll-watchers-blocked-in-pennsylvania-counties\/\" title=\"Republican Poll Watchers Blocked In Pennsylvania Counties\">court-appointed poll watchers<\/a> were allowed to observe. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Battleground Pennsylvania has 19 coveted electoral votes and has been the focus of intense campaigning from both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n<p>The state also has a possibility of flipping a U.S. Senate seat, held for three terms by Democrat Bob Casey Jr., who is being challenged by Republican Dave McCormick.<\/p>\n<p>The Pennsylvania Department of State has been preparing voters for weeks not to expect results on election night.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lara-logan-challenges-media-to-ask-certain-questions-about-afghanistan\/\" title=\"Lara Logan Challenges Media To Ask Certain Questions About Afghanistan\">award-winning investigative journalist<\/a> with decades of media experience.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Polls in Laflin Borough opened late at 8:30 a.m. on Election Day<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":2364611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Election-Day-5.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[6571,44431,5836,44430,4351],"class_list":["post-2364610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-elections","tag-extended-hours","tag-pennsylvania","tag-polling-issues","tag-voting"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Election-Day-5.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2364610"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2364614,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364610\/revisions\/2364614"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2364611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2364610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2364610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2364610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}