Voting machines in multiple areas across Pennsylvania have abruptly shut down, according to election officials, and one certified watcher in the county of Cambria tells The Mirror “everyone is freaking out” as watchers desperately call the fraud hotline .
“They are making people put their votes in the slot below and taking the paper ballot to tabulate later. This is an election crisis,” they said.
The incident has reportedly sent prospective voters into a conspiracy frenzy as the watcher said she saw “maybe 100” people come in and immediately turn around saying they will not vote. Even worse, some are having trouble stuffing the paper ballot into the slot. So far, two voters “spoiled” their ballots upon hearing the new instructions, which means they voted but then refused to drop the ballot into the bin.
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Election officials in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, confirm that several ballot scanners are down at multiple voting locations and are awaiting a repair technician.
Cambria County solicitor Ron Repak announced the local election board as filed to extend the voting time in response to the troubling malfunctions of machines. The Department of State is also involved, saying residents are using paper ballots to vote while the issue is being resolved via “in-precinct scanning,” the agency wrote on X.
“The Cambria County Board of Election learned early this morning that a software malfunction in the Countys Electronic Voting System has prevented voters from scanning their ballots. This should not discourage voters from voting at their voting precincts,” Repak wrote in a statement.
“The Board has filed a Court Order extending the time to vote within Cambria County. No one should be turned away from the polls if they wish to cast their vote. Cambria County Board of Elections took measures to have IT specialists called to review the software issue.” Repak added there is a procedure in place to solve the issue and “all votes will be counted.” The State Department soon doubled down on that sentiment.
“We are working with the County to resolve this technical matter and remain committed to ensuring a free, fair, safe, and secure election,” the agency wrote on X. Vice President Kamala Harris began sharing voting information on her X account soon after the news.
The swing state of Pennsylvania isn’t the only state facing polling problems. Flooding is expected to impact polling places in Jefferson County, MO, as many homeowners and roadways are impacted. Election officials across the country have put great effort into ensuring voters this year’s election will be fair and lawful as former president Donald Trump spews baseless claims that Democrats plan to cheat.
Furthermore, the US Justice Department deployed election monitors across 27 states, including Georgia and Missouri where election fraud claims ran rampant in 2020, to the disdain of Republican leaders who ultimately failed to block the agency from doing so.
Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania Secretary of State, tried to mitigate misinformation ahead of election day, telling residents to remain vigilant against misinformation. “I will make two commitments to you today. First, that Pennsylvania’s election will be free fair, safe and secure,” Schmidt said at a news conference Monday. “Second, all registered voters will have the opportunity to make their voice heard.”
On Monday, election officials were reportedly preparing for the worst and predicted misinformation would run rampant if even the smallest inconvenience were to occur at a voting center, ABC reported.