Polls in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, have been instructed to remain open until 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday night, following problems with voters’ ballots that have apparently caused delays, dismay, and last-minute errand runs by poll workers. Republican Jim Bognet, one of the candidates on the ballot in Luzerne County, is urging “anyone who was turned away from the polls” to head back to the polls and “get their vote recorded.”
A judge has ruled that polling locations in Luzerne County should stay open until 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday due to problems with ballots at several polling places, according to a report by WNEP.
Voters in the county told the outlet that some of the machines ran out of paper, and election officials appear to be scrambling to address the issue.
Voters were seen waiting in line on Tuesday morning at a polling location in Harveys Lake, Pennsylvania. Some voters were reportedly instructed to fill out provisional ballots while a poll worker drove 16 miles away to Wilkes-Barre to get paper.
Similar voting problems were reported in Dorrance Township and Dallas Township.
Acting Deputy Director of Elections Emily Cook said the paper shortages were a consequence of a “perfect storm of factors,” including high voter turnout, WNEP reported.
One of the candidates on the ballot in Luzerne County includes Republican Jim Bognet, who is running against Democrat Matt Cartwright in the race for Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District.
“It’s disgraceful that Luzerne County can’t execute an election without major problems,” Bognet told Breitbart News. “That being said, Republicans are turning out in record numbers in Luzerne County.”
“We must take this opportunity to make sure that anyone who was turned away from the polls earlier due to the paper shortages gets back there this afternoon and evening, and gets their vote recorded,” Bognet added. “This election is too important to have any voter denied their right to vote, so I just encourage all voters to get back in and get their vote recorded.”
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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