At least 12 U.S. states were seeing problems with voting machines according to an election watchdog, Reuters reports<\/a>: \u2018A U.S. Department of Homeland Security official told reporters the agency had received reports of \u201csparse\u201d voting technology failures, but said that so far they appeared to have had no significant impact in preventing people from voting. Broken voting machines were reported in at least 12 states by noon (1700 GMT) on Tuesday, according to an \u201celection protection\u201d coalition of more than 100 groups that set up a national hotline for reporting irregularities.\u2019<\/p>\n In one Atlanta, Georgia<\/strong> precinct, voting was delayed for hundreds because a lack of power cords in the Old Fourth Ward<\/a> meant voting machines couldn\u2019t operate.<\/p>\n Said one man<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cElection day started an hour ago in my neighborhood and we don\u2019t have cords to plug in the voting machines.\u00a0We all knew that voting was today and only in my neighborhood people are waiting an hour after the polls open to vote. And [election officials] are saying that we don\u2019t have power cords.\u00a0The building is full of power, no power cords.\u00a0All of these dedicated people waiting to vote. This is what we call<\/a> voter suppression. This is what we go through to vote.\u201d<\/p>\n Happen to know anybody who could do this in Georgia? no voting at my dads polling site pic.twitter.com\/zEyQmXwEq2<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 DG911 2lite (@_2lite) November 6, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In Gwinnett County, Georgia<\/strong>, hundreds stood in line after voting machines went down at one polling place, the AJC reports<\/a>: \u201cAt least one Gwinnett County voting precinct will be open later than usual Tuesday following technical issues that\u00a0caused long lines<\/a>\u00a0and forced many voter to resort to paper ballots.\u00a0 The Annistown Elementary School precinct near Snellville \u2014 one of four Gwinnett voting sites that had prolonged issues with the electronic ExpressPoll system \u2014 will remain open until 7:25 p.m., officials confirmed.\u00a0Polls typically close at 7 p.m. Gwinnett County spokesman Joe Sorenson said the extra 25 minutes were added because poll workers did not immediately start issuing paper ballots after they noticed the issues. \u201d<\/p>\n Polling machines down in Gwinnett County and volunteers say they\u2019ve never experienced this before. Ballot card machines aren\u2019t working. We\u2019ve been offered paper ballots. Majority of the line has been here since 7am @CNN<\/a> @MSNBC<\/a> @cbs46<\/a> @11AliveNews<\/a> @wsbtv<\/a> @FOX5Atlanta<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/VpxhnwdbHM<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ontaria (@ria_2x) November 6, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In Detroit, Michigan<\/strong>, voters were turned away because the voting machines were locked in a closet<\/a>: \u201cSimply put, some voters were turned away while others were unable to vote for an hour and a half. Chris Morris said he showed up to find election workers struggling to find a voting machine. Officials said there was a miscommunication about where the machine was located in the school. After learning it was in a locked closet, workers said they were left with no key to open the door.Voters say they were initially told to go to the precinct across the street, though that was incorrect information.\u201d<\/p>\n In Brooklyn, New York,<\/strong> all but one machine broke down at one precinct with more than 300 in line:<\/p>\n At my voting location in Brooklyn they just announced that only ONE MACHINE is working. 300 of us in line. <\/p>\n Two people just left and said they couldn\u2019t wait. <\/p>\n This is ridiculous.<\/p>\n \u2014 Shaun King (@shaunking) November 6, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n People are leaving because it\u2019s a 2 hour wait at PS 316 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. <\/p>\n \u201cSome machines are broken and it\u2019s extremely crowded.\u201d #ElectionDay<\/a> @WNYC<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/fUCsEOq1Wc<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jennifer Hsu (@jennhsu) November 6, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Elsewhere in New York City<\/strong> and North Carolina<\/strong> soggy ballots were causing problems, Politico reports<\/a>: \u2018\u201dWet ballots \u2013 caused by people waiting in the rain \u2013 are causing scanners to malfunction at my poll site (208 W 13). All scanners are down except one,\u201d Johnson tweeted, tagging the city\u2019s Board of Elections. \u201cThis is a predictable problem we MUST fix and plan for next time!\u201d Machines in several precincts in North Carolina also failed to read ballots due to high humidity in some polling places, the Raleigh-based newspaper News and Observer reported. Gary Sims, Board of Elections director for Wake County, which includes Raleigh, said 15 precincts reported issues earlier in the day and that eight were still being resolved, the newspaper reported.\u2019<\/p>\n Wet ballots \u2013 caused by people waiting in the rain \u2013 are causing scanners to malfunction at my poll site (208 W 13). All scanners are down except one. <\/p>\n This is a predictable problem we MUST fix and plan for next time! @BOENYC<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/r1FiJwewZD<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) November 6, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In Palm Bay, Florida<\/strong>, a gunman shut down a polling place for a brief time<\/a>: \u201cElections officials briefly locked down a voting precinct Tuesday morning after a report of a man<\/a> sitting in his car with a gun in his lap at a nearby library, police said. The incident was reported at the Tony Rosa Community Center in the 1500 block of Port Malabar Road, about a mile east of Babcock Street, about 9 a.m., police said. As of 9:40 a.m, the precinct was reopened.\u201d<\/p>\n \ufeff<\/span><\/p>\n In Washington County, Pennsylvania<\/strong>, a man<\/a> was arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot up a polling place, WPXI reports<\/a>: \u2018Christopher Queen allegedly arrived at the South Franklin Fire Hall just after\u00a08\u00a0a.m. and told workers he was promised a gun and money if he voted \u201cstraight party,\u201d poll workers told Channel 11.\u00a0Poll workers say he became angry when they told him he wasn\u2019t registered to vote and allegedly threatened to come back shooting, according to a criminal complaint. Queen has been charged with felony terroristic threats.\u2019<\/p>\n In Houston<\/strong>, a poll worker reportedly lobbed racist insults at a voter after questioning her residency<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wrote Rolanda Anthony on Facebook: \u201d\u00a0I\u2019ve just had to call<\/a> the sheriff\u2019s at my voting location. I was racially profiled and disrespected, then threatened by a white lady<\/a> working at the CHURCH where I\u2019m voting. This lady<\/a> questioned my residency. When I explained that the address is completely correct, she told them to check it again because it couldn\u2019t be. When I finally challenged her she declared, maybe if I wore my black face make up today you\u2019d be able to understand me. After her atrocious statement I walked away, she was relentless she followed me throughout the voting location and got in my face not one but two times finally I had enough and said I\u2019m calling the police. She had the audacity to say I\u2019m white they\u2019ll arrest you and charge you with a crime not me, haven\u2019t you seen the news. Her name is Juanita Barnes and she\u2019s the assistant election judge in Harris county precinct 1012. I\u2019m currently awaiting the arrival of Harris county sheriff\u2019s deputies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \ufeff<\/span><\/p>\n What was your voting experience like? Feel free to post any problematic reports in the comments.<\/p>\n The post Voting Issues: A Round-up of Reports from Around the Country \u2013 Gun Threats, Breakdowns, Racial Slurs, More<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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