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Voting machine error message to blame for delayed voting in part of Luzerne County

Newswatch 16's Jack Culkin went to Luzerne County, where voters had a slow start on Tuesday.

LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — It is election day in Pennsylvania, and voters are heading to the polls across the area to ensure their voices are heard.

But it was a slow start for voters in part of Luzerne County after computer errors shut down one polling place for roughly two hours on Tuesday morning. 

People have been coming in and out of the polling site here in West Pittston all morning.

There are three voting wards inside the building here, but voters in Ward 2 had to wait hours to fill out their ballots.

According to the Judge of Elections for West Pittston's Ward 2, an error message popped up on voting machines Tuesday morning.  

After numerous calls to the County election bureau, the judge tells us around 100 voters were given emergency ballots that had to be filled out by hand.

Unlike provisional ballots, she says emergency ballots are counted as if voting with machines.

Just after 9 a.m., workers at Ward 2 would get the machines up and run again.

The judge of elections tells us that some voters who showed up this morning but never got their mail-in ballot are filling out provisional ballots.

Some people surrendered their mail-in ballots to vote in person.

So far, Ward 2 has seen roughly 220 voters.

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