Poll Machine Issues Reported In South Jersey On Election Day

SOUTH JERSEY - While the state is primarily running the general election via mail and drop boxes this year due to the ongoing pandemic, reports of voter intimidation and poll machine technical troubles popped up in South Jersey and elsewhere early Tuesday morning.

As initially reported by USA Today reporter Swapna Venugopal, voters at Emanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pleasantville were told they could not be registered with new polling touchscreen tablets.

Hey @westchestergov my polling location in Pleasantville has no working voting machines at the moment. How is this possible?
— Gabe "The Frightmeister" Pinto (@Gabe_Pinto) November 3, 2020

At 6 a.m., approximately 40 residents were allegedly told to come back a few hours later due to the technical trouble. Most of the voters returned around 9:30 a.m. and were able to cast their votes.

At Leeds Avenue School in Pleasantville, a voter reported a man standing at the entrance, intimidating Spanish speaking voters to "vote the right way”.

“We had the wrong equipment. We didn't have what we needed to open the poles for two hours. There were so many people lined up, waiting in the dark,” said Abi Wright, a poll worker at the site. “We called the Board of Elections a couple of times to get the right poll pads.” pic.twitter.com/USG5Diwkqq
— Swapna Venugopal (@SwapnaVenugopal) November 3, 2020

Related: Unopen Polling Sites, Long Lines In North Jersey On Election Day

In Millville, an individual reported poll workers telling all disables people at a polling station that they had to wait for a Board of Elections member to check if they are qualified to vote. The individual reported waiting an hour before being told to return to the polling site later in the day.

This story was produced with the help of tips reported through ProPublica's Electionland project. If you experience or witness a problem voting, please let us know.

Patch is partnering with ProPublica's Electionland project to report on problems voters encounter at the polls on Nov. 3 and we want to know if you see any shenanigans. Here's how you can report what you see to Electionland:

• SMS: Text the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 81380 (standard text message rates apply).
• WhatsApp: Send the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 850-909-8683.
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