2 GOP Pa. Counties Report Widespread Voting Problems

Widespread voting problems on Election Day have been confirmed by officials in two largely Republican counties in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, according to the New York Post.

In Cambria and Bedford counties, which former President Donald Trump won in 2020 with 68% and 83% of the vote, respectively, officials said a software problem caused issues with scanning ballots.

"The Cambria County Board of Election learned early this morning that a software malfunction in the County’s Electronic Voting System has prevented voters from scanning their ballots,” Cambria County Solicitor Ron Repak said in a statement.

"This should not discourage voters from voting at their voting precincts," he added. "The Board has filed a Court Order extending the time to vote within Cambria County."

A GOP source told the Post the court order seeks to extend the voting time two hours past the 8 p.m. deadline for the state.

Newsmax correspondent Alex Salvi reported on X that the order was granted and voting in Cambria County has been extended to 10 p.m. ET.

Nathan Anderson, an IT specialist from Cambria’s largest city of Johnstown, told the Post  he had problems when he went to cast his ballot for Trump Tuesday morning.

While a poll worker secured his ballot in a lock box until it can be scanned, Anderson said he was not sure if his vote will ever be counted.

"I was able to turn in my ballot, whether or not it gets scanned, I'll never know to be honest," he said.

Anderson added there were other people at his voting site who had to leave their ballots with poll workers to be scanned at a later time.

Anticipating possible issues on Election Day, Anderson's wife, Jessie, told the Post she voted early Oct. 29.

"I've never voted early, voted by mail, but Trump kept putting it out there. Make it too big to rig," she said, quoting the former president.

In a statement, the Pennsylvania Department of State said it is aware of the voting issues in Cambria County and is working to correct them with local officials.

"Voters are continuing to vote by paper ballot, in accordance with normal operations, while the county resolves the issue with in-precinct scanning," the department said. "We are working with the county to resolve this technical matter and remain committed to ensuring a free, fair, safe, and secure election."

In Bedford County, a similar issue is occurring with the voting machines, according to the Post, and officials there say they are working to quickly fix the problem.

According to the local Election Board, all ballots cast in the county will remain in a lock box until they are able to be tallied.

Blair, Somerset and Clearfield counties in the state are also reportedly having problems with voting machines but those reports have not yet been confirmed.

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