Today, after two long, dark years Americans will finally be able to head to the polls and strike a powerful blow against the cruel Trump administration and its systematic efforts to dismantle our democracy from the ground up. Unfortunately, things are not running smoothly everywhere.
In the Tri-State area around New York and New Jersey voters are experiencing multiple, disturbing problems at their polling places PIX 11 News reports.
“One scanner was completely fine, one was temporarily down but quickly fixed and the third and last scanner was not working at all as of 6:30,” explained one voter.
In Brooklyn, the Bereukelen Community Center experienced an issue that may, unfortunately, result in busy voters being unable to cast their ballots. One voter told PIX 11 that poll workers were unable to open the doors to the polling place because they didn’t have keys to get into the building. As a result, voters were instructed to return at 7 A.M., a full hour after the polls were supposed to open. In the end, firefighters had to show up and force their way inside.
@ABC7NY UPDATE: The Polling workers stated that they do not have the key to open the doors and now we have to wait til 7 to vote. The voting booth was supposed to be open at 6am. pic.twitter.com/dT9ZRueBUG
— Jay (@SwankyGT) November 6, 2018
There were numerous other voting unconfirmed problems scattered throughout the region according to countless Twitter users.
@MSNBC 6am this morning, Already problems with the ballot scannor. 1st error message ballot not readable 2nd ballot didn't drop in the box. 3rd your vote was counted.
?????????. Sunset Park Brooklyn.— Angela Velez (@AngelaMichaela) November 6, 2018
TFW it’s 12:30 and pouring rain, your poll-site is a mosh-pit, there’s a line of umbrellas down the block waiting to vote … and they’ve set up an “End of Line” sign like it’s an amusement park. Glad for the huge turnout, angry it’s 2018 and we still don’t have #EarlyVoting. pic.twitter.com/c7WUfjLk7T
— Brad Lander (@bradlander) November 6, 2018
All the ballot scanners are/have been down at multiple polling places in my district: PS130, Park Slope Armory, and Kingsboro Baptist (my poll-site, below). We’re in touch w/ @BOENYC to get them fixed as quickly as possible. https://t.co/UGkfl6gwBv
— Brad Lander (@bradlander) November 6, 2018
@NY1 scanners are broken at fort Hamilton senior center in bay ridge. Huge lines
— John Houlihan (@mullethunt) November 6, 2018
Seriously, can someone wake up @GovMurphy and have him explain why my polling place in Somerset was locked until 6:30 am and the poll workers are still setting up.
— (((DJ Curmudgeon))) (@djmrcurmudgeon) November 6, 2018
Took me about 15 minutes to vote around 2;30pm in StuyTown. It was the most people I have seen at my polling place since moving here last year. Line to scan ballots was a dozen deep. One of the two ballot scanners was not working. #IVoted #Vote2018
— Jason Isaac (@NolaNYCdrummer) November 6, 2018
People across NYC are walking out of polling stations without voting because waits are so long and scanning machines are broken. I was asked to fill out my ballot outside of a privacy booth using my own pen.
— Dana Goldstein (@DanaGoldstein) November 6, 2018
Hopefully, all of these issues are resolved in a timely fashion. No American should be denied their right to vote, and now more than ever it’s crucial that every voice is heard.