Voting Problems Across the Region

All day we've been telling you about voting problems in Philly and South Jersey,  but voting problems have spread across the region.

As of 8:00 pm, West Chester University students have been seeing up to a 3 hour wait all day, according to NBC 10's Lu Ann Cahn. Also, judges were brought in because some students may have been asked to show identification when it wasn't necessary.

Pennsylvania is turning into one of the major voting problem hot spots of this election according to Election Protection, the nation's largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition.

The Coalition has taken hundreds of calls from voters. Most of the calls were to report major obstacles to casting their ballot in polling locations across the state.

Some voters are complaining that machines are broken and they are having difficulties accessing the paper ballots they were promised.

Before noon, there were problems reported at about 10 precincts, but Zach Stalberg from Committee of Seventy says most of the problems have settled down since then. 

NBC 10’s Kristen Welker spoke with the District Attorney’s office about problems at the polls. They say there are no reports of voter intimidation anywhere in the city.

But video that has surfaced online seems to suggest something different.

They have gotten 24 reports of minor problems at the polls but that's down from 2004 when at this point in the day they had 49 complaints.

NBC 10 Investigative Reporter Harry Hairston is also tracking problems in the polls.

He has visited two of the above locations -- Precinct 5, Urban Defense League and 12th and Cambria.  Hairston found no problems for voters at those locations.

He did find discrepancies with voter registration at 47th and Walnut in West Philadelphia.

One person trying to vote at Lincoln University told NBC they have been in line for 5 long hours.

A voter in the Rhawnhurst section of Philadelphia says not only was her polling place changed, but when she arrived at the new location it was very difficult to find... and the fact that the poll had no sign on the outside did not help.

The Burlington County, N.J. election board says mechanics were dispatched to the Pennypacker Park Elementary School on Pinetree Lane in Willingboro after several machines broke down.

Voters in the Bensalem, Pa. area were given an extra hour to vote at Cecilia Snyder School where a gas leaked forced an earlier evacuation.

In the interim, emergency paper ballots were handed out to those voters waiting in long lines.

Let us know about any problems you are having at the polls. Shoot us an email at atam@nbc.com.

No matter what, voting rights experts are urging everyone to be patient and report all instances of voter intimidation and disenfranchisement.

Voters who want to report a problem at the polls can call 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683).

You can also use Twitter to report a problem at the polls by sending a text message from your cell phone.

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