Voting machine problems reported in many US states

People in numerous states in the US reported problems voting due to faulty machines, media reports said.

Paper poll books were being used on Tuesday, heavily in Democratic Durham County, North Carolina, after a software glitch mistakenly showed that some voters had already cast their ballots, New York Daily News reported.

North Carolina Board of Elections lawyer Josh Lawson said that no "nefarious activity" was detected and it was likely due to the system not being cleared out from the primaries in the hotly contested battleground.

Voters in Colorado received provisional ballots after officials reported computer problems state-wide, though Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams said that the system was back online after 29 minutes.

In Utah, voting machine problems in Washington County forced poll workers to use paper ballots, with some residents sent to alternate voting locations.

In Texas, a computer used by election clerks malfunctioned at a polling place, so officials briefly diverted voters to another polling place more than two miles away.

In Louisiana, some early voters were forced to wait as correct machines were installed.

In Georgia, one voter reported that "half the machines" were down at one location. Two polling places in Gwinnett County opened late, officials told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Machine issues were also reported by voters in Rahway, New Jersey, as well as Philadelphia.

Additionally, a fight was reported at a polling location in Jupiter, Florida with a woman allegedly pepper-spraying a man.

--IANS

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