CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. — Update, 11:41 a.m.: The Cambria County Court of Common Pleas granted the Board of Elections' petition to keep polls in the county open until 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Any votes cast after 8 p.m. Tuesday will be cast by provisional ballot, the court determined.
Previously
The Cambria County Board of Elections on Tuesday petitioned to keep its polling locations open for two extra hours on Election Day, citing a software issue with the Electronic Voting System.
The central Pennsylvania county's solicitor petitioned the Cambria County Court of Common Pleas Tuesday morning, claiming the issue prevented voters from scanning their completed ballots.
As a result, solicitor Ronald N. Repak said in his petition, was long lines and voter confusion. Several voters left their polling locations without casting a ballot, which threatens "to disenfranchise a significant number of voters in Cambria County."
The county Board of Elections was unable to fix the EVS system in a timely manner, resulting in hours of delay in the proper operation of the EVS. As of 9:30 a.m., the issue had not yet been corrected, Repak wrote.
The Board's petition asked the court to order affected polling locations to remain open until 10 p.m., along with any other relief deemed appropriate by the Court.
The Pennsylvania Department of State said on X that it is working with Cambria County officials to address the issue.
"The Department of State is in contact with county officials in Cambria County," the post said. "Voters are continuing to vote by paper ballot, in accordance with normal operations, while the county resolves the issue with in-precinct scanning. We are working with the County to resolve this technical matter and remain committed to ensuring a free, fair, safe, and secure election."