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Burlington County officials to investigate instances of long lines at polling places

The county announced Tuesday morning that several sites had experienced technical issues.

Sarah Goode

Nov 6, 2024, 10:53 PM

Updated 28 days ago

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While New Jersey had record-breaking early voting numbers, many came out to vote on Election Day. Some residents were met with hours-long delays – particularly in Burlington County.
The county announced Tuesday morning that several sites had experienced technical issues. They said they received support and the issues had been resolved.
“We had heard earlier in the day about voter machine issues in Burlington County and certainly the development of long lines which followed,” said Attorney General Matt Platkin.
The attorney general stayed in touch with election officials about the situation.
“We were talking to folks on the ground. We were monitoring the polling sites ourselves and then working, attempting to work with the county to try to resolve it," said Platkin.
The attorney general filed a lawsuit asking a judge to extend polling by one hour. By 8:40 p.m., Burlington County posted on Facebook that the polls would stay open until 9 p.m.
One voter in Burlington Township told News 12 that he tried to vote at 2 p.m. to beat the after-work rush.
“I got there at 2 p.m. Me and my father went. The line was already taking up approximately three hours,” said Asim Ali.
He says he tried again in the evening after work and was the last to vote at his polling place.
In a statement, the board of county commissioners said it supports a review of the issues.
“The long lines and waits at the polls yesterday were unacceptable and Burlington County will take whatever action is needed to ensure that the situation does not repeat itself in future elections, regardless of the turnout,” a spokesperson for the Board of County Commissioners wrote.