UPDATE as of 5:40 p.m. :
CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) -- During a news conference held at the Cambria County Courthouse Rotunda, officials noted that the issues surrounding the polls were with the ballot themselves, not a software error. As a result, sheriff deputies had to be sent to Pittsburgh to pick up the ballots and return them to Cambria County.
Poll locations across the county will remain open until 10 p.m., instead of 8 p.m., as a way to ensure all voters can cast their ballots.
ORIGINAL STORY:
CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) -- Poll issues reached across Cambria County Tuesday morning, prompting commissioners to file to keep polls open until 10 p.m. instead of the statewide 8 p.m.
Just before 11 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 5, Cambria County filed an emergency request to extend poll location hours.
While various issues were reported around Central Pennsylvania, Cambria County took a county-wide hit when the machines wouldn't scan the ballots due to a software issue, commissioners said.
This prompted workers to have people put their ballots in a lock box to be scanned later or to come back later that day.
Cambria County commissioners announced in a follow-up release that locations will be open until 10 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. and that voters are encouraged to vote at their polling locations.
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Commissioners said the following in a release:
"We have received word that ballots have been dispersed to polling locations to allow ballots to be processed through the voting machines. Those individuals who have already voted please be assured that said ballots are secured. The Election Board has taken emergency protocols to safeguard that certified individuals have followed the chain of custody to ensure each vote is secured and will be counted."
Stick with WTAJ on-air and online as we continue to update this story when we know more from the commissioner's request.
