Software Issue Disrupts Voting in Pennsylvania County, Court Extends Polling Hours

Voters in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, experienced delays and disruptions at the polls on Tuesday due to a software issue with the county's new voting machines.

The issue, which affected all 230 precincts in the county, caused some voters to wait in line for hours to cast their ballots.

"This is a major inconvenience for voters who have already had to deal with long lines and other issues on Election Day," said Witold Walczak, the county's director of elections.

The problems began early Tuesday morning when poll workers discovered that the new voting machines were not communicating properly with the central computer system.

Poll workers were forced to use backup paper ballots at some polling places.

In response to the delays, a federal court extended polling hours in the county until 10 p.m. ET.

The court order applies to all 230 precincts in the county.

Voters who are still in line at 8 p.m. ET will be allowed to cast their ballots.

Walczak said that the county is working to resolve the software issue as quickly as possible.

He said that he expects all polling places to be fully operational by the end of the day.

The software issue is the latest in a series of problems that have plagued the county's new voting machines.

Earlier this year, the county was forced to delay the implementation of the new machines after they failed to meet state certification standards.

Despite the problems, Walczak said that he is confident that the new voting machines will provide a more secure and efficient voting experience for voters in the long run.

He said that the county is committed to resolving the current issues and ensuring that all voters are able to cast their ballots on Election Day.