CNN Central News & Networks / ITDC India ePress / ITDC News /Agencies/ Bhopal: CNN Central News and Networks / ITDC India ePress / ITDC News / Agencies, Bhopal: Voting in the midterm elections held in the United States on November 3 was affected in several states by technical problems and bad weather. In Westchester County, New York, ballot scanner failures delayed the counting of ballots, while in eight counties in Florida, heavy rain and flooding forced some polling stations to be moved to other locations. However, officials made it clear that despite these disruptions, voters’ votes would be kept secure and counted.
In New York, scanners did not accept ballots. Machines installed at polling centres in Westchester County were unable to scan paper ballots. According to officials, the problem was linked to the thickness of the ballots and the technical setup of the machines. Voters were therefore asked to fill out their ballots and place them in special secure bags, which were to be counted later. It was feared that around 250,000 ballots could be affected by the problem.
In Florida, polling stations were changed because of flooding. Waterlogging in eight Florida counties forced changes to polling locations. Voting also started late at some places. Officials appealed to voters to check information about their new polling station before arriving.
Questions were raised over the role of the Trump administration. Opposition parties and voting rights organisations expressed concern over the role of President Donald Trump’s administration in the election process. The Justice Department deployed officials in all 50 states for election monitoring. Election officials remained alert amid fears of possible federal intervention and the seizure of voting machines. However, on polling day, no incidents emerged in line with those fears, such as the seizure of machines or deployment of armed federal forces. According to election officials, because a large number of people had taken part in early voting, the overall situation on polling day remained under control.
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