Minor voting problems, security heightened in New York City
NEW YORK (WABC) -- In Queens, it took some people a little extra time, and work, to get their election sticker. From Kew Gardens to Flushing to Little Neck, some voters did not have a smooth process submitting their ballots on Tuesday.
Some have had to submit the paper ballots repeatedly, over and over again, up to 20 times.
Eyewitness News is still working to find out why it's happening, and why it appears to be isolated to that area.
A handful of people who showed up to vote P.S. 94 in Little Neck had trouble scanning their ballots on Tuesday morning.
Election workers told Eyewitness News reporter Dan Krauth after numerous technicians showed up, they fixed the problem.
It's a problem that has happened at numerous polling locations throughout Queens.
In Whitestone a councilmember urged voters to stay in line.
The widespread issue in the borough caused the NYC Board of Elections to send technicians to all 290 polling sites to inspect the machines.
Many voters were relieved to learn most of the issues were quickly resolved when they showed up to cast their ballots.
In a statement, the election board said in part, "voters have not been impacted beyond additional attempts to scan their ballot or have it placed in the emergency bin as is protocol. We want to assure the public any ballot cast will be counted."
Security is high at polling places across New York City.
The FBI says more than 2,000 threats have been made to election workers nationwide but there are no major threats against voters or election workers in the Tri-State area.
Two NYPD officers are stationed at every polling location in New York City.
Officers have been instructed to remain vigilant and on the lookout for election disruptions or violence.
Outside of the city, each local county board of elections has been coordinating security plans with law enforcement.
The Commissioner of the New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Jackie Bray said polling systems have been tested and anti-virus software has been installed.
"I really feel confident that we're not going to see violence at our polls," Bray said. "I want New Yorkers to know that if there is any disruption at the polling locations that people are ready to respond. We've got two operation centers up and running, we'll be monitoring things statewide."
Authorities are asking anyone who spots a problem to report it to 311 or to your local county board of elections.
RELATED | Voter guide 2024: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut
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