RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The head of Virginia’s Department of Elections says complaints about problems at the polls have so far not been any greater than in previous years.
Department of Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortes said at a news conference Tuesday evening that among the “isolated issues” were long lines in Richmond, Chesapeake, Prince William, Spotsylvania and Staunton. He says elections officials are monitoring the lines and reminds voters that anyone in line by the time polls close at 7 p.m. will be able to vote.
Cortes says several precincts in northern Virginia’s Fairfax County didn’t properly load their electronic poll book data, so some people who likely were registered weren’t showing up. He says those people were given provisional ballots and the elections office will work quickly to process them.
He says the department also got complaints from some voters who had registered at Department of Motor Vehicle offices but weren’t on the rolls. Cortes says that happens every election and an audit process is in place to confirm who registered and process their provisional ballots.
