Election Day Chaos: Lines More Than 3 Hours After NJ County Rolls Out New Voting Machines

Frustrated voters in Burlington County waited in lines for up to three hours or more on Election Day after a new advanced voting machine system purchased earlier this year apparently couldn’t keep up with the number of people wanting to vote.

County officials did not reveal exactly what caused the problem, but attributed it in part to very high voter turnout.

The delays started earlier in the day and then extended into the evening. Marie Powell said she spent more than three hours on line to vote at the Mount Laurel EMS station.

“We started at 10 in the morning. It was very, very slow,” she said. “I didn’t know it would be like this. The woman in front of me was eight months pregnant, there were people with small children, there were elderly people sitting on the floor, it was terrible.”

With time on her hands, she began to see how long it took each person to use the machine, she said.

Each lasted between four and 10 minutes.

“People obviously didn’t know how to operate the new voting machines,” she complained.

Burlington acquired a new batch of votes the March machines that officials boasted were simple to use, safe and more reliable than the county’s old machines.

County spokesman Dave Levinsky acknowledged they are experiencing “what could be a record turnout in Burlington County, potentially surpassing the 80 percent turnout seen in the 2008 general election, when more than 224,000 voters from Burlington County’.

During that election, there were also very long lines and waits at many locations in Burlington County when the new machines were put into operation for the first time. But now they have many more registered voters in the county, he said.

Levinsky acknowledged, however, that social media reports of two-and-a-half-hour delays “may be accurate.”

The issues could delay a count to determine the state winner US Senate Race between Rep. Democratic USA. Andy Kim and republican Curtis Bashawa hotel developer and first-time candidate who are both vying to replace Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat who held the seat since 2006 before resigning after being convicted on federal corruption charges.

Powell said he watched county training videos ahead of time, which were promoted by the county so people could see how the machines worked before coming to vote.

Her husband, Stephen Powell, lined up to vote at the same location at 4:30 p.m. He was on the phone with a reporter when he finally got into the building for his turn to sign in at 6:27 p.m. And then, he had to wait his turn to turn on the device.

“I think this whole thing is discouraging people from voting,” he said. “We’ve been in Mouth Laurel for more than 40 years and we’ve never seen anything like this.”

He noted that people online were kind, allowing those with physical disabilities to get ahead of other voters.

“Thank God it’s not raining,” he said. “I don’t know why it’s so late,” she remarked.

His wife, a registered Republican, said she voted for Trump.

“It’s the economy. I think that’s No. 1,” she said. “What about morals? Everyone has their choices. If people can’t afford food or houses, nothing else matters.”

Long lines were not universal, but were reported on social media in Mansfield Township, Marlton, Mount Laurel, Medford, Lakes Medford and Westhampton.

Levinsky said anyone in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote, and he encouraged voters who may still be in line at 8 p.m. not to leave because they will be allowed to vote.

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Karin Price Mueller can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow X at @KPMueller.

Matthew Enuco can be reached at [email protected]. Follow Matt on X