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Voters in Lee-High precinct wait in long lines after machines malfunction

(Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

ROANOKE COUNTY (WSLS 10) - The Lee-High voting precinct saw unusually long lines at the polls Tuesday after a few machines malfunctioned.

Hundreds of voters waited in long lines after those technical difficulties, but the issues were fixed before 5 p.m.

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Chief election official Janet Tanner said the problem was with electronic poll books. The location had four, but first, three malfunctioned. Then the fourth, stopping the process all together.

Voters who showed up around noon were given options. They were told they could wait, go home and come back, or they were given provisional ballots.

One voter at the precinct said he went home and came back, but it was worth it to cast his vote.

"I was kind of disappointed because we had to go back to the house and we're back here now," Charles Flouty explained. "It's our right as Americans. This is a democracy or a republic so it's my duty to vote."

Tanner said technicians came to fix the problems, but it took a few hours. Lines were still long around 5:30 p.m., but they were moving.

Election officials said around half of registered voters in the precinct typically show up at the polls and they were on track to meet that number before polls closed at 7 p.m.


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Watch Rachel anchor weekdays during 10 News at 5, 5:30, 6 and 7 p.m. Rachel also specializes in health reporting and provides daily reports during HealthWatch. A Southwest Virginia native, Rachel takes pride in covering local news for the place she calls home.