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Where do polling stations stay open late? See extended voting hours

Where do polling stations stay open late? See extended voting hours

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See which counties in which states are extending hours on various issues that came up as voters cast their ballots Tuesday

It wouldn't be Election Day without some typical polling place issues, but polling precincts that experienced significant disruptions or delays may stay open longer than planned to make up for lost time.

From bomb threats that officials suspect came from Russia to software glitches, the problems may have caused lines to be longer than usual or polls to be closed altogether for some time.

The earliest polls nationwide close at 7 p.m. local time, and voting extensions have so far taken between 20 minutes and two hours. In any case, counting ballots in the key swing states of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin could take days.

Here are the states that are keeping some polling places open late for the 2024 general election:

Pennsylvania

Voting in Cambria County, east of Pittsburgh, will remain open until 10 p.m. Tuesday, two hours later than usual. The county's voting software had problems that forced polling places to switch to paper ballots, slowing the process and leading to long lines. The latest figures from the US Census Bureau show that the county has a population of around 133,000.

According to WGAL-TV, a polling station in Lucerne County will remain open until 9:30 p.m. after opening late Tuesday morning. The county, just outside Scranton, has a population of about 327,000 people.

Georgia

Some districts in Fulton and Gwinnett counties will remain open 20 to 40 minutes longer in the morning due to apparent Russian bomb threats. Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, has a population of more than 1 million people, while Gwinnett County, located in suburban Atlanta, has a population of nearly 1 million people.

According to Atlanta First News, two polling places in Cobb County will also remain open for 20 minutes due to technical issues that delayed opening. Cobb County, also in the Atlanta metropolitan area, has a population of approximately 777,000.

The usual closing time for polls in the state is 7:00 p.m. ET.

North Carolina

In Wilson County, poll workers had printing problems for more than an hour in the morning. In Burke County, a polling place experienced problems with a laptop, causing delays. Wilson County, east of Raleigh, has about 79,000 residents, and Burke County, about halfway between Asheville and Charlotte, has about 88,000 residents.

Voting was extended by 30 minutes at both polling stations, the North Carolina State Board of Elections decided Tuesday.

Polls in the state typically close at 7:30 p.m., and those who vote at affected locations between that time and 8 p.m. will use provisional ballots.

Alabama

In St. Clair County, polls will remain open for two hours longer, until 9 p.m. local time. The ballots were misprinted without allowing residents to vote on two amendments. St. Claire County in central Alabama has a population of just under 100,000.

Featuring: Aysha Bagchi, Patrick O'Shea, Sarah Gleason; USA TODAY Network

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