Sporadic voting glitches were reported Tuesday as polling stations across the United States braced for a record number of voters on Election Day.
As balloting commenced in succession along the Eastern seaboard and in the mid-Atlantic states, voters turned out in droves at local polling centers and lined up for a chance to cast their ballots.
Despite the fact that nearly 30 million voters have already taken advantage of early voting in the run-up to Election Day, the turnout so far remains heavier than expected.
U.S. television networks project an average turnout of between 70 and 80 percent in some central U.S. states. In Kentucky, for example, the number could be as high as 90 percent.
Some voters arrived at local polling stations even two hours before polls opened in an attempt to avoid long lines. Nevertheless, almost all Xinhua reporters touring a number of polling stations in northern Virginia and the District of Columbia witnessed long outdoor lines. In some extreme cases, voters had to wait nearly two hours in the rain.
Meanwhile, a number of voting problems, even irregularities, were reported as polling centers opened across the continental United States.
Voters reportedly had to use paper ballots because of problems with electronic voting machines in some voting districts of New Jersey, a coastal state in eastern United States.
Other problems included paper jams, machine malfunctions and delayed opening of polling centers. In Cleveland, Ohio, four voters were reportedly given ballots only on state issues and re-cast their votes after getting the proper ballots.
Both the U.S. media and relevant authorities have provided hotlines for reporting problems and irregularities in balloting.
Source:Xinhua
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