SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Election Day got off to a rough start in Mercer County, New Jersey.
All Dominion vote scanning machines stopped working not long after the polls opened. The entire county was affected.
Elections officials say every ballot cast will be counted and that no voter will be disenfranchised. Officials have not said how this happened or when the machines would be back up and running.
Voters in Burlington County experienced similar issues, with machines not working at several voting locations across the county this morning. Though Burlington County officials say their voting machines are back in service, voters in both counties can still vote via provisional ballot at any voting location.
It adds yet another wrinkle to the already tight race in New Jersey’s 3rd District, which includes portions of Mercer County. All 12 congressional districts are on the ballot in New Jersey this year, and the 3rd District has been growing tighter between Congressman Andy Kim and Republican challenger Bob Healey. Voters seem evenly split.
Kim voted Tuesday morning with his family.
“I just hope people go out and vote and I hope they exercise their responsibilities and duties as a citizen,” he said. “To be able to do that and recognize that, if you’re not voting, you’re letting someone else make decisions about your life for you. And I hope people recognize that we’ve got to take control.”
Healey said the momentum has been on his side, and he’s eyeing an upset.
"I'm excited to be able to represent the place I grew up, to be able to represent people I grew up with," he said. "It’s been a great 8 months during this campaign.”
For all of the ideological differences between the candidates, there are some similarities as well, in that both are humbled by this experience and hope to set a good example for their children to be civil even when there are disagreements.
Polls in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are open until 8 p.m.
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