Voting underway across the US as some areas report equipment malfunctions

Ballot recognition errors in New York, brief halt in Florida

At least 39 polling sites relocated due to heavy rain and flooding

Polls closing sequentially from 6 p.m. Eastern; results expected late Tuesday night

A person hands over an envelope containing a mail-in ballot to election officials at the Miami-Dade County Elections Department in Doral, Florida, on Tuesday (local time), as midterm elections are held across the United States. [Reuters]
A person hands over an envelope containing a mail-in ballot to election officials at the Miami-Dade County Elections Department in Doral, Florida, on Tuesday (local time), as midterm elections are held across the United States. [Reuters]

Americans headed to the polls Tuesday (local time) to cast ballots in the midterm elections that will determine the balance of power in Congress. Voting proceeded largely without incident, though some areas experienced disruptions from malfunctioning machines and severe weather. Polls are set to close sequentially beginning on the East Coast, with the outcome for major candidates expected to come into focus late Tuesday night.

Vermont was the first state to open its polls, at 5 a.m. Eastern time. Other states followed, with polling sites opening between 6 and 8 a.m.

Kentucky and Indiana are set to be the first states to close their polls, at 6 p.m. Eastern. Other states will follow according to their respective time zones and election schedules, with vote counting beginning immediately after polls close.

Early results from the East Coast are expected to begin emerging after 8 p.m. Eastern, though final tallies are not likely to be confirmed until late in the night.

Voting proceeded largely without major incident, but equipment malfunctions caused inconvenience for voters in parts of New York and Florida.

According to The New York Times, some voting machines in Westchester County, New York, failed to properly read ballots.

Election officials directed voters to place their ballots in separate envelopes and submit them by hand rather than feeding them directly into the machines.

The New York Times reported that "minor malfunctions of voting machines occur in virtually every election and are usually resolved without significant problems."

Florida also saw a brief suspension of voting at one location.

According to CNN, a ballot scanning system malfunction at a polling site in Broward County, Florida, halted voting for about 20 minutes after polls opened.

The issue was resolved by switching the computer system to a manual process. Broward County officials said they had no plans to extend voting hours.

Severe weather also affected voting in some areas.

While the East and West coasts saw mostly clear skies, parts of the South-Central United States and Florida were hit by heavy rain, flooding and tornadoes.

As a result, at least 18 polling sites in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas were relocated.

An additional 21 polling sites in Florida were moved due to flooding, bringing the total number of relocated sites to at least 39.

The midterm results could reshape the balance of power in both chambers of Congress, with significant implications for President Donald Trump's ability to advance his legislative agenda.

Polls are closing on a rolling basis, state by state.


sjy@heraldcorp.com