Delaware County Polls Ordered To Stay Open Late

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Polling places in Delaware County will be open until 8:40 p.m. Tuesday -- two hours and 40 minutes later than normal -- because problems there prevented people from voting early in the morning.

A court ordered the extension Tuesday morning. County clerk Karen Wenger told 6News that the company that provided the county's voting machines, MicroVote, had the machines programmed improperly, so the machines couldn't be turned on correctly, 6News' Jeremy Brilliant reported.

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Video: Delaware County Polls Ordered To Stay Open Late

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Machines were turned on one-by-one under the direction of an inspector over the phone at each precinct in the county. That process took just under three hours.

The problems centered around computerized cards used to activate about 225 machines. Those cards didn't activate the machines like they were supposed to. In some precincts, none of the cards worked, officials said.

Poll workers ran out of backup paper ballots, prompting a court to extend voting hours.

"I want the people to have the right to vote," Delaware Circuit Court Judge Wayne Lennington said. "If I take away your right to vote, there's nothing I can do to compensate you for that."

"We need to allow every voter that might not have been able to vote this morning a chance to go back after work," Wenger said.

MicroVote took responsibility for the problems, Brilliant reported.