Vote Tally May Be Delayed In Mercer County: Officials

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — Soon after voting opened Tuesday morning, issues with poll machine scanners were reported across Mercer County, prompting voters to resort to manual balloting.

The issue could likely cause delays in vote tally for the 3rd and 12th congressional districts in New Jersey as well as many local races.

"All votes will be counted tonight by the Mercer County Board of Elections by their scanners. Results may be delayed," Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami-Covello told Patch.

The County Board of Elections said they have a "contingency plan" in place for all ballots cast. The ballots will be scanned at the secure Board of Elections office. More: Voting Machine Issues Reported In Mercer Co. On Election Day: Clerk

"Every ballot that has been cast will be counted, no voter will be disenfranchised, and the integrity of the election is intact and secure," Nathaniel Walker, Mercer County Superintendent Of Elections said.

"Additionally, provisional ballots are available to those who would prefer to vote provisionally. A provisional ballot can be obtained at a voter’s polling location."

Almost all townships in the county informed residents of the issues with the voting machines, early on Tuesday.

West Windsor, Princeton and Robbinsville asked residents to "report to their respective polling locations and vote on a standard ballot and insert their ballot into the emergency slot in the machine."

The New Jersey GOP assured voters that every ballot will be counted.

"On behalf of our NJGOP legal counsel and election integrity team, I want to make crystal clear to the voters of Mercer County that in spite of reported problems with scanners on voting machines in Mercer County, this issue does not affect their voting experience at all," Tom Szymanski, Executive Director, said in a statement. "Voters will still enter their polling place, cast their vote, and insert the paper ballot into the machine as they normally would."

In the reconfigured 3rd Congressional District, Rep. Andy Kim is facing a challenge from Republican candidate Bob Healey, Christopher Russomanno from the Libertarian Party and independent candidate Gregory M. Sobocinski.

In the 12ths district, incumbent Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman is facing a challenge from Republican candidate Darius Mayfield.

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