By Gioia Guarino and Irene Anastasiadis
Boston University News Service
Determining the 2024 presidential winner could be delayed due to ballot recounts, shortages and technical difficulties.
Improper door closure of a Milwaukee tabulator caused over 30,000 absentee ballots to be recounted. Wisconsin, one of seven swing states, is a determining factor in the election’s outcome. The recount could postpone Wisconsin’s results.
Melissa Howard, spokesperson for the Milwaukee Election Commission, said the recount was caused by human error. According to Howard, the counted ballots are not suspected to be tampered with.
Some Ward 18 polling stations in Boston suffered ballot shortages on Election Day, just before polls closed on Tuesday night. Hyde Park and Mattapan are among the affected neighborhoods of Boston. The shortage is due to high voter turnout. Ballots were delivered to the polling stations by Boston Police, allowing officers to turn on their lights and sirens.
The City of Boston posted on X, apologizing for the inconvenience. The city assured voters that anyone in line would still be able to vote even after the polls closed at 8 p.m.
Pennsylvania, another swing state, faces issues with over 4,000 mail ballot applications in 14 counties. The challenged ballots are a pivotal determinant of which candidate wins the state.
Two groups were affected by the mail ballot application challenges: non-military U.S. voters living overseas and those who potentially mailed their vote without changing their voter registration. These challenges arose in multiple counties, including Bucks County in Philadelphia, where 1,300 were filed alone.
Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes could be critical in deciding the election outcome; the hearings to determine voter eligibility will occur past Election day, but no later than Friday.
Additionally, many election ballot scanners in Cambria County, PA suffered technical issues caused by a software malfunction, according to attorney Ron Repak. A court order was filed to extend voting times until 10 p.m.
Alabama also suffered ballot malfunctions in the earlier part of Election Day. Misprinted ballots missing a state and a local amendment caused a voting delay in Alabama’s St. Clair County. According to Alabama Public Radio, corrected ballots were sent to polling locations in the county, prompting a two-hour poll extension. Two broken tabulators also delayed voting at a polling station in Birmingham early this morning.
Minor technical difficulties with scanners and other ballot machinery have occurred nationwide, but there is little evidence that these issues constitute voter fraud.
Unfounded assertions of ballot tampering still linger from the 2020 Presidential Election, with similar voter fraud allegations circulating on social media throughout the 2024 Presidential Race.
Earlier today, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, claiming [there is] “massive CHEATING” happening in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania officials have quickly disproved this statement.
