Where are polls open late? See extended voting period

On November 6, 2024By Littum

See which counties in which states are extending business hours on various issues that came up when voters cast their ballots on Tuesday

It wouldn’t be Election Day without some common polling station issues, but precincts that have experienced significant disruptions or delays may stay open later than planned to make up for lost time.

From bomb threats that officials suspect came from Russia to software problems, the problems may have created longer-than-usual lines or completely closed polling places for some time.

The earliest statewide polling places close at 7 p.m. local time, and voting extensions so far run from 20 minutes to two hours. In any case, counting ballots in the key swing states of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin could take days.

Here are the states that are keeping some polls open late into the 2024 general election:

Pennsylvania

Polls in Cambria County, just east of Pittsburgh, will remain open until 1 p.m. 22 Tuesday, two hours later than usual. The county’s voting software had issues that meant polling stations had to switch to paper ballots, slowing the process and creating long lines. The latest figures from the US Census Bureau show that the county has a population of about 133,000 people.

A polling place in Luzerne County will remain open until 9:30 p.m., after it opened late Tuesday morning, according to WGAL-TV. The county, just outside of Scranton, has a population of about 327,000 people.

Georgia

Some areas in Fulton and Gwinnett counties will remain open for an additional 20-40 minutes due to apparent Russian bomb threats in the morning. Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, has a population of more than one million people, while Gwinnett County, located in suburban Atlanta, has a population of nearly 1 million people.

Two polling places in Cobb County will also remain open for an additional 20 minutes due to technical issues that delayed opening, according to Atlanta First News. Cobb County, also in Metro Atlanta, has a population of about 777,000.

The state’s standard closing time for voting is 7 p.m. ET.

North Carolina

In Wilson County, poll workers had printing problems for more than an hour in the morning. In Burke County, a polling place had problems with a laptop, causing delays. Wilson County, just east of Raleigh, has about 79,000 people, and Burke County, about halfway between Asheville and Charlotte, has about 88,000 people.

Voting was extended by 30 minutes at both polling stationsthe North Carolina State Board of Elections decided Tuesday.

Polls in the state usually close at 19.30, and those who cast ballots between then and 20.00 at the affected places, will use provisional ballots.

Alabama

IN St. Clair Countypolls will remain open two additional hours, until 21.00 local time. Ballots were printed incorrectly without two amendments for residents to vote on. St. Claire County in central Alabama has just under 100,000 people.

Cast: Aysha Bagchi, Patrick O’Shea, Sarah Gleason; USA TODAY Network