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Some Voting Machines In Fayette Co. Not Accepting Ballots

SOUTH UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) -- All 77 precincts in Fayette County have been dealing with ballots being rejected since the polls opened Tuesday morning.

Lorie Lamb said her ballot was rejected at the precinct at the Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport.

"I think suspicious after everything that happened with the presidential election," said Lambie. "I'm a Republican. I went to scan a ballot and it spit it out. I tried three or four times and it kept spitting it out."

Not far from the airport, similar issues happened at Hatfield Elementary in South Union Township.

"Just went through the normal process. I took it over to the machine and it was rejected," said Jeff Valek.

Voters have been placing their rejected ballots into an emergency slot at the back of the machine.

Fayette County Commissioner Scott Dunn stresses the ballot issues are across party lines.

"I can tell you both Republican and Democratic ballots are affected by this," said Dunn.

He said there are problems with barcodes on the ballots. As far as why this is happening, Dunn said it's not the machines but a third-party printing issue.

"We've been in contact with all 77 precincts. And for the larger Republican precincts, we are trying to reprint ballots," said Dunn.

The Fayette County solicitor said the courts have granted an emergency petition, which means all the ballots that weren't scanned will be hand-counted by the judge of elections at each individual precinct once the polls close at 8 p.m.

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