Election Day challenges facing voters in battleground states

Millions of votes are being cast nationwide in the 2026 midterm elections, which have already faced scrutiny in battleground states.In North Carolina, results are expected to be delayed by an hour, until 8:30 p.m., in Hertford, Gates, Lenoir, and Wilson counties due to “various technical issues,” according to Sam Hayes, the State Board of Elections executive director.The development is notable as Hertford and Gates counties lie in the 1st Congressional District, which is home to one of the most competitive races in the state. There, Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) is viewed as a highly vulnerable incumbent as he faces a challenge from Republican Laurie Buckhout. 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS, RESULTS AND ANALYSISLenoir and Wilson counties are also considered swing areas, which could be crucial in North Carolina elections such as the state’s Senate race, where Democrat Roy Cooper is seeking to flip the seat blue in his race against Republican Michael Whatley.“During every election, minor disruptions arise such as power outages, tabulator issues, printer jams, longer lines than previously anticipated,” Hayes said. “These are not indications of malicious activity, and the processes are in place to respond to each scenario.”New York In New York, officials said Tuesday that problems in Westchester County prevented poll workers from scanning paper ballots, which they said are too thick to be scanned by voting machines. New York Attorney General Letitia James is monitoring the election, and the county election board has instructed workers to place ballots in orange emergency bags, to be counted by hand or else scanned later.The hold-up is significant because much of Westchester County lies in New York’s 17th Congressional District, where Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) is in a fierce battle to keep his seat from being flipped by Democrat Cait Conley. Republicans fear the ballot-scanning problem could be used to hand Conley an advantage, though the county elections board has sought to allay concerns.Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, a Democrat, condemned the ballot-scanning problem in a statement describing the situation as “completely unacceptable.”“Once these issues are resolved, I will convene a bipartisan team to conduct a thorough review of the decisions and failures that led to this debacle, determine where accountability lies and ensure that this never happens again,” Jenkins said.“Westchester County voters deserve a fair, secure and seamless election process,” he added. “Today, we have fallen short of that standard. The voters deserve better, and I intend to make sure they get it.”Georgia Fulton County, Georgia, the site of a sweeping election-integrity battle in the 2020 presidential contest, is once again facing scrutiny as voters cast ballots on Tuesday.County election officials have proposed using a different counting process for 1,069 early ballots after two scanners malfunctioned at Mechanicsville Library and Hugh C. Conley Recreation Center, according to CBS News.The problem at the library stems from a paper jam in the scanning machine, according to officials. The issue at the recreation center appears to stem from an accident in which a voter using a wheelchair rolled over a scanner’s power cable.Alaska In Alaska, controversy over two Dan Sullivans being on the ballot continues to upend the race, which features Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola as the two major candidates.A second Dan Sullivan running as a Republican is also on the ballot, with Peltola’s former staff telling the New York Times the Democratic candidate’s campaign helped plant him in the race to confuse voters and siphon off precious votes from the Republican senator in the tight election.The newest allegations that Democrats are coordinating to confuse voters involve flyers backing Peltola that a PAC sent out to Alaska residents on Monday. The flyers featured Peltola and the second Dan Sullivan but did not mention the senator.The Washington Examiner previously reported that the flyers were sent out by the Alaska Values PAC, which has been linked to the Peltola campaign’s effort to recruit and promote Dan J. Sullivan to pull votes away from the incumbent Sullivan.Texas In Texas, a brief incident at a state university’s central polling location on Tuesday caused a brief hold on voting, before officials resolved concerns.A fire alarm went off at the student union at the University of Texas at Austin. The alarm was pulled twice, leading to a brief evacuation and roughly a 10-minute hold on voting, according to officials.Officials are searching for the suspect who disrupted voting by pulling the alarm, apparently without cause, and are investigating the incident as a criminal offense.“Voters and election workers followed the site’s safety procedures; the building was cleared and the site reopened shortly after,” the Travis County Clerk’s Office told KXAN. “Voting is continuing, we are documenting the incident, and law enforcement is reviewing the cause. Any voter who left and was unable to come back can vote at any of our 201 polling places until 7 p.m.”Florida In Florida, flash flooding has affected around two dozen polling locations, leading Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on Monday to issue an executive order to keep voting open and accessible across seven counties.The governor’s order allowed the opening of 23 new temporary polling locations, including in Brevard, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie counties.Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd assured residents that the elections are “going smoothly” during a press conference in which he said the two areas most affected by the flooding were St. Lucie and Brevard counties.IMPEACH TRUMP AGAIN? OHIO DEMOCRATS GRAPPLE WITH DIVISIVE QUESTION AHEAD OF MIDTERM ELECTIONSAt this point, “nothing we’ve seen will require polls being open past 7 p.m.,” Byrd said.Voters can check the Florida Department of State’s emergency election resources page to find the updated list of temporary polling locations.