Breaking
Voting Glitches Hit Cumberland County, NJ: Machines Down at Multiple Polls on Election Day
This is a developing story.
Reports of voting machine failures at several polling sites in Cumberland County are causing delays and frustration for voters on a busy Election Day. The issues surfaced around midday in this rural South Jersey county, where polls opened at 6 a.m. and are set to close at 8 p.m. Officials say the problems are being addressed with paper ballots as backups, but some voters have reportedly left without casting their votes amid long lines.
The malfunctions were first flagged by conservative activist Scott Presler on X (formerly Twitter), who noted they hit three Republican-leaning districts where GOP turnout is already double 2024 levels.
"Coincidence? Or something fishy?" he posted, urging people to stay and vote anyway. Similar alerts came from accounts like @Osint613and @MarioNawfal, with videos showing frustrated lines and poll workers handing out emergency paper forms.
By mid-afternoon, the hashtag #NJElection2025 was trending locally, with over 7,000 mentions tying the glitches to broader fears of interference. Cumberland County, home to about 150,000 people and cities like Vineland and Millville, is voting on the statewide gubernatorial race between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli, plus local school boards and municipal seats.
It's a purple area, Sherrill leads statewide polls 52-44, but Cumberland's GOP pockets could tip local races.
No widespread outages statewide, but NJ's already dealing with email bomb threats to seven counties (Bergen, Essex, etc.), which briefly shut some polls but were deemed hoaxes by AG Matthew Platkin.
County Clerk Michael Dennison issued a statement around 2 p.m.: "We're aware of isolated machine issues in a few locations, likely software glitches from high early turnout. Technicians are on site, and paper ballots are available. No votes lost; every eligible voter will be accommodated."
The county's Board of Elections hotline (856-453-4020) is fielding calls, emphasizing that NJ's machines have paper trails for audits.
Social media's buzzing with suspicion, posts like one from @politvidchannel called it "the GOP's desperate MAGA playbook to rig the vote," while others blamed "deep state sabotage."
Turnout statewide is up 15% from 2021, per early reports, with no major disruptions elsewhere.
If you're in Cumberland, officials say: Bring ID, stay patient, paper's your friend. Results start rolling in after 8 p.m.