Judge Grants Request to Extend Bridgeport Poll Hours
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP/1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- A judge in Bridgeport has granted a request to keep polls open for another two hours because of a ballot shortage, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported.
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Jones said voter turnout in the city was so heavy, election officials ran out of ballots. Connecticut's state Democratic Party had argued in court to keep the polls open until 10 p.m.
WCBS 880's John Metaxas reported that the following polling stations will extend their hours to 10 p.m.: Park City, Longfellow, Beardsley, Read, Central, Winthrup, Hallen, Hooker, Blackrock, JFK, Blackham and City Hall.
The Mayor of Bridgeport also made a plea to keep the polls open longer.
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The emergency hearing was held at Hartford Superior Court.
Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz told media at a press conference the machines did not malfunction, the trouble was with decisions made by election officials.
"It's not the machines, it was the decision of two local election officials...one democrat, one republican...who made that unfortunate decision," said Bysiewicz.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Jim Himes says she's heard reports of voters being turned away. The elections commission could not confirm that.
Republican State Chairman Chris Healy filed a complaint saying he believes it was illegal for Bridgeport officials to give voters photocopied ballots on Tuesday.
"All of the ballots that were voted on Xerox copied ones, on the copied ballots, have to be hand-counted in public so representatives from all campaigns and the public and the media will have to be there," said Bysiewicz.
(TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
