Ontarians Are Complaining Of Long Lines & Other Polling Problems On Election Day
Some are experiencing technical difficulties.
Elections Ontario sign.
Election day in Ontario is underway, and many voters have been complaining about long wait times and other complications.
The problems seemed to start off early Thursday morning, with some residents taking to Twitter about their local poll station opening late.
"Mississauga-Centre polling station not open yet. Been here since 8:50 am, 10 minutes prior to polls open time. First in line. It’s 9:31, and still not one vote has been able to be cast. Angry voters have left to go to work," wrote one user.
\u201cThis looked promising for pre-work voting. But now it's almost 9:30am and doors still haven't opened. A newborn is crying behind me. About a dozen people have left the line, and I'm soon to follow. Great start to #OntarioVotes #onpoli #OntarioElection2022\u201d— Jane Gothard (@Jane Gothard) 1654176599
"So the #OntarioElection2022 says voting starts at 9 a.m. today.....it's 9:20 now, and I'm still waiting with 75 other people in line while it's not open yet," wrote another.
Other residents claimed that there were some technical issues at the polls that prevented them from a quick voting visit.
"Technical issues caused a long line to walk away in Beaches-EY. We were first told it would take 5 mins to switch to manual. 30 minutes later, informed machines were rebooting (top-notch troubleshooting). Finally, we were told they had no ETA."
\u201c@metromorning line up at my polling station in Davenport\u201d— lynne chichakian (@lynne chichakian) 1654175381
Long lines also seemed to be a problem for some, with users posting photos of winding queues or stating that they had been waiting for well over 30 minutes.
In a statement to Narcity, Elections Ontario stated, "we are monitoring all polling locations to ensure they have opened on time. We are continuing to process electors at all open polls."
"There have been some last-minute voting location changes which is why we are encouraging electors to enter their postal code into the voter information service on elections.on.ca, check the Elections Ontario app or call 1 888-668-8683 before they head out to the polls."
\u201cTechnical issues caused a long line to walk away in Beaches-EY. We were 1st told it would take 5 mins to switch to manual. 30 mins later informed machines were rebooting (top notch troubleshooting ). Finally we were told they had no ETA. #OntarioElection2022 #ontariovotes\u201d— MightyMatt (@MightyMatt) 1654185336
However, it seems that other voters were able to cast their ballots without a hitch. Many users also took to Twitter to say they were able to vote in under 15 minutes with no lines.
"Don't forget to vote today #OntarioElection2022 #onpoli I was in and out in under 15 mins," wrote a user.
Polls close at 9 p.m. tonight.