Virginia Elections Officials Refute Reports of Serious Voter Problems

Despite reports of irregularities this morning, the battleground state of Virginia is not experiencing a "pattern of voting problems," Virginia Board of Elections Secretary Nancy Rodriguez said in a briefing this afternoon.

Earlier today, state media outlets had reported instances of machine breakdowns, electronic glitches, and shortages of paper ballots at precincts around the state.

But Rodriguez said voting is mostly running smoothly, and that the most common problem thus far has been voters handling ballots with wet hands (because of rainy weather) and rendering them temporarily unscannable. State officials say they are letting the ballots dry this afternoon and plan to run them through a scanner this evening before polls close.

Rodriguez also noted that state officials had received a handful of allegations this morning of voter suppression and would be investigating them seriously—"even ones that sound a little far-fetched," she said. At one precinct, for example, there were reports of someone broadcasting audio clips of conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

More than 50 percent of Virginia's eligible voters had cast ballots by early this afternoon, Rodriguez said, adding that the state did not plan to extend voting hours past 7 p.m. this evening, contrary to some national media reports.