Civil rights groups and election officials fielded thousands of reports of voting irregularities as voting began across the country Tuesday, with voters and advocates complaining of broken machines, rejected ballots and untrained poll workers improperly challenging Americans' right to vote.
A coalition of voting-rights organizations reported more than 10,000 calls by 11:30 a.m. — a higher call volume than in any recent midterm election — and referred many of them to state and local election officials, the groups said in a news conference in Washington. Together, the organizations have deployed about 6,500 lawyers and monitors across 30 states to protect ballot access — more than any previous election.