Obama asks Connecticut voters to return to polls after Hartford delays

A state judge has ordered polls to remain open late in parts of Connecticut’s capital, Hartford, as the state’s gubernatorial election comes to a close. Voting delays in the city led President Obama to call into a local NPR affiliate and encourage voters to go back to the polls.

Av Harris, a spokesman for Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill, told the Los Angeles Times that local election officials failed to deliver voter lists to several polling places in Hartford on Tuesday morning, barring an untold number of voters from casting their ballots before heading to work.

“Obviously for somebody who is planning to vote before they go to work, and they get there, and they are unable to do it, that’s frustrating,” the president said on WNPR. “But the main thing I just want to emphasize is we’ve got to make sure that those folks have the chance to vote. And I want to encourage everyone who is listening to not be deterred by what is an inconvenience.”

Harris called the problem “fairly widespread,” but said he did not know exactly how many voters or polling places were affected. The issue was rectified by 7:45 a.m., Harris said, and some people were able to vote after signing an affidavit.

“It was a mess,” Harris said.

Hartford is Connecticut’s fourth-largest city, with a population of about 125,000, according to census data.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy filed the legal challenge, according to Harris, asking a Superior Court judge to keep polls open in Hartford until 9 p.m.

Late Tuesday, Hartford Superior Court Judge Carl Schuman agreed to extend voting hours by 30 minutes in two Hartford polling precincts, according to a statement released by Merrill’s office. Schuman ruled that voters in those precincts had been disenfranchised by the delays.

“The bottom line is that every single voter in Hartford who is eligible to vote today and wants to cast a ballot will get to vote, no matter what. The situation in Hartford this morning was absolutely unacceptable,” Merrill said in a statement. “Voters in Connecticut rightly expect that when they go to their polling place they should be able to vote without disruption.”

Hartford tends to vote Democrat, and Malloy is facing a stiff challenge from Republican Tom Foley as he seeks a second term in office.

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for breaking news.