The Nebraska Secretary of State's Office admits its website is to blame for some confusion surrounding what time polls are open Tuesday.
According to Laura Strimple, a spokesperson for John Gale, "Our office sets a default time for the polls to open and close on the VoterCheck program. We set that default statewide for 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., taking into account those voters who are in Mountain Time. At some point, the county election offices are asked to go in and change those times for each of their precincts, based on the instructions they receive. It appears in some instances, that didn't happen, leading to the confusion that occurred this (Tuesday) morning."
A handful of voters arrived at their polling places at 7 a.m., an hour before the polls opened. They were turned away and asked to return at 8 a.m.
The Secretary of State's Office said once they realized there was confusion, they removed the time.
Strimple said, "The Secretary of State's office is sorry for any inconvenience caused to voters, and obviously, we're taking a look at how this confusion might be prevented in the future."
