Voter turnout was heavy across Connecticut on Tuesday, and in Bridgeport, a shortage of ballots prompted a court ruling to allow poll ling stations in that city to stay open until 10 p.m.
Bridgeport -- the state's largest city and a traditionally Democratic stronghold -- had only ordered 21,000 ballots for the 69,000 registered voters.
The state Democratic Party Tuesday night filed a lawsuit claiming disenfranchisement. Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz said the move was necessary to keep balloting fair.
The State Republican Party argued against it - saying its illegal to keep polling open past 8 p.m. They also said some ballots were turned in on photocopy.
This effected 12 polling places in Bridgeport and will delay results as those ballots cannot be counted until after 10 p.m. also - the photocopies ballots will need to be counted by hand.
Elaine Ficara, a spokesperson for Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch, said turnout was much higher than anticipated, that the ballot problem was a statewide issue and that no one in Bridgeport had been turned away from a polling place.
The lines were so long at one point that pizzas were being handed out to voters. By 7 p.m., more ballots had arrived and lines were moving again, city officials said.
Some stations asked voters who left polls without voting to return, according to the Connecticut Post.
Bysiewicz predicted voter turnout statewide could be around 60 percent, and possible 65 percent, by the time the polls close.
