Lehigh students tell Northampton County Council long lines and broken machines blocked voting; urge more machines, campus access and outreach

At the Feb. 6 Northampton County Council meeting, a group of Lehigh University students told the council that long lines and equipment problems at several polling places on Election Day prevented some people from voting and created an accessibility problem for students and working residents.

The students said wait times at the Banana Factory and Broglen Middle School stretched to several hours and that some voting machines were unavailable or went down. "I personally waited in the line for about 5 hours before I was finally able to cast my vote," said Bailey Baker, identifying herself as a Lehigh student. "Many people waited too long. Many people didn't get to vote because of the really hours long wait."

The testimony matters because students and other residents described practical barriers that, speakers said, reduced turnout. "I use the term voter suppression very deliberately," said Tommy Parisi, a Bethlehem…