Here’s the real culprit of the massive Election Day problems in Cambria County, Pennsylvania

EBENSBURG, Pennsylvania — A problem pinch insubstantial ballots has thrown Election Day into chaos successful deep-red Cambria County, Pennsylvania — forcing officials to hand-count galore thousands of votes by manus successful nan captious plaything state.

The ballots were printed improperly by William Penn Printing and could not beryllium scanned decently by predetermination machines, Commissioner Keith Rager told The Post.

Officials said each votes will still beryllium counted — but canvass results successful nan region of 133,000 will apt beryllium delayed connected Tuesday night.

A judge besides agreed to support polls unfastened an other 2 hours successful nan county, until 10 p.m., to dress up for nan problems.

Rager said thousands of freshly printed ballots, which do activity successful nan voting machines, were rushed from Pittsburgh, astir 70 miles away, to polling sites crossed nan county.

Shortly aft 1:15 p.m. ET, officials began distributing a batch of “good” ballots that didn’t person nan printing issues to polling sites.

“I want group successful our region to cognize that we’re doing everything we can. This was thrown astatine america astatine 7 o’clock this morning,” Rager told The Post.

“Everything’s secured.”

Cambria County went for erstwhile President Donald Trump by astir 68% successful 2020.

Officials sewage reports soon aft polls opened astatine 7 a.m. that predetermination machines weren’t scanning nan ballots, according to Rager.

“Initially, we had thought that it was a package issue, and we were attempting to correct. Upon further investigation, we recovered that location was an rumor pinch nan ballots not being capable to beryllium scanned into nan system,” Alex Ashcom, Cambria County’s main clerk told The Post.

“In consequence to this, we issued directives to each of nan different polling precincts to still return ballots, still support group voting, and to cod them and count them by hand, alternatively than by utilizing nan instrumentality arsenic a backup.”

The county’s officials had scrambled to hustle a caller shipment of astir 35,000 “good” ballots that could beryllium publication by predetermination machines into precincts passim nan county.

“Nobody is throwing ballots out,” Rager said.

“Starting tomorrow we are going to find retired who is responsible,” he added of nan ballot printing snafu while stressing that nan contiguous attraction Tuesday is keeping things moving arsenic smoothly arsenic possible.

William Penn Printing did not instantly respond to a petition for remark Tuesday.

“If this happened successful Pittsburgh aliases Philly, this would person been massive. It’s monolithic capable already,” he added astir nan scope of nan problem.

Voters who get astatine polls aft 8 p.m. will formed their votes via provisional ballot, according to nan Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s Office.

Rager said he didn’t cognize really severely nan problems would slow nan Cambria County predetermination results. However, he said, “within logic tonight, group will spot results.”

Still, nan region is not allowed to commencement counting ballots until 8:01 p.m. ET successful keeping pinch authorities law, Rager said.

“There’s 3,000 counties successful America, why did it person to beryllium this one?” one section man was heard muttering extracurricular nan Cambria County Courthouse.

Ballot troubles successful Pennsylvania are peculiarly noteworthy fixed that nan Keystone State has nan largest number of electoral votes of nan plaything states successful play connected Election Day.

Trump has a 0.6 percent constituent separator complete Vice President Kamala Harris successful nan latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of multi-candidate polling. The 45th president had flipped nan authorities successful 2016 but mislaid it successful 2020.