A clumsy early voting option has backed up election offices in Pennsylvania and frustrated voters

A clumsy and time-consuming early voting option in the nation’s biggest presidential battleground state is creating frustration. The new procedure in Pennsylvania is leading to hours-long lines and prompting claims of disenfranchisement as voters swamp county offices that aren't prepared to handle the influx before Election Day. The confusion is partly a result of a Pennsylvania law passed just before the pandemic. It's also due partly to the crowds of Republican voters heeding calls by their party and Donald Trump to vote early. In the seat of suburban Philadelphia’s Bucks County, which is often seen as a political bellwether, voters waited up to three hours on Tuesday. It was the final day to apply for a mail ballot.