Election Day got off to a rough start at Ogden Elementary School, 24 W. Walton St. in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, where some voters were told their entire precinct had already cast their ballots.

The problem, which affected only 12th Ward voters, stemmed from the site’s electronic registers, said Max Bever, director of public information for the Chicago Board of Elections. Election workers directed voters to instead go to the nearest polling center if they cannot stay in line or return before the polls close at 7 p.m.

An election official at the scene told WBEZ shortly before 9 a.m. that the issue had been resolved and things were now running smoothly.

Gold Coast resident James Cohoon arrived in Ogden at 6am to cast his vote. When he arrived, Cohoon said election workers told residents in the 12th Ward that everyone in that precinct had already voted.

“And obviously we didn’t,” Cohoon said.

After several hours – and without a clear explanation – Cohoon and others were able to cast their votes. Cohoon ended up standing in line for almost three hours.

“Two hours and 45 minutes, it’s ridiculous. It’s sad. You almost feel like you’re losing your voice,” Cohoon said.

Cohoon was able to wait out the inconvenience, but said he saw other people leave before they could vote, and added that some elderly voters were looking for a place to sit.

“Because of this long wait and frustration, unfortunately, there are people who leave, lose their vote, lose their voice,” Cohoon said.