Encoder problems at most, if not all, of the 118 voting stations left early morning voters standing in line for more than an hour waiting to cast their electronic ballots.

There were problems with the encoders at most, if not all, of the polls in Utah County, said Sandy Hoffmann, elections coordinator for Utah County, but all of the problems have been remedied.

Hoffmann said there was no indication that there would be any problems with the encoders. To fix the glitch, Hoffmann said one of the electronic voting machines at each polling location was taken out of sequence and turned into a large encoder.

"The encoder is the little device that programs the voter card," said Joe Demma, spokesman for Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert.

Taking one machine out of sequence should not impact voting too much. The number of machines vary by location, with 15 at the most and three at the least, Hoffmann said.

The problem was first realized when polls opened at 7 a.m., leaving many voters standing in lines for hours.

"It should not have and adverse affect on anything," Demma said, adding he anticipates a good voter turn out in the county.

Voters aren't as confident.

Longtime Provo resident Lynn Howard said he waited in a long line of "very dissatisfied" people for over an hour at Timpview High School before leaving without voting.

"The man in front of me said he would not come back to vote today," Howard said. "I'm going to try it again."

Precinct judges wrote in "no ballot" next to his name on the voting list, he said, and he hopes that when he goes back later today there won't be a problem.

Voting hours, by law, cannot be changed to accommodate any problems that polling places may have, Hoffmann said. The hours remain from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

"I'm assuming all the locations are up and running," Hoffmann said shortly before 9:30 a.m.

If people were unable to vote early this morning, Hoffmann said she encourages voters to go back to the polls before 8 p.m., adding there should not be any additional problems with the voting machines.

"Everybody is good for the rest of the day," she said.

Howard had a chance to use the machines in the June primary and said they worked fine.

"I hope a lot of people don't not end up voting because of it," he said.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.