On the day of the House of Representatives election in Japan, severe weather impacted polling operations in Aomori Prefecture. The election administration in Hirosaki City reported that one polling station in the city's Ekimae-cho area experienced a communication failure starting at 9:30 AM, causing a suspension of ballot acceptance. The instability in server communications significantly hampered the voting process, and as of noon, there was no expected resolution for this issue. Voters were assured that they could access other designated polling stations regardless of their voting precinct. Meanwhile, other polling stations in Hirosaki were also experiencing technical issues, hindering what should have been a smooth voting process, although other local municipalities reported no similar problems.

In Mutsu City, the heavy snowfall forced a delay in the opening of several polling places by 30 minutes to ensure voter safety. Specifically, at the Kusoudamari District Life Welfare Center located in Wakinosawa, the city council decided to postpone the voting start time from 7 AM to 7:30 AM due to the necessity of snow removal on access roads. Fortunately, there were no voters present prior to the delay, so the voting process was not significantly impacted. The local meteorological office reported record-setting snowfall in Wakinosawa, which recorded 36 centimeters within 12 hours, prompting a heavy snow warning by early morning on voting day.

This dual issue of technical and weather-related challenges underlines the vulnerabilities in the voting infrastructure during extreme weather events. It raises questions about the preparedness of election officials in managing such unexpected disruptions, particularly as climate change continues to present new weather patterns. Ensuring that communication systems remain robust and that access to polling stations is safe and timely may necessitate a reevaluation of current protocols in light of these recent challenges.