Key Events
3 mins ago
Voting uneventful in Chester County as election workers prepare for the count
38 mins ago
Don’t forget to ETOV before 8 p.m. wait what
2 hours ago
At a Camp Hill polling place, a changing community reflects on a changing politics
2 hours ago
Perry County judge orders provisional ballots be made available for disabled voters
2 hours ago
Dush drops challenge to dozens of Centre County overseas mail ballots
4 hours ago
Laflin Borough in Luzerne County will keep polling place open until 9:30 p.m.
5 hours ago
Walz makes Election Day visit to Harrisburg
6 hours ago
Northampton County Republicans sue, saying county election officials denied poll lists
7 hours ago
Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta votes in Philly; Cleo the dog approves
7 hours ago
Cambria County judge orders polls to remain open until 10 p.m. after countywide voting machine malfunction
8 hours ago
What we’re watching today and why
9 hours ago
Stelson making her Election Day pitch to voters in York, Pa.
9 hours ago
Sneak peek: After the polls close…
11 hours ago
Battleground: Pennsylvanians feel the pressure, privilege of voting in the swing state
3 mins ago
Voting uneventful in Chester County as election workers prepare for the count
At the Chester County Government Center on Election Day afternoon, county workers were preparing for the parade of cars that would bring paper ballots and voting machine memory sticks from polling stations across the southeast Pennsylvania county to be tallied.
Flood lights and neon yellow traffic cones marked the parking lot, and county officials said a drone would orbit above as poll workers arrive to foreclose any question about the process.
But there were no major issues with election administration in the suburban Philadelphia county, which has seen a shift from being a Republican stronghold to a key area for Democrats in statewide races in recent years.
“So far, everything has been a very regular operation,” said Chester County Director of Voter Services Karen Barsoum, adding that aside from voter errors such as prematurely removing the receipts from ballots, there were no problems with voting machines.
“So nobody was turned away for voting. No polling place was closed because of any machine issues,” Barsoum said.
U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-6th District) stopped at the government center to greet volunteers and said she visited several polling places in her district, which covers all of Chester County and part of Berks County, including the city of Reading.
“Really without exception, very welcoming atmosphere, very safe atmosphere, and kind of friendly and calm across the board,” Houlahan said. “And I think people are taking their responsibility and their opportunity to vote really seriously.”
Election judges at two precincts outside the county seat of West Chester told the Capital-Star that they saw lines when polls first opened and that some voters waited 20 to 30 minutes to complete the process.
Houlahan, who is running for reelection to a fourth term, faces a challenge by Republican Neil Young, a public school teacher from Glenmoore, Chester County.
Some voters who spoke to the Capital-Star were hesitant initially, citing the increased tension in this year’s election. John and Donna Gimbel of West Goshen Township said they voted for Vice President Kamala Harris for president, but have experienced strong opinions in their community regarding the candidates.
They each recounted receiving unsolicited opinions on the election at a nail salon and waiting in a line at a store. Both said they were confident the election would be decided for Harris.
“But that scares me a little bit because that’s what we thought when it was going to go to Hillary [Clinton],” Donna Gimbel said.
Houlahan said in Chester County and elsewhere election officials have gone to extraordinary lengths to erase any question about election integrity, with multiple live video feeds of the process in addition to the drone. But she said she hopes her constituents will remember that the people running the election are their neighbors.
“I think that’s important that people understand just how secure our voting system is and just how strong the volunteer system is that allows it to happen,” Houlahan said.
38 mins ago
Don’t forget to ETOV before 8 p.m. wait what
Spotted in Chester County Pennsylvania this afternoon:
The sentiment is there, it’s just the execution that’s a little bit off.
But polls close at 8 p.m.
2 hours ago
At a Camp Hill polling place, a changing community reflects on a changing politics
Camp Hill, and Cumberland County more generally, is one of the few parts of Pennsylvania that’s been growing, according to the latest U.S. Census data. It’s also been getting younger and more diverse. And what was once a reliably Republican area now has a strong Democratic footprint.
“When I moved here, Camp Hill borough was controlled by the Republicans,” said Al Holliday, a Democratic volunteer at the Fredricksen Library polling place who has lived in Camp Hill since 1968. “I was in the vast minority.”
He attributed the changes in the city’s political leaning to “mostly new people moving in and old people retiring — Going to Florida or wherever.”
And with the changes, Holliday believes Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris has a good chance to win the Camp Hill vote. He’s hopeful she’ll win the state as well.
“Trump’s made too many mistakes,” Holliday said. “He was not given good guidance from his parents. No one ever said no to him.”
Like Holliday, other Camp Hill voters who went to the polls on election day reflecting on the changing politics of their hometown, and the ways they do and don’t reflect the divisiveness of national politics at large.
“Rejecting extremism, I think that’s gonna be the story of this election,” said Brianna Labuskes, 37, who was volunteering with Holliday.
Like Holliday she remembers a time when it felt like she was virtually the only Democrat.
“I wrote an op-ed against [former President George W.] Bush in high school,” Labuskes, 37, said. “People went up to my parents and said, ‘she doesn’t look like a Democrat.’”.
But Labuskes left for Washington, D.C. after finishing school, and when she moved back to Camp Hill earlier this year, it was to a changing city.
Beyond defeating Trump, she’s hoping to oust incumbent U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-10th District), former leader of the House Freedom Caucus and a prominent denier of the 2020 election.
She sees both Perry and Trump as extremists who demonize their political opponents. It’s a style she doesn’t see reflected much in Camp Hill itself.
“Everyone’s your neighbor here … You’re gonna see a lot less of those tensions,” Labuskes said. “I don’t think the leaders of the party represent the people.”
Julie Young, 41, is also tired of what she sees as radical politics. She was volunteering at the Republican table just a few feet away from the Democrats.
“I think we’ve really gone off the deep end on the radical social issues,” Young said. “Really, the majority of Americans could care less what you do in your home, who you love, what you do.”
Young said both parties have what she views as radical views, whether it’s Democrats’ political correctness or Republicans’ abortion policies. And she doesn’t like the way politicians in both parties demonize each other.
But unlike Labuskes, Young said she does feel those tensions at home. In 2019, she ran for a borough council seat, and felt she experienced hostility because of her political party.
“I wasn’t making it Republican, Democrat,” Young said. “But I was scrutinized for being a Republican. I was treated pretty poorly.”
Young blames people on both sides of the aisle for the current political tensions. She’s supporting Trump, because she prefers his policies and doesn’t think any one politician is capable of turning down the temperature.
“It’s about the whole party,” Young said of her preference for Trump. “He’s a figurehead.”
Young believes that tensions have grown, not just in Camp Hill, but across the whole country. And the changes began before Trump had even entered the political arena.
“I don’t put political signs out on my lawn because I have a daughter and I don’t want her to be ridiculed,” Young said. “I do think we’ve lost that civility on both sides.”
Steve Voyzey, 55, another Republican and Trump supporter, said extremism and social change weren’t top of mind when he went to the polls. But he has observed the increased hostility between the two parties in Washington, D.C.
“I think they could do a better job coming together and doing what’s best for the country instead of what’s best for the party,” he said.
Asked if he thought Trump was capable of reaching across the aisle, he said, “I like him better than what we got now.”
“I’m not that into it,” Voyzey said of politics. “Here’s what it comes down to: If you’re happy with the last four years, you vote one way. If you’re not happy with the last four years you vote the other way.”
Miracle Mathis, 25, hardly paid attention to politics until she was old enough to vote, and she’s never voted in an election without Trump on the top of the ticket.
“I’m not one to worry about it,” she said about the result of the election. “I’m gonna vote and we’ll see the outcome.”
Mathis is voting for Harris, primarily because of her views on women’s rights and abortion. But regardless of what happens, she said she won’t let it stress her out.
“I’m concerned, but if it happens it happens,” Mathis said about a Trump victory. “I’m still gonna be living.
Last updated: 5:02 pm
2 hours ago
Perry County judge orders provisional ballots be made available for disabled voters
A judge in Perry County has made an order to ensure that disabled voters who make mistakes on their mail-in ballots can cast a provisional ballot, even if they can’t reach a polling place.
The court order says the county elections board must provide provisional ballots on election day to any disabled voter who is unable to travel to a polling place, but requests one because of an error on their mail-in ballot.
It also orders Board of Election employees to provide designated agent forms, which allow someone to deliver another person’s ballot in the event of an emergency.
The County Board of Elections requested the ruling after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a separate case that all voters who make mistakes on their mail-in ballots be allowed to cast provisional ballots.
2 hours ago
Dush drops challenge to dozens of Centre County overseas mail ballots
State Sen. Cris Dush (R-Jefferson) has dropped a challenge to dozens of mail ballot requests made by overseas voters in Centre County.
“After creating anxiety for voters and wasting the time of the board of elections, state Senator Cris Dush has withdrawn his challenges to more than 100 eligible voters living abroad who are originally from Centre County,” the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said in a post on the social media platform X.
Dush did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dush’s challenges were part of a broader trend with the potential to affect thousands of Pennsylvanians. Across the state, hundreds of overseas mail ballot applications have been challenged, primarily by Republicans targeting Democratic voters.
Recently, the Chester County Board of Elections rejected a similar effort, and on Monday, York County commissioners unanimously dismissed challenges to 354 overseas ballots there.
Overseas voters include U.S. citizens living abroad, members of the military and their families.
Hundreds of other mail ballot applications from domestic voters have been challenged as well. A suspected network of right-wing activists allegedly used United States Postal Service data and state voter registration data to identify what they believed were hundreds of suspicious mail ballot requests, according to an anonymously sourced article in the conservative publication Broad and Liberty.
A larger lawsuit brought by six Pennsylvania Republican congressmen sought to have all overseas ballots set aside until the people who cast them could provide identification. The plaintiffs cited concerns about foreign interference, but the case was dismissed by a federal judge.
Some counties still have outstanding challenges to mail-in ballot applications. The Bucks County Board of Elections has announced it will hold a hearing on roughly 1,400 challenges to mail-in ballot applications on Thursday, after the election. Ballots affected by the challenge are being segregated.
Pennsylvania’s election laws contain an explicit exemption to ID requirements for overseas voters, a rule intended to make it easier for military members to cast ballots.
4 hours ago
Laflin Borough in Luzerne County will keep polling place open until 9:30 p.m.
A judge has granted the Luzerne County Election Bureau’s request to keep the Laflin Borough’s polling place open until 9:30 p.m., an hour and a half after it was scheduled to close.
The county Election Bureau and the Board of Elections requested permission to extend voting in the location after it opened an hour and a half later than it was supposed to.
All polling places in Pennsylvania were scheduled to open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
Elsewhere, in Cambria County, a judge granted permission to the election board to keep polling places open until 10 p.m. after issues with their voting machines caused long lines and delays.
5 hours ago
Walz makes Election Day visit to Harrisburg
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, made an Election Day visit to Harrisburg today with his family, including his wife Gwen, meeting with supporters and volunteers at the Capitol Diner.
Walz reiterated the importance of Pennsylvania in this year’s election and discussed Vice President Kamala Harris’ qualifications for the presidency.
(Photos by Ben Wasserstein for the Capital-Star)
6 hours ago
Northampton County Republicans sue, saying county election officials denied poll lists
Republican Party officials in Northampton County filed a lawsuit Election Day morning saying they have been denied a list of polling place judges and inspectors that it and candidates use to station poll watchers.
The filing said that elections office officials had ignored repeated requests to provide the list, which the Northampton County Republican Committee has provided for each election including the 2023 general election.
The filing said the complaint would be presented to the Northampton County Common Pleas Court judge on duty for election day.
A spokesperson said Northampton County officials would not have a comment until the judge rules. A spokesperson for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts said a judge ordered the parties to submit briefs by 2 p.m.
The lawsuit says the list is a public record and that county officials are deliberately withholding the information. It notes that County Executive Lamont McClure is a Democrat, as are the appointed senior government officials in the county.
The county Republican party alleges that county officials are acting in an “obdurate, dilatory, vexations and partisan” manner that is intended to put the party and Republican candidates at a disadvantage.
Northampton County, at the eastern edge of the state, is considered a bellwether for Pennsylvania and is closely watched in presidential elections. President Joe Biden won the county in 2020 by less than three-quarters of a point. Former President Donald Trump won Northampton County by slightly less than a point in 2016.
Last updated: 1:13 pm
7 hours ago
Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta votes in Philly; Cleo the dog approves
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, Democratic candidate for auditor general, made his way to the polls on Tuesday morning in Philadelphia with his husband, Dr. Matthew Kenyatta, and their dog, Cleo.
“We deserve a government that works for working people. And I think today, what you’re going to see is the Commonwealth come together for the common good and elect people who give a damn about working people and working families,” Kenyatta told reporters after he cast his ballot. “And you know, I’m confident that today, not only we’re going to elect the Vice President to be President Elect, but I’m hopeful that Pennsylvania will give me the opportunity to serve and to be in a position to watch out for working people and working families.”
Although he’s served multiple terms in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, this is the first time that Kenyatta is a candidate in the general election for a statewide office. He talked about what it meant for him to cast his name on a statewide ballot.
“This was, you know, a moment that you certainly just try to sit in, in the significance of it,” Kenyatta said. “It’s special to do this, to do it with my husband, my cute dog, by my side, and I’m just so grateful for the people of Pennsylvania who have welcomed me into their homes, into their faith communities and to their community centers, firehouses everywhere.
In every single county, people have been open of hearing a message from a working poor kid from North Philly about how we can make government work for families here and all across the Commonwealth,” he added.
Kenyatta is facing incumbent Republican Auditor General Tim DeFoor in that race. He’s also running for reelection for the 181st state House District and is the only candidate in that race.
Last updated: 12:21 pm
7 hours ago
Cambria County judge orders polls to remain open until 10 p.m. after countywide voting machine malfunction
A Cambria County judge ordered election officials in the western Pennsylvania county to keep polling places open until 10 p.m. on election day after voting machines there malfunctioned.
Electronic voting machines in Cambria County malfunctioned due to a software error, according to a court filing by the county Board of Elections.
According to a petition for emergency relief filed by the Cambria County Board of Elections about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, the issue has caused long lines and confusion and some voters left their polling places without casting a ballot.
President Judge Linda Rovder Fleming issued an order late Tuesday morning granting the board’s request to extend voting hours until 10 p.m. Tuesday. Any votes cast after 8 p.m. will be cast by provisional ballot, the order said.
The Cambria County solicitor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pennsylvania Voters Decide, a coalition of more than 50 pro-voter organizations, said that due to the malfunction, machines were unable to scan voters’ paper ballots.
“The voting systems in Cambria County require a voter-marked paper ballot to be hand-fed into a scanner, and scanning will resume as soon as the machines are functioning. All votes will be counted, and we are pleased to see the county working so rapidly to correct the issue,” the coalition said in a statement.
Matt Heckel, a spokesperson for the Department of State, says they are in touch with local election administrators and said that, despite the malfunctions, voters can still cast paper ballots.
“Voters are continuing to vote by paper ballot, in accordance with normal operations, while the county resolves the issue with in-precinct scanning,” Heckel said. “We are working with the county to resolve this technical matter and are committed to ensuring a free, fair, safe, and secure election.”
The Cambria County Board of Elections has submitted a petition to the Cambria County Court of Common Pleas, asking to be allowed to keep polling places open until 10 p.m., two hours later than they were scheduled to close.
Stacy Witalec, director of communications for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, said a hearing will take place
Last updated: 12:03 pm
8 hours ago
What we’re watching today and why
Here are the five counties I’m most interested in for these statewide races:
(In no particular order): Bucks, Northampton, Erie, Lackawanna, and Cumberland.
Bucks because it’s the only purple county in the Philly region and is probably the county most synonymous statewide with ticket splitting. In previous elections, there have been a sizable chunk of voters who supported Brian Fitzpatrick for Congress (a Republican) and the Democratic presidential candidate at the top of the ticket. Dems usually win there by a few points, but the GOP regained a voter registration advantage earlier this year for the first time since 2007.
Northampton because it’s in the Lehigh Valley, the biggest swing region in the state, and it’s the only county in 2020 where all of the statewide candidates won. Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a Republican, Auditor General Tim DeFoor, also a Republican, won that county, while Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, won the county as the incumbent attorney general. President Joe Biden also won there in 2020.
Erie because it’s also a bellwether and was the only county in 2016 that all of the statewide candidates won with former President Donald Trump, former U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, Shapiro, former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, and former Treasurer Joe Torsella winning.
Lackawanna because Biden is from there and Republicans have continued to make gains in that region with white working class voters.
Cumberland because it is the fastest growing county in the state and the increase of suburban voters there makes me think that even though it’s traditionally been a GOP county, Democrats continue to make gains in recent elections and will be worth watching.
Last updated: 11:15 am
9 hours ago
Stelson making her Election Day pitch to voters in York, Pa.
Janelle Stelson is out greeting voters on Election Day in York. The former news anchor is attempting to unseat six-term incumbent Rep. Scott Perry (R-10th District). She’s had an impressive fundraising haul, and last month, nonpartisan ratings outlet Cook Political Report moved the once safely red seat into its “toss-up” category.
Last updated: 10:31 am
9 hours ago
Sneak peek: After the polls close…
We’ll have live race results later from Decision Desk HQ after polls close. It looks pretty cool. Here’s a preview:
Last updated: 10:01 am
11 hours ago
Battleground: Pennsylvanians feel the pressure, privilege of voting in the swing state
It’s been a long year for Pennsylvania voters, with intense scrutiny by national media and relentless campaign ads and near-constant visits and rallies from the candidates. The battleground state with 19 electoral votes that both campaigns view as key to winning the White House, Pennsylvania voters are keenly aware of the responsibility they carry into Election Day 2024.
We asked a cross section of Pennsylvania voters for their thoughts. Here’s what they told us.
Bruce Hoechner, 64, a retired CEO who lives in Lower Makefield, said he feels “uncomfortable” with the idea that the race is as close as it appears to be and the possibility that Pennsylvania could choose the next president.
“It seems to me, when you look at the track record of both candidates and the dysfunction of Trump, it’s astonishing that half the people in the United States would consider him fit to be president of the United States,” he said.
“I wish Kamala good luck.”
Read more here
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Last updated: 9:25 am
Check back during the day for updates on Election 2024
