Election Wednesday: 313,000 mail ballots scanned thus far, Allegheny County officials say
The waiting continues.
Pennsylvania is in the spotlight, as predicted, but officials are making progress on counting all of the ballots.
The Tribune-Review will continue to provide extensive election coverage today.
Counting ends for the night, continues Thursday
Allegheny County officials reported at 10:55 p.m. that vote counting has ended for the night.
Elections staff had scanned 313,072 mail ballots. That brings the total ballots cast in the county to 675,928.
Officials said 35,413 mail ballots still needed to be tabulated out of 348,485 returned in all.
Westmoreland to update count in afternoon
Westmoreland County election results are expected to be updated late Wednesday afternoon, according county commissioners.
Unofficial results have remained unchanged since the county’s last update posted shortly after 2 a.m., when vote totals from 306 of the county’s 307 precincts were reported along with mail-in votes and about a third of the mail-in ballots counted through midnight.
About 33,000 mail-in ballots remained to be counted as of noon.
Pennsylvania officials: ‘The system is working’
Pennsylvania is still counting votes.
Here is where things stand.
Mom delivers baby, vote from Pittsburgh hospital
One might call this a double delivery.
Megan Walker gave birth to a son on Monday. On Tuesday, Walker told her medical team at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Oakland that she needed to be released in time to vote.
Then a ballot was delivered to her.
Shapiro: ‘Gotta get it right’
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro told “Good Morning America” this morning that it’s imperative to ensure every vote is counted and dismissed President Donald Trump’s threats to file lawsuits in an effort to stop the count.
“It doesn’t work that way,” Shapiro told host George Stephanopoulos. “The president doesn’t count these votes. The clerks in our communities count these votes. These issues — the legal issues — have largely been settled, and it’s time to count these votes and make sure the will of the people is heard.
“Gotta get it right.”
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro tells @GStephanopoulos it’s still “way too early” to know which presidential candidate will win the 20 electoral votes up for grabs in the Keystone State. https://t.co/V786wHGevk pic.twitter.com/HZFl1V5a9L
— ABC News (@ABC) November 4, 2020
Shapiro said clerks statewide continue to count votes, and he expected to see numbers updated throughout the day.
“There’s still a lot of vote left. This is way too early in the process,” he said. “I anticipate throughout the day today you’re going to see significant numbers of votes being put into the system, so the public will be able to see those numbers change and rise and go and up and down. The bottom line is we’re going to make sure here in Pennsylvania that we respect the will of the people. We’re going to get an accurate count. It’s the law. The law says count every eligible vote, and that’s exactly what’s happening all over Pennsylvania right now.”
Video coverage
Tribune-Review reporters fanned out across the region to talk to voters Tuesday. Here is a video report.
Federal, state race updates
Republican Mike Kelly won reelection to U.S. House in Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District, the Associated Press reported.
Elsewhere:
• The Republican candidates still hold the advantage over the Democrats, including incumbent Attorney General Josh Shapiro, in the state’s three row offices that are up for grabs.
• U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb was in danger of losing his seat in the 17th Congressional District race against Republican challenger Sean Parnell.
• Republican incumbent Rep. Guy Reschenthaler of Peters held a strong lead over Bill Marx in his bid to hold on for a second term representing the newly formed 14th Congressional District.
• Jason Silvis built a growing lead over 13-term incumbent Joe Petrarca in the race for the House seat in Pennsylvania’s 55th District.
• Incumbent Kim Ward was holding on tight to her 39th District State Senate seat in the race against Tay Waltenbaugh.
• Incumbent state Sen. Jim Brewster trailed challenger Nicole Ziccarelli in the 45th State Senate District. Brewster has held the post since 2010.
• State Sen. Joe Pittman held a commanding lead over Democratic challenger Tony DeLoreto.
• Republican incumbent state Rep. Eric Davanzo held a substantial lead over Democrat Robert Prah Jr. in his bid to win a full two-year term representing the 58th state House District.
• Democrats drove toward extending their control of the U.S. House for two more years but with a potentially shrunken majority.
• Democrats had a disappointing election night in the U.S. Senate as Republicans swatted down an onslaught of challengers and fought to retain their fragile majority.
Don’t throw out those campaign signs.
Residents can recycle those yard signs. Here is how to do it.
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