Primary day: Slow at some polling places, but voters get out to the polls
Primary day is here.
The Tribune-Review will be providing updates throughout the day along with results into the evening.
Voters in Pennsylvania’s primary election will choose their parties’ statewide candidates for the Commonwealth, Superior and Supreme courts, plus a slew of candidates in local races for mayor, council, school boards and more.
Slow day at polling places in Etna and Shaler
A slow trickle of voters made their way into the church at St. Matthews Parish in Ward 2 in Etna. As of 4:25 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, a total of just 57 had stopped in to cast their ballots.
The low turnout didn’t sit well with Joe Ober, 81, Etna.
“I came here because it’s the thing to do,” Ober said. “If you can’t vote, you can’t complain about what’s going on.”
Ober said one issue he was concerned about was immigration.
“Everybody’s talking about the borders down in Texas. Well, guess what? That border is going to be right here someday.”
Clara Kitongo, 34, Etna, came to the U.S. from Uganda. She became a U.S. citizen in 2021.
“Voting and voicing our opinions is important,” she said. “I don’t want to miss this chance to get my voice heard now so I don’t have regrets later.”
Kitongo said she was supporting Allegheny County executive candidate Sara Innamorato.
“I like that she gets her hands dirty and goes knocking on doors and people know her name and face,” Kitongo said. “I’ve been in Pittsburgh for 14 years and I’ve seen Sara around the whole time I’ve been in this city and I thought I could trust her with my vote.”
Daniele Rothmeyer-McElhaney, 41, Etna, a member of the Etna Democratic committee, was busy passing out information about the endorsed Democratic candidates in Allegheny County. Although it wasn’t busy, she said she was happy to be there.
“It’s a nice day to be standing outside in a parking lot. People are very receptive about taking the information.”
In Shaler, there was a slow but steady stream of voters at Burchfield Elementary School including Alex Andrzejczyk, 36, who said he was passionate about voting.
“Any chance I can vote, I always try to vote,” he said. “I feel like it’s a great right and I’m a union guy in the Steamfitters and I like to vote for my job. Not everyone can vote so if you have that right, you should. There are countries where people can’t vote. We can, so why not.”
Andrzejczyk said he was supporting John Weinstein for Allegheny County executive.
Another union member, Pat Shuker, is a paraprofessional in the Shaler Area School District who joined the Teamsters. She was at the school to show her support for David Shutter, running for re-election to his seat on the Shaler Board of Commissioners.
“He’s kind, helpful and a go out of his way kind of person,” Shuker, 76, Glenshaw, said. She added that voter turnout had been better than she expected as she stood outside the school.
“It’s pretty busy,” she said. “It’s the largest polling place in Allegheny County. There are six districts inside.”
Westmoreland counts mail-in ballots
By mid-afternoon Tuesday Westmoreland County completed the processing of all 17,000 plus mail-in ballots cast by voters ahead of the primary.
Officials said additional ballots were expected to arrive by early evening and will be processed. Results of counted mail-in ballots are expected to be posted to the county’s website by 8:30 p.m., according to election bureau director Greg McCloskey.
The county reported several issues at the polls on Tuesday.
A poll book issue at the East Manordale precinct in Murrysville resulted in about 30 voters having to cast provisional ballots until a new book was delivered from the courthouse about 45 minutes after the polls opened.
McCloskey said six poll workers failed to show up for work at the Whitney precinct in Unity. The poll was opened on time and four election workers were transferred in from other precincts and two were called in from a reserve employee list.
Officials said police were called to a precinct in New Kensington to respond to a fight outside the voting location at Mary Queen of Apostle School. Police later said it some sort of disagreement and no one was arrested.
The scene in Irwin
Ron Dutka of Irwin, who was voting at the Calvary Baptist Church along Caruthers Lane, said he always votes in elections, “otherwise you can’t complain.”
“I believe in voting,” said Dutka, a registered Republican.
Dutka said he was particularly interested in voting for state Supreme Court race, even though he did not know much about the two GOP candidates — Carolyn Carluccio of Montgomery County and Patricia McCullough of Allegheny County. He said he also was interested in the Norwin School Board contest, where 10 candidates are competing for five seats on the board.
There was just a trickle of voters going to the Calvary Baptist Church in mid-afternoon.
It was slow enough for Anna Whittaker, a poll watcher, to do 36 crossword puzzles in her book of crosswords while waiting for voters.
“Everyone pretty much knows who they are voting for,” she said. “Everyone’s done all the arguing they will do and all the learning about candidates they will do.”
Voting tradition
In North Huntingdon’s Westmoreland City precinct, Democrat Barbara Hall said it was not any particular race that brought to the polls.
“It’s my civic duty. If I don’t vote, then I can’t complain,” Hall said, adding she tells people who do complain about the government that “if you didn’t vote, shut up!”
Hall is in a community where the Republicans are the dominant political party, unlike what it was when she was younger.
Hall said her late mother and father, who was a World War II veteran, “would not recognize the party if they were alive.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, there were fewer people — 130 — who had voted at the Primitive Methodist Church than around the same time in previous elections, said Cheri Kramer, judge of elections for the Westmoreland City precinct.
Kramer was expecting a heavier turnout by the 1,500 registered voters after the regular workday is finished.
A former Norwin School Board candidate, Rob Bunovich, who lost in the November 2021 election, said he always votes.
“I’m voting the right people to do the right thing for the kids in Norwin,” Bunovich said outside the Westmoreland City voting site.
Voting in New Kensington
New Kensington native Reginald Headen, a registered Democrat, always votes and believes it’s a civic privilege that everyone should honor.
“It shouldn’t matter the issue, everyone should vote,” he said Tuesday as he cast his ballot.
Retired from the Army, Headen said he’s witnessed the efforts of local leadership in New Kensington.
“New Ken is trying to get it together,” he said. “They’re trying to do the best they can — tearing down and building up. New Ken has fallen, but I think in five to seven years it’s gonna be great.”
Civic duty in Jeannette
Registered Democrat Rosemary Lewis of Jeannette said she came to vote at the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church on Harrison Avenue out of her belief in civic duty, rather than a particular race such as the Westmoreland County commissioners, Jeannette City Council or Jeannette School Board.
“I came because I always do it,” said Lewis, widow of Morrison Lewis, a former assistant district attorney and member of the Jeannette School Board.
She lamented the fact that there are so few Democrats running for public office — on the county level and in the city.
“What’s with that?” Lewis wondered.
Richard Dreistadt, another Democrat, said he always votes, regardless of whether it is in the primary or general election.
“We have to vote. It’s our civic duty. If we don’t vote, we’re gonna lose our right to vote,” Dreistadt said.
Lewis was among the few voters in Jeannette’s Sixth Ward on Tuesday morning, with only 52 coming to the polling booth out of 1,367 voters registered in that district as of late morning.
“We’re incredibly slow,” said Nancy Peters, judge of elections for that ward.
In what can only be considered a quirk of how Westmoreland County divides its voting district, 52 of the ward’s voters live in Penn Township yet vote for Penn-Trafford School Board and the Penn Township commissioners in a voting booth in Jeannette.
Peters said she does not why that has happened or how long it has been occurring.
‘Important to vote’
Primary voter Auntiko Cook, 49, of Arnold believes voters can make a difference — especially at the local levels.
“I feel like it’s important to vote, especially at the local level,” he said at the polls on Tuesday morning. “I feel you can affect more change at the local level.”
Cook, a Democrat, relocated from Oakmont two years ago and is a family therapist, father and an avid voter.
He said the mayoral, council and school board races are very important to him. Cook said blight is an issue of concern in Arnold.
“I notice trash in alleyways,” he said. “I would like to see that and blight cleaned up.”
Local issues
Helen Makara, 56, was voter 56 Tuesday morning. The Lower Burrell resident never skips voting.
“I vote every single time,” Makara said.
Makara, a Democrat, said she hopes to current leadership and receive more representation from Westmoreland County commissioners.
“We live in a small community, and I feel like it’s well run. This is a good community. We don’t need change (in a judge) and I support Judge (Cheryl Peck) Yakopec,” said Makara, a cyber security analyst. “I would like to see our senior citizens get more representation from our county commissioners, that’s important.”
Precinct 11 in Lower Burrell reported 60 voters by 9:30 a.m.
Motivation to hit the polls
Kiski Township voter Helen Altman, 79, was one of about 25 voters during the first hour the polls were open. She said the Supervisors race motivated her to head to the polls.
“We need some new political blood in here,” Altman said. “We need to get rid of some of the old Supervisors. They’re not hands on, and they’re not doing anything,” Altman said.
She declined to provide her political party.
Altman said she has lived in the township for 17 years.
Never miss a chance to vote
Allegheny Township resident Howard Knoll, 81, is a lifelong registered Democrat who said he’s never missed an opportunity to vote in any election.
“I haven’t missed. It’s what I do,” said Knoll, formerly of Lower Burrell.
Knoll said he votes for “whoever he wants to” now — Republican or Democrat — because he’s not happy with the direction the Democratic Party is taking.
“I don’t like where the country is headed. The country is turning to garbage,” Knoll said.
A steady stream of voters were on hand as the polls opened in Allegheny Township.
Voter guide
Here’s a voter guide to the many local races through Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.
More than a few candidates are cross-filed, which means they are running as both a Democrat and a Republican.
For more information on polling places, go to the official election pages for your county:
• Allegheny County election page
• Westmoreland County election page
• Armstrong County election page
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Polls open
Polls opened at 7 a.m. today and will remain open until to 8 p.m. Anyone in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
The state has an online tool to let voters find their polling place by entering their address.
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