Pandemic primary features no contested races in Westmoreland, but record mail-in ballots

More than 30,000 votes have already been cast in Westmoreland County ahead of Tuesday’s primary, where there are few contested races for more than a dozen state and federal offices.

What was once anticipated to be a significant day for politics because of a contentious Democratic presidential primary has since been marginalized. The presidential primary and nearly all others on the local ballots face little to no opposition this spring.

With few contested races on tap, county political leaders say they don’t know how Tuesday’s voting will impact the November general election — when many candidates without opposition this spring will have challengers.

“Normally, primaries tend to energize campaigns early on. Without them, you still have to build up momentum over the summer,” said Kerry Jobe, chairman of Westmoreland County’s Republican Committee.

The GOP has candidates in each race on the ballot this spring, including many where incumbents are running without any Democrats seeking nominations for their party’s seat.

Republicans account for about 46% of the 240,000 registered voters in the county and outnumber Democrats by about nearly 7,000. Democrats for decades held a voter registration edge. The GOP gained a majority two years ago. Democrats account for about 43% of the county’s voters.

With the GOP’s strength in numbers, it expects to continue its recent success at the polls. Factors such as the ongoing pandemic, mail-in voting and the use of new voting machines for the first time this spring could impact the results, officials said.

Jobe said the number of uncontested races, along with the pandemic, might alter Election Day routines and in turn impact how campaigns attempt to ramp up this fall when voter turnout could spike because of the presidential election.

Uncontested races up and down the ballot is seen as a plus and a minus in the pandemic era. While many candidates won’t sweat out election results Tuesday, candidates this spring have had to forgo large-scale fundraising, meet-and-greet events, door knocking and other campaign activities.

“It’s nice to not have to deal with a contested primary that would have cost party unity, but at the same time it doesn’t press the metal of the candidates,” Jobe said.

Tom Balya, a former Democratic county commissioner, said the lack of primary candidates could have serious implications this fall.

“We’re in uncharted territory,” Balya said. “Hopefully this all changes by the fall and there will be more interest. Candidates who haven’t gotten free exposure will have to find a way to raise their profile.”

Even without competitive races on the ballot, officials expect turnout to reach as high as 45% — a number in line with the presidential primary in 2016.

As many as half of the votes cast this spring will be via mail-in ballots, said Beth Lechman, the county’s elections bureau director. As of late Friday, more than 30,000 ballots had been returned. More than 48,000 county voters requested mail-in ballots for the primary.

Officials have stored crates of unopened, returned ballots in a secured room in the courthouse with video surveillance. Lechman said elections officials will start counting those ballots Tuesday morning.

“Our plan is that we’ll start at the top of the alphabet and we’ll work through midnight. Whatever we don’t get to, we’ll finish the next day,” Lechman said.

Mail-in ballots will be accepted through 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Votes registered in person at the county’s 307 precincts will be counted as usual after the polls close, Lechman said.