Some voters brave coronavirus warnings for special election in House 58th District

As Ann McWilliams walked in to the Rillton Volunteer Fire Hall to vote in Tuesday’s special election, her husband sat outside in the car — unsure his wife’s decision to cast her ballot was the safe choice.

“I don’t want to get the virus. I’m scared,” said Jack McWilliams, 82. “I’m surprised they didn’t cancel it.

“I’ve never missed voting since I was 21 years old.”

Poll workers said they weren’t the only couple in which one voted while the other remained in the parking lot, unconvinced that safety precautions put in place by county elections officials were adequate in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic that resulted in a call for all residents to stay home when possible.

Ann McWilliams, 77, despite receiving chemotherapy treatments and being among the at-risk demographic for the disease, said she wanted to vote.

“I was very interested in this vote, and I have hand sanitizer in the car,” she said.

Turnout in many of the 66 precincts that make up the state House 58th District exceeded 20%, double the 10% predicted by county elections bureau Director Beth Lechman. In one South Huntingdon precinct, turnout reached 20% by 3 p.m., prompting the elections bureau to send out additional blank ballots for new voting machines used for the first time in Westmoreland County.

“People are actually voting,” Lechman said.

Polls closed at 8 p.m.

Voters chose between Democrat Robert Prah Jr., Republican Eric Davanzo and Libertarian Ken Bach to fill the remaining nine months in the term vacated by former Republican state Rep. Justin Walsh, who resigned in January after he was elected as a county judge.

The 58th District includes Adamsburg, Arona and East Huntingdon as well as parts of Hempfield, Jeannette, Madison, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, North Belle Vernon, Penn Borough, Rostraver, Sewickley, Smithton, South Huntingdon, Sutersville and West Newton.

The day wasn’t without issues.

Two precincts in Monessen opened late because of issues involving poll workers. The precinct at the Italian Club in Jeannette was down one voting machine after a poll worker shorted it out by spraying it with too much Clorox in an attempt to sanitize it.

“It just went kaput. There’s no covid-19 on that machine,” poll inspector Barton Maser said.

Poll workers said many voters brought their own pens to sign in before voting. Others, like Fran and Terry Leighty of Jeannette, wore gloves.

“We’re trying to be cautious,” Fran Leighty said.

Poll workers were given gloves and instructed to wipe down voting machines after each use. By mid-afternoon, additional safety measures were instituted when county elections staff passed out bags of cotton swabs that could be used to cast votes on the touch-screen computers.

“We received a tip from one of our poll workers, and I tested it out and decided it would be a viable option,” Lechman said, noting that an elections bureau staffer was then sent out to Walmart to purchase 6,600 swabs for $33.

For some, voting on Tuesday seemed a bit archaic while others said they were surprised at just how easy the new voting machines were to operate.

“It seems a little clunky to me,” said William Marsh of Jeannette. “I don’t know why you want to shove a piece of paper around in this day and age. It seems a little antiquated to me.”

For others, it was pretty simple.

“I thought it was fine,” said Ed Skiffen of Hempfield. “I had no problem at all.”

The county’s new voting machines made their debut Tuesday. The equipment was purchased last year for $7.1 million under a state mandate that counties purchase voting machines with a verifiable paper trail.

Voters received a blank sheet of paper they inserted into the touch-screen computers and selected a candidate just like the county’s old machines. A paper ballot with their vote was printed from the machine and, after a check to ensure it properly recorded the selection, voters inserted the ballot into a digital scanner to be recorded.

Skiffen said he liked the option of being able to check the paper ballot before handing it in.

Still, discussion about the new voting machines was overshadowed by talk about the coronavirus outbreak that officials feared would limit participation amid a White House recommendation issued Monday that people avoid gatherings of 10 or more.

Jeannette fire Chief Bill Frye voted Tuesday afternoon when there were no lines at Heritage Baptist Church, where he and just four poll workers were present.

“I know they are discouraging large gatherings, but apparently there isn’t a large gathering here,” Frye said.