Live Coverage: The latest on the 2020 Pennsylvania primary election

U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle beats challenger Dickinson in Dem primary for #PA18

With 97.23 percent of precincts recorded, U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle won the Democratic primary for the 18th Congressional District on Tuesday, beating challenger Jerry Dickinson 67.4 percent to 32 percent, according to unofficial Allegheny County election results.

“It’s been an extraordinary experience to run this kind of grass-roots, people-powered campaign,” Dickinson said in a video statement Wednesday announcing he was conceding to Doyle, adding that “the work is not done.” 

Doyle will face Republican Luke Negron in November. The 13-term incumbent is expected to easily win reelection in the heavily blue 18th District, which includes the city of Pittsburgh and several suburbs. Doyle is the longest-serving member of Congress from Pennsylvania.

DePasquale up in Democratic race for #PA10 nomination

With 93 percent of the precincts reporting, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale is leading Hershey attorney Tom Brier for the Democratic nomination for central Pennsylvania’s hotly contested 10th Congressional District. The winner faces GOP incumbent U.S. Rep. Scott Perry this fall. But … mail-in ballots …

A look at two Cumberland County House and Senate races

With 92 percent of the vote counted, it looks like there are some clear winners in a pair of legislative races in Cumberland County.

In the 31st Senate District, Shanna Danielson, a music teacher, appears to have sewn up the Democratic nomination.

And in the 87th House District, it looks like Nicole Miller, of Hampden Township, will be GOP Rep. Greg Rothman’s opponent this fall:

AP calls three races for opponents: Sen. Larry Farnese and Reps. Maria Donatucci and Roni Green lose

From the AP’s Marc Levy:

HARRISBURG, Pa. (@AP) _ With the flood of mail-in votes still being counted, The Associated Press called three races in which incumbents lost, all of them in Democratic legislative primaries in Philadelphia: Sen. Larry Farnese and Reps. Maria Donatucci and Roni Green.

— Marc Levy (@timelywriter) June 3, 2020

More:

Two state House members, Democrat Carolyn Comitta of Chester County and Republican Cris Dush of Jefferson County, won contested primaries for open Senate seats.

— Marc Levy (@timelywriter) June 3, 2020

And some turnout data:

With counting continuing Wednesday morning, turnout passed 1.6 million, or 19% of Pennsylvania's 8.6 million voters.

— Marc Levy (@timelywriter) June 3, 2020

An anti-incumbent election in Philadelphia?

Some food for thought from the estimable Jon Geeting:

The anti-incumbent bent in all the in-person Philly election results is wild. You see it in every distridt. So curious whether that will hold in the mail-in ballots.

— Jon Geeting (@jongeeting) June 3, 2020

And some responses:

My hunch is it will not. Voters today not only braved the worst pandemic in Philly since 1918 but also the worst riots since the 60s. I think the double dosage probably made them particularly anti incumbent. I think in most of these races the vast majority of the vote is mail in

— Rep. Kevin J. Boyle (@RepKevinBoyle) June 3, 2020

I think it depends on how early or late your mail-in ballot was completed. Lots has happened in a week. I wish I could get mine back.

— Peter Kohn (@PeterKohn2) June 3, 2020

That’s it for tonight, folks.

We’ll be back in the morning with more results, thanks for hanging with us tonight.

With 48 percent of precincts reporting: A look at #PA10

This is the 2-way Democratic primary between incumbent Auditor General Eugene DePasquale and Hershey attorney Tom Brier. The winner faces U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-10th District, in a closely watched race in November.

‘I can’t breathe’: A moment on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre

Tonight, on Public Square in downtown Wilkes-Barre, a man who identified himself only as Ty stood with a sign.

It read “I can’t breathe #George Floyd”

Ty, 28, wouldn’t give his last name. He did however, talk about how hard it is to see the continuation of violence against Black men in America.

“The system isn’t broken,” he said. He stood, alone, with his sign as a few cars honked and a Wilkes-Barre Police cruiser circled the square. 

“I’m a man,” he said. He talked proudly of his two kids and how he has made something of himself. He said he just wanted people to see him. To hear what he had to say. 

Public Square has seen several peaceful protests – some planned, others impromptu – in the last few days. Another is expected to take place Wednesday. 

When the lack of results speaks louder

Reaffirming what we already knew, there are a whole bunch of state House races this evening where there aren’t any results — and likely won’t be for a while.

Just for instance:

10:30 p.m. Auditor General race update

A lot can change on election night:

With 39.13% reporting Lamb now in the lead for the Dem Auditor Gen. nom. with 47.52% pic.twitter.com/KtqSPQ9eXx

— Cassie Miller (@Wordsby_CassieM) June 3, 2020

Pa. 9th Congressional District

Update from Pa.’s 9th Congressional District: pic.twitter.com/fyHepLSDpT

— Cassie Miller (@Wordsby_CassieM) June 3, 2020

Auditor General race update

10 p.m. Auditor Gen. race update: pic.twitter.com/BvOLw0iMb5

— Cassie Miller (@Wordsby_CassieM) June 3, 2020

U.S. Rep. John Joyce declares victory in GOP #PA13 primary

In a statement, freshman U.S. Rep. John Joyce, R-13th District, just declared victory in his GOP primary.

Where there was no opponent. But everyone needs something to celebrate.

“It is a privilege to serve my fellow central Pennsylvanians in Congress, and I am grateful for their overwhelming support,” Joyce said in a statement released by his office. “As we consider the future of our community and our country, the stakes are high. In my next term, I will keep fighting to strengthen the economy, protect the sanctity of all human life, defend our Second Amendment rights, and promote our commonsense conservative values. This year Americans in Pennsylvania and around the country are facing a stark choice between freedom and socialism. As your Congressman, I will always choose freedom.”

The results were a true squeaker, according to unofficial tallies filed with the Department of State:

Auditor General race by county

Auditor General race looks very different depending on where you are in Pa. right now:

In Clarion Co., western Pa’s Lamb has more than 50% of the vote.

In Chester Co., Ahmad with the majority. #PAPrimary pic.twitter.com/UvW6extMNP

— Cassie Miller (@Wordsby_CassieM) June 3, 2020

Pa. 8th Congressional District primary update

A quick look-in at the very crowded 6-way GOP primary for #PA8. #PaPrimary pic.twitter.com/uTL1o3Lsl8

— ByJohnLMicek (@ByJohnLMicek) June 3, 2020

Pa. Auditor General race gets … ‘Harry’

Some results from the Democratic race for Auditor General. Also, I didn’t know Rep. Scott Conklin’s first name was Harry. #PaPolitics #PaPrimary pic.twitter.com/6jVeOgf048

— ByJohnLMicek (@ByJohnLMicek) June 3, 2020

Remarks from Dept. of State Secretary Kathy Boockvar

Sec. Boockvar says, “I want to thank Pennsylvania’s poll workers and county election officials, who faced some truly extraordinary challenges with this primary – from some of the most significant changes to the state election code in 80 years and new voting systems … (1/2)

— Cassie Miller (@Wordsby_CassieM) June 3, 2020

1.8 million mail-in ballots

In a statement from the Pa. DOS:”Approximately 1.8 million Pennsylvania voters applied for and were approved to vote by mail-in and absentee ballot, which is 17 times greater than the number who applied for an absentee ballot for the last presidential primary in 2016.”

— Cassie Miller (@Wordsby_CassieM) June 3, 2020

Move along, these aren’t the ‘droids you’re looking for

From The Associated Press:

PHILADELPHIA (@AP) _ Joe Biden wins Democratic presidential primary in Pennsylvania

— Marc Levy (@timelywriter) June 3, 2020

A black box in Harrisburg is the hottest polling place in town

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Just 80 people voted in person at Harrisburg City Hall Tuesday, according to the precinct’s judge of elections. That’s in a ward of 1,000 registered voters.

Instead, the bulk of the voting was happening a block away, in a small black box outside the Dauphin County courthouse. The county had received 32,000 mail-in ballots as of Tuesday evening, according to Dauphin County Commissioner Mike Pries.

.@DauphinCounty Director of Elections Jerry Feaser personally accepting the ballots! He’s been checking lock box every 30 minutes today. 32,612 mail-ins as of 6:10 PM. @GovernorTomWolf @KathyBoockvar @abc27News @CBS21NEWS @WGAL @fox43 @PennLive @PennCapitalStar @WHP580

— Mike Pries (@PriesMike) June 2, 2020

That total was only growing Tuesday night, as voters continued to search for the drop off. 

Brianna Crowley, a volunteer for Democratic 10th Congressional District hopeful Tom Brier, was standing outside of city hall. She said she directed far more voters during her four-hour shift to that box at the courthouse than into the polling place behind her.

After Crowley’s one block relay, voters would be greeted by Harrisburg resident Khaldun Rasheed, a self-described community activist who munched on a salad while advising confused voters how to open the ballot receptacle.

And as they left, Rasheed would cheerfully add, “Thanks for voting!”

Individuals arrived in dribs and drabs to drop off their ballots, by bike, car and foot. Some even left talking to old friends they bumped into at the box. County elections chief Jerry Feaser personally emptied the box every 15 minutes.

One of the voters who showed up with their ballot was Shannon, who declined to give her last name. In her twenties, she picked Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders for president, even though he suspended his campaign in April.

Shannon was sad this was, potentially, her last chance to vote for the 78-year old democratic socialist. But she took some heart in helping to continue his movement by collecting signatures and voting for Sanders-backing delegates for the Democratic National Convention in August.

“Even though it kinda seems meaningless, it’s nice to know they will be there representing our vote,” Shannon said.

Retiring senators spend big to help chosen successors’ campaigns

Though two long-time members of Pennsylvania’s state Senate declined to seek reelection this year, the outgoing lawmakers still made sizable campaign contributions to their hand-picked successors ahead of Tuesday’s primary election.

Campaign finance records show that a political action committee linked to Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, spent $325,000 on advertising, direct-mail ads, and yard signs for Herm Suplizio, the city manager of DuBois, Jefferson County, who got Scarnati’s endorsement in the three-way Republican race in northwestern Pennsylvania’s 25th Senate District. 

Scarnati’s contributions constituted the bulk of the spending on Suplizio’s campaign, which also collected $129,00 in contributions from individual donors during the most recent fundraising period, which ran from March 10 to May 18, according to filings with the Department of State. 

Across the state in suburban Philadelphia’s  19th Senate District, state Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-Chester, transferred just under $50,000 from his own committee to that of Don Vymazal, a Democrat who hopes to take the seat Dinniman held for 14 years.

Dinniman endorsed Vymazal, his longtime aide, at the same time that he announced his retirement in February. Vymazal collected roughly $20,000 in campaign contributions in the run-up to the June 2 election, records show.

Some of the campaign finance reports for Vymazal’s Democratic challengers have not yet been uploaded to the state’s campaign finance database, making a complete analysis of the three-way race impossible. 

But records for the 25th Senatorial District show that the spending on Suplizio’s campaign is rivaled only by that of Republican challenger Rep. Cris Dush, R-Jefferson, who also declined this year to seek re-election to the state House.

Dush, who announced this spring that he would suspend a campaign for Auditor General to run for Scarnati’s seat, collected $110,000 in contributions and $295,000 in in-kind donations during the most recent fundraising cycle. 

The in-kind gifts included more than $240,000 worth of Facebook ads and campaign mailers from Commonwealth Leaders Fund, a Harrisburg-based political action committee that supports conservative candidates.

James Brown, who is running against Dush and Suplizio in the Republican primary, and Margie Brown, who is running unopposed as a Democrat in the 25th district, each disclosed less than $10,000 in contributions in their most recent reports.

In Wilkes-Barre, a polling station that once held three wards now holds six

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — As expected, Tuesday has brought lower turnout to northeastern Pennsylvania’s polling places as the region still deals with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walking out of the Toyota SportsPlex, Shakeera Davis admitted she was worried about the virus, but said her duty as a voter came first.

“If you don’t have a vote, you don’t have a voice,” she said around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The SportsPlex normally hosts three wards during elections. However, because the county consolidated the number  of voting locations, it held six wards.

Poll workers hustled around the arena, helping residents find their correct ward, and worked through some computer issues. 

Betsy Summers normally runs one ward, but had to run two on Tuesday. 

Even though she spent some of the morning troubleshooting issues, she believed voters were getting a fair chance.

“I’m confident every vote will be counted,” she said.

Just a few blocks from the polling place, a handful of teenagers stood protesting the death of George Floyd.

The protest started when Elyse Rosario and a friend showed up with a sign. A junior at Meyers High School in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, Rosario said she was proud of the crowd that gathered.

“It shows we’re not scared,” she said. Cars honked their horns in support as she talked. 

She and Hailey Wilushewski, 19, another protester said that a few people had shouted at them, but most people seemed supportive. 

Wilushewski has grown up seeing news stories about black men dying at the hands of the police. She rattled off a list of historically racist incidents from the past 400 years before asking, “How many more years does history have to keep repeating?” 

When cars honked, the girls would wave and smile.

Later in the evening, several Wilkes-Barre restaurants and stores closed their doors early amid rumors of a riot.

“The Wilkes-Barre Township police have advised us that they are taking the threat seriously. With that said, we will be closing tonight at 6 p.m.,” Nello’s Pizza said on its Facebook page. “We hope nothing comes to fruiting, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Though info was short, Hummelstown voters made their picks in GOP state House primary

HUMMELSTOWN, Pa. — It doesn’t matter if you live in the eastern or western half of this small borough in between Harrisburg and Hershey — everyone votes at the Hummelstown firehouse.

Around 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, the judges of election for the municipality’s two precincts reported average turnout — as well as a combined 393 mail-in votes.

Western precinct judge of elections Gwen Adams noted confusion from Gov. Tom Wolf’s temporary deadline extension for mail-in voters in six counties, including Dauphin County, home to Hummelstown. 

Wolf announced Monday that ballots postmarked on election day would still count if they were received by 8 p.m. June 9.

Adams said voters “were not prepared” for the new deadline, which also impacted the much larger Pittsburgh and Philadelphia due to Black Lives Matter protests, and weren’t clear on the need to still mail ballots Tuesday..

She added that voters also didn’t understand the new mail-in rules. Some tried to vote in person despite voting requesting a mail-in ballot. Such votes can only cast a provisional ballot — a different process, with more paperwork, Adams noted.

Still, no one has gotten angry despite the confusion, Adams said, “which is really nice when you think about it.”

A key race in this small town is the Republican primary in the 106th state House District. The seat is currently held by GOP Rep. Tom Mehaffie, who has voted against regulatory rollbacks and backed Wolf’s infrastructure plan. He faces two primary challengers — Mimi Legro and Chris Lupp.

Legro is a local township commissioner and former Patriot-News restaurant critic. Lupp is a local school board member.

Three voters leaving the fire station told the Capital-Star they voted for Mehaffie.

“I like ‘em, I’ve met him, I’ve talked to him,” said one voter. He did not elaborate.

Darcy Thompson, another Hummelstown voter, added that he found it “hard to find good information” on the race. She hadn’t been aware of any forums involving the candidates, for example.

She also ended up voting for Mehaffie because of his “voting record,” but could not identify a specific vote she liked.

Steve Groff, a 60-year-old Republican Hummelstown voter, also found researching the candidates difficult. 

He ended up voting for Legro based on campaign mailers and the radio, which left him with the impression that Mehaffie sides with Wolf “habitually.”

Still, he hoped that there was a better way to dig up information on the race.

“If we’re going to get honest elections … somehow, we have to edit out the lies,” he said. For example, he cited legal repercussions for publicly lying.

Just after pulling the lever for Legro, Groff met her for the first time outside the fire station. Legro initially declined an interview request from the Capital-Star, but consented after approaching the reporter.

Legro said she thought she would win, but added that the halt to in-person campaigning hurt her odds. She did knock doors this weekend with Dauphin County beginning to reopen.

“I was looking forward to a debate, but we never had it,” she said. 

She added that she thought she would be the more conservative lawmaker, pointing to union funding for Mehaffie’s campaign.

The race has attracted $250,000 in campaign finance donations, split nearly evenly between Legro and Mehaffie, according to Press and Journal, the local newspaper, — including more than $100,000 to Legro from the conservative Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania.

Erie Co. Democratic leader says city needs to ID cop in viral kicking video and hold them accountable

ERIE, Pa. — Erie County’s Democratic Party chairman has called on city officials to identify and hold accountable the police officer who kicked a protestor while they were on the ground during Saturday’s protest. 

“Violence without justice is tyranny,” local party boss Jim Wertz said in an emailed statement Tuesday. “Whether it is exacted from behind a mask or from behind a badge, violence must be condemned and the perpetrator must be held accountable.” 

The northwestern Pennsylvania city made national headlines after a three-second clip of a city police officer kicking an incapacitated protester during a demonstration late on Saturday night went viral.

Protests started in Erie.. a girl here was peacefully protesting, after 15 minutes she was maced and kicked.. #PoliceBrutality pic.twitter.com/nC6HhXMpCe

— Nick / nak5132 (@the7goonies) May 31, 2020

On Monday, Wertz’s fellow Democrat, Mayor Joseph Schember, condemned the violence that rocked the city over the weekend.

“Let me state this plain and simple,” Schember said in a joint news conference with Erie Police Chief Daniel P. Spizarny Sr. “The actions of the police officer and some of the rioters were wrong and do not reflect who we are in Erie.” 

The officer caught on video assaulting the 21-year-old protester — who was already on the ground after being maced — has not been identified. Nor does Spizarny plan to, he said Monday. 

Schember said there will be a “full investigation” of the incident, as well as the police department’s management of Saturday’s unrest. 

Wertz’s letter echoes a similar call made over the weekend by Lt. Gov. John Fetterman who tweeted: “This level of unnecessary use of force, along with all other instances of it across Pennsylvania yesterday, is unacceptable and diminishes us all. This officer needs identified and held accountable.”

“No human deserves to be blindly abused in the name of law and order,” Wertz said.  

Auditor general race: Ahmad outspends Lamb on TV ads statewide

Democratic auditor general hopeful Nina Ahmad has again proven her spending power in the six-way race to claim the statewide row office seat. 

After self-financing more than $290,000 of her campaign, Ahmad outspent her closest TV ad competitor Michael Lamb by a ratio of 3:1, a member of Lamb’s campaign said via email. 

Dem auditor general hopeful Nina Ahmad loaned more than $290K to her campaign

Here’s a breakdown by market statewide: 

Philadelphia

Broadcast: $397,355

Cable: $30,640

TOTAL: $427,995

Pittsburgh

Broadcast: $93,325

Cable: $21,698

TOTAL: $115,023

Scranton

Cable: $18,242

TOTAL: $18,242

Harrisburg

Cable: $11,270

TOTAL: $11,270

STATEWIDE BROADCAST TOTAL: $490,680

STATEWIDE CABLE TOTAL: $81,850

STATEWIDE TOTAL: $572,530

Election voices: ‘I’m confident every vote will be counted’

I just talked with Betsy Summers, who I used to work with here.
Like every official, I’ve talked to today, she’s voiced some frustrations, but wanted one message to get out: “I’m confident every vote will be counted.”

This primary isn’t easy for the workers, either.

— ⚾️Pat Abdalla? (@PaddyAbs) June 2, 2020

From NEPA

Just spoke with Shakeera Davis, a voter in Wilkes-Barre.
She admitted she was concerned about coronavirus while coming out today, but said, “If you don’t have a vote, you don’t have a voice.”

— ⚾️Pat Abdalla? (@PaddyAbs) June 2, 2020

Across Dauphin County: GOP voter says Trump, assailed by pandemic, foes ‘deserves another chance’

The election judge in Paxtang Borough says they’ve had just over 100 voters as of 2:30 today, a slower stream than usual. pic.twitter.com/gZRaUAhiYA

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) June 2, 2020

She also said she’s had more provisional ballots this year, the result of people who requested VBM ballots showing up to vote in person.

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) June 2, 2020

I asked the family of three (mom and dad and young adult son) if they were excited about any particular race or candidate. They didn’t want to say who they’d voted for, but the dad said “we voted… but I wouldn’t say we were excited about it.”

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) June 2, 2020

Voting has been slow but smooth in this Susquehannna Township precinct, the judge tells me. No hitches yet with the new machines. pic.twitter.com/hEEXZlWpbk

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) June 2, 2020

I caught a Republican coter Jeffrey Smith on his way out of the polls today. He said he votes in every election and came out today even though there weren’t contested Republican races on the ballot.

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) June 2, 2020

Smith said he likes US Rep. Scott Perry, called him “genuine.” Thinks Trump is “an ignorant, arrogant person, who still deserves a second term. “Between the Russian collision [probe], impeachment and COVID, he hasn’t had time to do anything. He needs another chance.”

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) June 2, 2020

Just saw a typo in my second to last tweet: Jeff Smith is a *voter, not a coter.

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) June 2, 2020

State data continued

Also notable: More than 300,000 applications for mail-ballots were counted, but only 201,354 actual ballots have been received so far. #PAPrimary

I followed up with the @PAStateDept to clarify if this is the total number of statewide ballots counted up until today.

— Julia Shanahan (@juliashanahan21) June 2, 2020

Department of State Data

From @PAStateDept mail-in ballot data: The total number of Democratic ballots received is more than twice the amount of Republican ballots received.

The DOS has counted 148,141 Democratic mail-in ballots and 52,341 Republican mail-in ballots. pic.twitter.com/2Q43YR6kM9

— Julia Shanahan (@juliashanahan21) June 2, 2020

On the road in Erie County: For some voters, a concerns about mail-in ballots

Around Erie County:

After voting at my local polling location, I headed to The Salvation Army, a dual polling place in the 2nd district, where I talked to Quhan Knight who was alone, voting for the first time. He chose to vote in person because he felt that #MailInBallots “could get rigged.” 2/x

— hannahmcd0nald (@HannahMcD0nald) June 2, 2020

In Edinboro, Michelle Mills, an Erie County voter, had positioned herself outside a polling location to encourage Republican voters like herself to write in Greg Hayes for GOP nomination as state Rep. “What’s important is that we stand up for what we believe in,” Mills said. 3/x

— hannahmcd0nald (@HannahMcD0nald) June 2, 2020

In Edinboro:

Here, Mills sits with Sophie Ciufo promoting Hayes. 4/x pic.twitter.com/eW3JABsGla

— hannahmcd0nald (@HannahMcD0nald) June 2, 2020

Helping voters:

At 1 p.m., the polling location had seen 77 in-person voters. “Typically speaking, we’re well over a hundred by this point,” Rushing said. “But the #MailInBallots are the question mark because we don’t know how many have been submitted.” 6/x

— hannahmcd0nald (@HannahMcD0nald) June 2, 2020

More from Edinboro:

“We’ve had quite a few people who got #MailInBallots and didn’t return them…which is going to be an arduous thing for the county…they’re going to have more provisional ballots to verify,” said Linda Rummel, the Judge of Elections at a Washington Township polling location. 8/x

— hannahmcd0nald (@HannahMcD0nald) June 2, 2020

And in Crawford County:

For N. Schmidt, he feels strongly about the lack of candidates on the ballot. “There’s not much to vote for,” he said.
“Except of course presidential,” A. Schmidt added.
“Yeah, but that’s kind of already figured out,” N. Schmidt said. Picture featuring A. & N. Schmidt 10/x pic.twitter.com/LdZWbOgH9E

— hannahmcd0nald (@HannahMcD0nald) June 2, 2020

Common Cause fears ‘chilling effect’ on turnout in cities impacted by protests

The anti-police brutality protests that have rocked cities across Pennsylvania, and the heightened police and National Guard presence it’s prompted, could have a “chilling effect” on in-person voter turnout this primary election day, a leading voting rights group said Tuesday.

“We are hearing from partners who have people on the ground that police presence is certainly a chilling factor of being able to cast a ballot,” Suzanne Almeida, the interim executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, told journalists during a conference call.

Almeida said Tuesday that some roads have been blocked or barricaded, making it difficult for voters to get to their polling places. Almeida said she’s heard reports of some precincts that are only accessible right now for bicyclists and people on foot.

Many precincts in Pennsylvania have been consolidated, in some counties by more than 60 percent, due to COVID-19 related building closures. There have been more than 500 calls placed to a Common Cause voter helpline as of 2 p.m., with more than half of those calls from voters who need help finding their polling places, she said.

Almeida said she has also heard reports of polling places in Philadelphia that are completely disregarding social-distancing guidelines, which she said could likely be attributed to crowded precincts due to consolidation.

Philadelphia Jim Kenney imposed a city-wide curfew of 8:30 p.m., 30 minutes after polling places close. Almeida said there also are concerns over polling place workers who will likely need to be at their locations past that curfew and voters who may still be waiting in line. 

On the City of Philadelphia website, it says individuals with “essential duties” will be permitted outdoors past the 8:30 curfew.

Other towns and counties have issued curfews this week, but it is uncertain if those curfews will be in place tonight.

“We’re concerned because we do not have clear guidance as of now from the city to be really explicit with voters and police that there is no threat of arrest if you are dropping off a ballot, or on your way home from dropping off a ballot in a dropbox, or if you’re voting and standing in line, or a poll worker,” Almeida said.

Some precincts have also been experiencing delays in opening, Almeida said, with machines being delivered to some polling places while voters are waiting in line. She said she’s also heard reports of staffing issues, but that there is not a clear connection between staffing issues and the protests.

Almeida said election officials could not start counting the high volume of mail-in ballots until 9 a.m. this morning, and she said there will likely not be results tonight.

Voters can search for their polling place location on the Department of State website.

National Republicans accuse Wolf of ‘overreach’ with order extending mail-in ballot deadline for six Pa. counties

In another sure sign that it’s Election Day, the press releases are flying fast and furiously.

In an emailed statement, the Republican National Committee has accused Gov. Tom Wolf of overreaching with the executive order he signed Monday giving six Pennsylvania counties until June 9 to count an expected flood of mail-in ballots.

Speaking to journalists in Philadelphia on Monday, Wolf cited COVID-19 concerns and continued protests as his reason for extending that deadline, the Capital-Star’s Cassie Miller reported. The impacted counties are Allegheny, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.

In a statement, RNC spokesperson Melissa Reed accused Wolf of violating a state Supreme Court decision requiring mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day. The action, brought by a disability rights’ group, sought to have ballots post-marked by Election Day considered valid.

With the order, Reed charged that “it seems as if … Wolf is completely ignoring the bipartisan 2019 election law that was agreed to in order to allow no-excuse as well as the court decisions that have ruled in favor of Republicans in the following weeks.

Reed said Republicans want “everyone to have the opportunity to vote, but we have an Election Day for a reason. Postponing this deadline would require county election offices to verify ballots for weeks after the election, potentially delaying the outcome and opening the door for unnecessary litigation.”

In a statement, Ken Kroski, a spokesperson for the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, said “there are a number of unprecedented circumstances that have changed the way this primary election is conducted, including new voting machines, increased mail-in ballots, COVID-19, and the disaster emergency declaration in six counties and resulting executive order to extend the deadline for absentee mail-in ballots.”

County officials “continue to remain focused on assuring the integrity and accuracy of every vote in every race in today’s election and will continue their efforts until all the ballots are properly counted,” Kroski said

More from NEPA

I’m at the Toyota Sportsplex in Wilkes-Barre. I used to work here on Election Day. Normally 3 polling places. Today, it has 6. Ward 1 has 175 votes in, including mail-ins, one of the workers said. pic.twitter.com/42frWGOLKN

— ⚾️Pat Abdalla? (@PaddyAbs) June 2, 2020

Mail-in ballot drop off in Lebanon County

Lebanon County Municipal building/courthouse busy with voters dropping off mail-in ballots. pic.twitter.com/TlwAYZw0MV

— Cassie Miller (@Wordsby_CassieM) June 2, 2020

From Lebanon County

Just visited the Palmyra Borough building in Lebanon where Blue Xs mark social distancing between voters. pic.twitter.com/GvkI0lKKTB

— Cassie Miller (@Wordsby_CassieM) June 2, 2020

Some primary voters at polls poo poo mail in voting

EAST PENNSBORO TWP., Pa. — Some voters who walked, drove or taxied to their polling place Tuesday to vote in the June 2 presidential primary had a clear message: They don’t trust mail in-ballots.

“It’s my right” to show up in person, said Nancy Jones, a 69-year old Republican in this West Shore suburb of Harrisburg. “I believe it’s the only safe and secure way to vote.”

She was concerned about a mail in vote being thrown away or not counted, mirroring a concern from other in-person voters interviewed across Harrisburg and its suburbs.

Pennsylvania only approved mail in voting last fall in a bipartisan effort from both Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancster. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, election experts and politicians have pushed to expand mailed ballots to keep people away from polls and voting safely from home.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, has fanned distrust of the format via his Twitter page, claiming without evidence that voting by mail will be “substantially fraudulent.” Twitter itself flagged the tweets as inaccurate.

In fact, both red and blue states, including Oregon and Utah, have held elections entirely by mail for decades. Fraud in these elections is rare, Roll Call, a publication that covers Capitol Hill, reported. 

Studies have found no partisan advantage to mail-in voting, while both Republican and Democratic parties have pushed their voters to take advantage of Pennsylvania’s new laws.

In Camp Hill, Christopher Hans, a 62-year old Republican, said voting in person is “important for your civic duty to show up and make the effort.”

Mail in voting, he said, should be restricted to those with health issues, which he said would be a “very small percentage.”

Across the river in Harrisburg, David Wise, a 66-year old Democrat, walked two minutes to his Midtown polling place. He said he had no concerns about voting by mail ― it’s just more convenient to go himself.

It wasn’t just older individuals showing up in person. Back in East Pennsboro, Beka Jackson, 23, left her polling place after casting a ballot in person.

Jackson, who declined to reveal her affiliation, said she’d voted absentee before when out of state.

“I know that not everyone can vote in person,” she said.

Jackson was even preparing to vote by mail when pandemic started. But with her polling place open, she showed up.

Live, from south Harrisburg

Foose Elementary in south Harrisburg is the new polling place for Shipoke, where state Senate candidate George Scott lives. Scott is trying to unseat Sen. John DiSanto in November. pic.twitter.com/0e4gYhJxyx

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) June 2, 2020

More:

Haven’t seen any presence from Scott’s campaign today, but I did talk to a canvasser for Kevin Maxson’s campaign here. Tara Williams was handing out campaign lit and said she plans to vote in person today because she procrastinated sending out her mail-in ballot.

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) June 2, 2020

And:

Williams said voters have been coming in slowly today. The judge of elections couldn’t come out to talk, but had another poll person tell me there haven’t been any probs with voting machines yet today.

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) June 2, 2020

In W.Pa., Black voters cast ballots in municipal buildings that house police depts.

From the sharp-eyed Chris Potter at WESA-FM in Pittsburgh:

Here's an issue to consider: Voters in a handful of heavily African-American communities are voting at polls inside municipal buildings that ALSO house police. Activist @ErinEKramer says that's a form of violence "after what’s been happening in the country" in the past few days

— Chris Potter (@CPotterPgh) June 2, 2020

And:

"I’m not saying this is intentional, and people are heroes about going out to vote," Kramer says. By the time the protests took place this weekend, it would be too late to move polls anyway. "But the results are damning. We have a lot of work to do between now and November."

— Chris Potter (@CPotterPgh) June 2, 2020

More from the great northwest

Erie Correspondent Hannah Miller reports:

They attribute the low in-person turnout to a rise in #MailInVoting

— hannahmcd0nald (@HannahMcD0nald) June 2, 2020

And:

At a McKean polling location, 10% of the 2,900 registered voters in the district have voted so far today.

“Some people are determined the presidential election is a done deal,” said Judge of Elections, which is potentially motivating people not to vote in #PAPrimary.

— hannahmcd0nald (@HannahMcD0nald) June 2, 2020

So what’s it like being a poll worker, anyway?

Elizabeth Hardison chatted with some poll workers about their jobs and what they do on Election Day:

Had a long talk with the judge of elections here at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, the polling place for twin precincts in uptown HBG. Robert Hawley said he’s got lots of new poll workers on the job today, but they’re managing in part thanks to the big volume of mail-in ballots pic.twitter.com/5TBWF94hFD

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) June 2, 2020

Poll workers here make $130/day, he told me. We did the math and that works out just over $8/hr when taking into account set up and disassembly before and after polls close.

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) June 2, 2020

More:

Also spoke with a woman named Shantay Gillespie, who came to vote with her very cute toddler son. “With everything going on, I made myself come out here. I have a baby so I have to think about the future.” Says she voted for Kevin Maxson, a Dem challenger to state Rep. Patty Kim

— Elizabeth Hardison (@elizhardison) June 2, 2020

In Beaver County, older voters say they don’t trust mail-in ballots

From the Beaver County Times’ ace political reporter J.D. Prose:

Visited some Beaver County polling places this morning w/@Maxsonkolodziej & turnout is extremely light. Mostly older voters who say they don’t trust mail-in ballots & are not concerned about COVID-19. Mix of D&R.

— J.D. Prose Sr. (@jdprose) June 2, 2020

‘This will be the lowest turnout election we’ve seen in decades’

Are we on track to the lowest turn-out primary election in memory? The early signs here in Democrat-friendly Camp Hill are certainly pointing that way.

Polling places in three, separate locations were all but deserted at mid-morning on Tuesday. At Camp Hill’s 4th District, which occupies one half of Prosser Hall, a normally cavernous meeting room in borough hall, just 29 of the district’s 786 voters had turned out by 11 a.m., an election judge told me this morning.

Democrat Sean Quinlan, who’s in a three-way primary for the 87th House District seat held by Republican Rep. Greg Rothman, says that with the profusion of mail-in ballots, “this will be the lowest turnout election we’ve seen in decades.”

David Buell, a local Republican committeeman, told me that about 20 percent of Cumberland County’s registered voters had mailed in ballots, with Democrats commanding a 60-40 advantage of that tally, based on the most recent numbers that he’d seen.

A similar scene played out a few blocks away at the Cleve Frederiksen Library, where a pair of campaign volunteers mostly had themselves for company. A trickle of voters came and went during my brief stop there.

At Frederiksen Library in Camp Hill, some signs of the season #PAPrimary pic.twitter.com/YgXw0hPrWi

— ByJohnLMicek (@ByJohnLMicek) June 2, 2020

Across town, at Hoover Elementary School, just 45 voters had shown up by 11:45 a.m., a GOP poll volunteer told me.

If Buell is correct, and Democrats do, in fact, have the mail-in balloting edge in a suburban county that President Donald Trump carried in 2016, but has trended steadily purple ever since, that could spell trouble for both Trump and vulnerable GOP candidates down the ballot, including U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-10th District, who’s a fixture on this year’s list of vulnerable incumbents.

An update from Erie

At Kingsley Methodist Church polling location on W. 9th Street in #Erie, a poll worker tells me only 20 people have voted in person before 11:15 a.m. #PAPrimary

— hannahmcd0nald (@HannahMcD0nald) June 2, 2020

An update from NEPA

So at 9:30 this morning the Greenwood Hose Company in Moosic had fewer than 50 in-person votes. More than 500 mail-ins were sent out.

— ⚾️Pat Abdalla? (@PaddyAbs) June 2, 2020

That’s a first

Can honestly say that, in nearly 30 years of covering elections, in 4 states and 2 time zones, this is the first time this has happened. #PAPrimary

— ByJohnLMicek (@ByJohnLMicek) June 2, 2020

Voter Turnout in Cumberland Co.

At Frederiksen Library, an election judge declines to comment when asked about turnout and how many voters reside in the precinct. Refers questions to county Board of Elections.

— ByJohnLMicek (@ByJohnLMicek) June 2, 2020

‘I was never expecting this kind of rush’: The picture in central Pa.

Reporting from across Harrisburg and Cumberland County, Stephen Caruso has the latest picture on the ground:

Since arriving, I've seen a steady trickle of people showing up to polls — including one older women delivered by taxi.

— Stephen Caruso (@StephenJ_Caruso) June 2, 2020

"I was never expecting any kind of rush during the day, and this was kinda a rush," says Dan Fulton, election judge in a Midtown Harrisburg precinct. He had to step away from the interview multiple times to process voters.

— Stephen Caruso (@StephenJ_Caruso) June 2, 2020

The GOP response: Biden was ‘hiding in his basement’

(*This post has been updated to correct an attribution error)

The Republican National Committee* has sent out this statement in response to ex-Veep Joe Biden’s appearance in Philadelphia this morning:

“Joe Biden spent days hiding in his basement while the country was rocked to its core. When Joe Biden and his team finally emerged, their initial reaction was to bail out the criminals that burned, looted and destroyed Minneapolis. While livelihoods were decimated, the Biden team was focused on raising money to bail out the criminals arrested. President Donald Trump was focused on restoring peace and pursuing justice for George Floyd and the victims of the violence. A stark contrast in values,” spokesperson Melissa Reed said.

Joe Biden campaigns in Philadelphia: ‘The country is crying out for leadership’

Former Vice President Joe Biden is campaigning in Philadelphia on this primary election day. The presumptive Democratic nominee has been steadily ramping up his public schedule over the last few days, trying to present himself as a credible alternative to President Donald Trump at a time of great crisis in the nation.

Though he’s the only candidate left on the ballot, Democratic primary voters can also choose from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, of Hawaii, as they either vote in person, or post their mail-in ballots today.

Here’s Biden, via MSNBC:

Joe Biden: "The country is crying out for leadership. Leadership that can unite us. Leadership that brings us together. Leadership that can recognize pain and deep grief of communities that have had a knee on their neck for a long time." pic.twitter.com/EJMVcKLN64

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 2, 2020