Pa.’s top election official reports a ‘very smooth’ election

An hour after polls closed, Pennsylvania’s top election official reported a “very smooth election” with no “major or widespread incidents.

“I can say confidently that Pennsylvania election officials are among the best at what they do,” acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid told reporters during a press conference at the Capitol.

The Department of State, which has election oversight, answered more than 788 calls to the voter information hotline, Degraffenreid said. In total, state election officials responded to and monitored 76 issues — “which is just slightly more than this year’s primary and consistent with the 2020 primary and both elections in 2019,” she added.

“There were no widespread or unusual issues, but there were some of the same isolated issues that are seen in every election,” Degraffenreid said, citing electioneering in polling places and late precinct openings.

Montgomery County extended voting hours at two polling locations due to an equipment delivery error that delayed voting, and an electronic poll book issue in Lehigh County.

She added: “In cases where voters filed complaints with us, we have directed those to county election officials, and the counties are following up with those voters.”