Centre County saw its highest turnout for a non-presidential election in at least 25 years as voters cast their ballots for governor, senator, congressman and state representative on Tuesday and by mail in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
According to the Centre County Office of Elections and Voter Registration, 61,898 of the county’s 107,425 registered voters — or 57.62% — cast ballots in the 2022 midterm. That was slightly higher than the 54.86% who voted in the 2018 election and the most of any midterm election dating back to 1998, the earliest date for which the elections office has records available online.
Since 1996, only presidential election years saw higher voter turnout.
About a quarter of Centre County voters cast their ballots by no-excuse-required mail or absentee ballot, which percentage-wise was less than the 31% in the 2021 municipal election and the 42% in the 2020 presidential election, the first general election with universal mail voting available in Pennsylvania.
In the statewide races for governor and U.S. senator, Centre County’s unofficial results tracked closely to the totals across the commonwealth, according to the unofficial count.
For governor and lieutenant governor, 57.2% of Centre County ballots were cast for the Democratic ticket of Josh Shapiro and Austin Davis, with the Republican ticket of Doug Mastriano and Carrie DelRosso receiving 40.8%. Statewide, Shapiro/Davis garnered 56.3% to Mastriano/DelRosso’s 41.91%
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman won 52.1% in Centre County against Republican Mehmet Oz, who took 45.2%. Statewide, the race went 51.01% for Fetterman and 46.57% for Oz.
In the 18-county 15th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, cruised to reelection with 70% of the vote against Democrat Mike Molesevich. In Centre County, Thompson’s margin was much smaller with 50.39% of the vote.
The only other multi-county race on Centre County ballots was for the Pennsylvania House 171st District. Incumbent and House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, won 72.09% of the vote against Millheim Democrat Robert Zeigler in the district covering parts of Centre and Mifflin County. In Centre County, Benninghoff had 65.32% to Zeigler’s 34.46%
Here’s a look at Centre County vote totals for governor, U.S. senator, U.S. representative, and state House representatives Results are unofficial until certified.
GOVERNOR
DEM Josh Shapiro 35,230 (57.23%)
REP Doug Mastriano 25,124 (40.81%)
LIB Matt Hackenburg 648 (1.05%)
KEY Joe Soloski 294 (0.48%)
GRN Christina DiGiulio 207 (0.34%)
Write-In Totals 58
Total Votes Cast 61,561
(Statewide: Shapiro 56.30%, Mastriano 41.91%)
U.S. Senator
DEM John Fetterman 32,076 (52.1%)
REP Mehmet Oz 27,820 (45.18%)
LIB Erik Gerhardt 832 (1.35%)
GRN Richard L. Weiss 370 (0.60%)
KEY Daniel Wassmer 354 (0.58%)
Write-In Totals 112
Total Votes Cast 61,564
(Statewide: Fetterman 51.01%, Oz 46.57%)
15th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
REP Glenn “GT” Thompson 30,855 (50.39%)
DEM Mike Molesevich 30,279 (49.45%)
Write-In Totals 101
Total Votes Cast 61,235
(Districtwide: Thompson 69.97%, Molesevich 30.03%)
REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 77th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
DEM Scott Conklin 14,641 (61.88%)
REP Steve Yetsko 8,977 (37.94%)
Write-In Totals 41
Total Votes Cast 23,659
REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 82nd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
DEM Paul Takac 12,588 (55.97%)
REP Justin Behrens 9,836 (43.73%)
Write-In Totals 67
Total Votes Cast 22,491
REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 171st LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
REP Kerry Benninghoff 9,666 (65.32%)
DEM Robert Zeigler 5,099 (34.46%)
Write-In Totals 34
Total Votes Cast 14,799
(Districtwide: Benninghoff 72.09%, Zeigler 27.91%)
