It would be hard not to know, with all the talk, political signs and advertisements, but in case anyone missed it, there is an election scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 6, and if all the chatter is any indication, there looks to be a large turnout this time around.
With big local and state races being contested, including the seat for Pennsylvania governor, there is a lot at stake, and the Centre County Board of Elections is working to make things go smoothly at the polls.
In Centre County, there are four state House and state Senate spots up for grabs. And, after redistricting split the county into two districts, there are two congressional races to keep an eye on.
Ballots will include five choices for most voters: U.S. Senate, U.S. representative in Congress, Pennsylvania governor, state senator and state representative in the General Assembly. The only unopposed race is for the state assembly seat in the 77th district that state Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, has held since 2007.
The high-stakes races and high tension means the number of voters at the polling place could increase. If the number of absentee ballots is any indicator, there may be more people at the polls than in past mid-term elections.
Centre County elections director Joyce McKinley said the county received 3,000 absentee ballots as of Oct. 26, which is double the 1,500 ballots received for the last gubernatorial election in 2014. McKinley added that there could be many reasons why the county has received more absentee ballots this time around, but she said that it could be an indication that there may be more voters coming out this year.
McKinley said the office plans for all elections in the same manner and said that things should look the same at the polls. Heavier traffic is typically found at the polls early in the morning before work and then after 4 p.m., when people are done for the day. She said it is a shorter ballot this year and that may make for a quick trip to the ballot box. New voters will be required to show identification at the polls.
The Centre County Board of Elections released a statement Oct. 30 reassuring the public about the security of the elections and letting them know that each vote will be properly counted.
According to a press release from county executive assistant Natalie Bird, “A recent nationwide poll showed nearly 80 percent of Americans are at least somewhat concerned that the nation’s voting machine systems might be vulnerable to hackers. However, Centre County’s voting machines do not, and cannot, connect to the Internet in any way and there is nothing to suggest our machines have ever been tampered with. All of our county’s voting machines are maintained by a strict, document chain of custody from beginning to end.
Before each election the machines are programmed, tested and sealed and backup machines are prepared in case of a malfunction. Each polling location is equipped with an emergency plan and has a scripted procedure to follow in the event of a suspected machine malfunction. We will continue to maintain the strictest security standards for our elections making sure that every vote is accurately counted.”
McKinley said they have not heard from many voters who were concerned about the changes caused by redistricting, and she thinks that candidates have gotten the word out “pretty good” concerning who is running in each district.
Voters who are interesting in learning more about the candidates can visit the Centre County Gazette website and read profiles on many of the local candidates.
Voter who may be unsure about which races they are voting in can preview sample ballots and view the polling place locator at the county website, www.centrecountypa.gov.
