Centre County voters head to the polls for the 2021 Pennsylvania primary election

The 2021 primary election in Centre County looked different for everyone on Tuesday — some seasoned voters, some working the polls all day behind plastic barriers, others having filled out mail-in ballots with no need to visit a physical polling location.

But what many voters have in common is the desire for change or representation, as well as a passion for local politics. Ballots across Centre County included council and supervisors races, school board candidates and more. And all registered Pennsylvania voters, regardless of political party, were able to weigh in on four ballot questions, including two proposed constitutional amendments.

State College Friends Meeting polling place worker Jacob Henry, 18, said he experienced a slow day, having only helped 13 people in his precinct from about 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A student at Bellefonte Area High School, Tuesday was Henry’s first time working at a polling place. He decided to volunteer because of experience with politics in high school, as well as voting being a civic duty.

“Sure, national politics affect the entire scale,” he said. “But local politics is the thing that you’re going to see in your day to day life.”

Cindy Angelone, 65, has lived in State College for 29 years. And in that time, she said she has probably voted in 75% of local elections.

On Tuesday, she voted by dropping her ballot off in the drop-off box outside of the State College Municipal Building. The Centre County Elections Office sent 10,533 mail-in or absentee ballots to voters, compared to 33,057 that were returned for the November 2020 general election.

Angleone said she votes because of the real potential local elections have to make a difference, as she feels local politics more directly affect her and the State College community than national politics.

Still, Angelone said she doesn’t think many people recognize how critical these smaller elections can be.

“It’s not just like a party affiliation,” she said. “Who’s going to represent you in matters that you care about?”

Former Penn State Study Body President Zachary McKay, 22, also emphasized the importance of thinking deeper than party lines.

“Some students might show up and think, ‘Oh, I belong to this political party. So (this candidate in the same party) must be great,’” McKay said. “And the truth is, they’re not. That candidate just understands that the majority of their constituents are Democrats as well.”

McKay, who mailed in his ballot, accompanied his girlfriend Nora Van Horn to the State College Friends Meeting polling location on Tuesday.

Both McKay and Van Horn stressed the importance of casting an educated vote, especially for students.

“Do you want to implement changes within the local community? Well, it depends on your capacity to do so, which depends on who’s in office,” Van Horn said. “So why vote? Because it enables you to enact tangible changes — or disables you.”

McKay said that mail-in voting is a great way for students who aren’t able to vote in person, though he said he wished more students would take advantage of the “untapped resource.”

“For students ... (local politicians) are the ones who will make or break the downtown experience for you,” McKay said. “They can set various ordinances that help students get by. They’re the ones who bring about the most front-facing programs for students.”

McKay added, “There’s no election that’s unimportant.”

Celeste Good, a 22-year-old Penn State student, was also headed to the polls Tuesday, after she met with friend and fellow activist Shih-In Ma.

By voting, Good said she feels like she’s able to have some influence over the larger political systems in America. Though she added that this influence doesn’t always seem to show.

“I think the people in power should also resemble the population, and that’s just not a thing,” she said. “Where do I see myself represented in the borough as a queer Asian person? I don’t see that.”

Bellefonte resident Ma, 63, said she has voted in every election since she was eligible.

“I’m of the opinion, if you don’t vote, you don’t have a right to complain,” Ma said. “And I think there’s a lot of things that could be improved. So I vote.”

How to find election results

Visit CentreDaily.com for full coverage of races across Centre County.