Conklin trails in Pa. auditor general primary; Centre County continues to count mail-in ballots
The polls have closed, but Centre County residents will have to wait for complete totals as officials on Wednesday began to tally over 19,000 mail-in ballots cast in Pennsylvania’s primary election.
Rescheduled due to COVID-19, Tuesday’s primary marked the first election where voters could vote by mail in Pennsylvania without needing to qualify for an absentee ballot.
The county elections office sent out 22,070 absentee and mail-in ballots and received 19,114 back from voters. According to county data updated Tuesday, 13,678 Democrats voted by mail, and 5,436 Republicans cast their vote by mail. Out of 89,121 registered eligible Centre County voters, 13,487 ballots were cast in-person on Tuesday.
With 93% of precincts reporting statewide, unofficial results show a loss for state Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, who was in a six-way race for the Democratic nomination for auditor general. Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb was leading the race as of Wednesday afternoon, though it is too close to call. Dauphin County Controller Timothy DeFoor ran unopposed on the Republican ticket.
Conklin is unopposed for his seat in the House for the 77th Legislative District.
Former vice president Joe Biden won the Democratic race for president, while President Donald Trump won on the Republican side.
All other races on the ballot, including the 12th and 15th congressional districts and seats for state representatives, were uncontested.
Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar told reporters that more than a million Pennsylvania voters have cast ballots by mail. She added that results could be delayed as elections officials tally the results, according to The Associated Press.
County elections staff began counting mail-in ballots at 7 a.m. Tuesday, but due to an increased volume of absentee and mail-in ballots, the official results are expected to be completed no later than June 10.
This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 3:19 PM.
