‘My duty to vote.’ Centre County residents head to the polls for PA midterm election

Thousands of Centre County residents headed to the polls on Tuesday to vote in a midterm election that’s in the spotlight across the country.

With governor, U.S. Senator and state and U.S. representatives on the ballot, poll workers and election officials at several locations across the county said voting was steady throughout the day with some peaks in early morning and lunchtime.

Centre County Commissioner Michael Pipe said late Tuesday afternoon that some polling places had seen high turnouts but that things have been running smoothly. Centre County received 15,199 returned mail-in ballots as of Monday afternoon, with the vote-by-mail room at the Penn Stater Conference Center up and running at 7 a.m. Tuesday to begin pre-canvassing ballots. At 8:01 p.m. Tuesday — just after the polls close — teams of county officials will begin tabulating all eligible votes.

“We’re going to get results out as quickly as we can, but we are asking people to have patience as we get those results out today and tomorrow in the coming days,” Pipe said.

Many polling places were preparing for another surge of voters around 5 p.m. but were already surprised by the voter turnout. Joe Kowalski, election judge at State College’s Southeast precinct, said the precinct had already hit 50% voter turnout by early afternoon. Kowalski predicted that voter turnout at the precinct could hit 2020 presidential election numbers.

Below is a look at polling places across Centre County during the midterm election.

Too young to vote, but not to volunteer

Some of the youngest people at State College East 3 precinct were not voters at all but poll workers.

Noah Aberegg, Olivia Aberegg and Lauren Benner were three Bellefonte Area High School students who volunteered to work the poll as part of their government class. Although they’re unable to vote, they said the process has been more complex than they imagined.

“You have to triplicate the documents and sign like 5,000 spots,” Noah Aberegg said.

Despite the copious paperwork, the trio said they were enjoying helping with the election process and said everyone should learn how polling works.

Penn State students exercise ‘duty to vote’

Always a magnet for student activity, the HUB-Robeson Center at Penn State was filled with students lining up to vote, some for the very first time. Penn State sophomore Max Harrison was one of the brand-new voters, lining up to check registration and fill in his ballot.

“I think it’s definitely my duty to vote as a citizen and as a student here in Centre County and I’m excited,” Harrison said.

NextGen, the Democratic PAC that promotes young voter turnout, was stationed outside the building encouraging students to vote. Student-run tables promoting Senate candidates Mehmet Oz and John Fetterman stood on either side of the hallway leading into the polls.

Tori Kovalchick, a Penn State junior who voted by mail, said she voted protect abortion access and public education.

“People have consistently said it really is the most important election of our lifetime,” Kovalchick said. “I think it’s absolutely going to determine the direction of democracy in America from here on out.”

Abortion rights draw voters

At five polling stations across Centre County, eight people said a vital issue was reproductive rights and access to abortion.

Shauna Bianchi, a voter at the Haines Township precinct, said her own experience with abortion influenced her vote. Biacnchi said she felt afraid to share her story because of the stigma surrounding abortion despite her procedure being medically necessary after a miscarriage.

“I think every woman should have that right, especially if it’s affecting the mother or if something is wrong,” Bianchi said. “I don’t feel like it should be something people are afraid to talk about.”

Abby Minor, a local abortion activist, was also at the Haines Township polling precinct. She spoke about reproductive rights and how voting is just one part of advocating for reproductive rights. Minor said people publicly speaking about their own experiences with abortion is a long-term way to change public conceptions.

“I feel like all we can ever do is tell our stories and make sure people are basing their opinions on accurate information,” Minor said.

Lifelong voters

Lifelong voters John and Carolyn Bellanti said they feel that the democratic process has come under heavy strain and scrutiny in recent years. They empathized with poll workers across the county who have faced threats leading up to the elections

“For a democracy to work you have to have citizens on a nonpartisan basis doing this job,” Carolyn Bellanti said.

Eunice Troxell, a voter in Haines Township, also voiced her support for the electoral system and Centre County’s election workers.

“We need to trust our system,” Troxell said. “It’s worked for all these years. Why would it now all of a sudden not work?”