Western Pa. voters cast their ballots amid expected record voter turnout

Polling places are closed for in-person voting across Pennsylvania, a swing state that will play a pivotal role in determining who will be the next president.

Officials expected a record turnout of voters Tuesday amid a National Weather Service forecast of sunny skies with a high in the low 80s.

Thousands had already cast their ballots in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

Westmoreland elections bureau Director Greg McCloskey said he expected between 85% and 90% of the county’s 255,000 registered voters to cast a ballot in some way. As of Monday afternoon, 87% of the 61,000 requested mail-in ballots had been returned, he said. Voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election was 81%.

“I really think that we’re going to see a little bit more than that this year,” said Commissioner Doug Chew.

In Allegheny County, turnout was expected to hit around 70% to 75% of the county’s 953,000 registered voters, according to spokesperson Abigail Gardner. Nearly 84% of the 257,650 requested mail-in ballots had been returned as of Monday afternoon. Voter turnout during the 2020 presidential election was 77%.

More on the election

• Scanning glitch causes voting to be extended until 10 p.m. in Cambria County
• Will this be the warmest Election Day ever?
• Election HQ: A Pennsylvania voter guide to 2024 election

Carrick problem

Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Quentin Roosevelt School polling place in Carrick after voters reported three people blocking entrance to the polls around 6:30 p.m. A judge signed an order to arrest those or any other persons limiting access to polls, but they were gone by the time deputies arrived, according to Sheriff Department spokesman Mike Manko.

The deputies were to remain at that precinct until the close of voting at 8 p.m.

County outlooks

Democratic volunteer Dennis McDermott said there was a line out the door as polls opened at Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside. He said the line had thinned by 8:30 a.m., but there was still a healthy stream of voters.

In a social media post Tuesday morning, Allegheny County officials reported all 1,327 precincts were open.

As of 7 am, all 1327 precincts are open for Election Day. Over 200 county workers have sworn in at the warehouse and are beginning the process of pre-canvassing the more than 215,000 mail in ballots that have already been returned. Voters can continue to hand in mail in ballots…

— Allegheny County (@Allegheny_Co) November 5, 2024

As of 2:20 p.m., all outer envelopes of the more than 215,000 mail-in ballots have been opened, Gardner said. The inner envelopes are also opened and the 200+ county workers are extracting the actual ballots and scanning for tabulation has begun. Results will not be posted until after 8 p.m.

Military and overseas mail-in ballots will be accepted for another week. In Allegheny County, 3,788 overseas ballots were sent and 2,165 have been returned as of this morning; 521 military ballots were sent and 268 have been returned.

Voters can continue to hand in mail-in ballots at the County Office Building until 8 p.m., and the post office will continue to deliver ballots to the warehouse throughout the day. Voters who applied for and received a mail-in ballot but want to vote in person at the polls must bring their ballot and larger declaration envelope to the precinct to be voided.

If you have a mail-in or absentee ballot and decide to vote in person instead, you must bring the entire ballot to the polling place. A poll worker will write “spoiled” or “surrendered” on the ballot to indicate that it is no longer a valid ballot. The ballot and the declaration…

— Allegheny County (@Allegheny_Co) November 5, 2024

Fewer mail-in ballots were requested this year than in the 2020 presidential election. Mail-in or absentee ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. Tuesday, either dropped off in person at the county election office or another designated location.

In Westmoreland County, election officials said Tuesday morning that the counting of mail-in ballots was well underway in a loud room on the first floor of the County Courthouse in Greensburg. In assembly line fashion, county workers confirmed the names on submissions and sent the envelopes through machines for the ballots to be removed and tallied.

Statewide, 2.2 million mail-in ballots had been requested and 1.8 million had been returned as of Monday afternoon.

Mt. Lebanon disruption

There were a few unsettling moments Tuesday evening in Mt. Lebanon at the Howe Elementary School polling station.

Voters inside and 5th graders staffing a bake sale outside were startled by an unidentified male who set off what appeared to be a smoke bomb on the ground about 5 p.m.

He ranted about illegal immigrants coming to the U.S. and then disappeared on foot, witnesses said. Police later arrived at the school,

One witness, Gretchen Barton, said “all of a sudden there was a plume of hot pink smoke coming up from the ground. [He] started saying illegals are crossing the border.”

Barton, 43, of Mt. Lebanon, said people were “stunned and confused.”

“There were a whole bunch of kids nearby with a bake sale,” she said. “It was a pretty jerky move.”

Lori Haller, 39, Mt Lebanon, also saw the incident.

”It was unsettling,” Haller said, “having somebody yelling and doing something like that.”

Laura Pace Lilley, a Mt. Lebanon spokesperson, said she had no information about the incident and referred questions to the Allegheny County sheriff.

The sheriff’s office responds to issues at polling places at the request of election officials, the court or to back up local police if there is potential criminal activity.

Mike Manko, a spokesman for the sheriff, said Mt. Lebanon police alerted their office to the incident, but since no suspect was identified, no further action was immediately taken.

Judge of elections walks out

A judge of elections at one of the Greensburg precincts walked out on the job Tuesday after reportedly feeling disrespected by voters, McCloskey said.

The minority inspector was sworn in to take over judge of election duties.

“We’re covered, he was just fed up and left,” McCloskey said.

Remove the badges

Poll watchers working for the state Democratic party may not wear “Voter Protection” badges inside of polling locations, a judge ruled Tuesday afternoon.

Russell Giancola, an attorney representing the Republican party, argued in Allegheny County Election Court that the badges are misleading voters.

With the words “PA DEMS” in small letters at the top, the badge reads “VOTER PROTECTION,” and has a hotline number listed on it.

“They’re creating the impression these poll watchers are, in fact, county employees,” Giancola argued. “They are poll watchers on behalf of the Democratic party.”

John Gotaskie, who represented the Democrats in the argument, said they’ve worn the badges in previous elections, and that no actual voter had complained.

“There’s no confusion here,” he said. “The entire argument is hearsay.”

But Common Pleas Judge John T. McVay, said that he was ordering that the badges be prohibited out of an abundance of caution.

According to Pennsylvania Department of State guidance: “Watchers may not engage in electioneering while inside the polling place, which includes wearing apparel or accessories that signify support for a candidate or party.”

Open late

Polling locations in two Pennsylvania counties are staying open late for glitches and mishaps. Read about it here.

Voters share different takes

In Hempfield, Melanie Trout and her daughter, Emma Rodgers, said they have spent months discussing the election — grappling with the seemingly impossible decision they had to make.

A lifelong Democrat, Trout did not consider a vote for Harris a given. “Mostly the issue in Gaza was my biggest thing that I had to get over,” Trout, 46, said in reference to the Israel-Hamas conflict. “I really had a hard time voting for Kamala at first.”

Rodgers, 21, debated voting for a third-party candidate. “It’s my first time voting in a presidential election,” said the Seton Hill senior. “I vote in all the local ones, but I ultimately decided to vote for Harris because I feel that would have more of an impact. That was a pretty recent final decision that we made.”

Trout and Rodgers drove out to the Hempfield Township Athletic Complex on Forbes Trail in the morning to cast their vote for Harris, who they consider more level-headed and intelligent than Trump.

Rodgers said basic human rights and the foundation of American government is at stake in this election. “I would be worried about just kind of the basis of our government system and democracy,” she said.

That’s why Trout was able to put aside her disagreements with Harris’ stance on the conflict in Gaza. “Not to be ‘America first,’” she said, “but I feel like … the foundations of our government and our freedom is really at stake right now.”

Mary Skirpan mirrored the sentiment but from a different side of the political aisle.

“I mean, America just isn’t going to be the America it was founded for,” said Skirpan, 64, of Hempfield.

Skirpan was never interested in politics — until Trump ran for president in 2016.

“He wasn’t a politician, and he was for the people and not in there for life-term politics,” she said. “(He) gave our country a change that was badly needed.”

Her husband, Keith Skirpan, voted for Trump because he believes the former president upheld a strong track record during his first term.

“I just feel like too many politicians are that — politicians,” said Keith Skirpan, 66. “It was refreshing to just have someone who spoke their mind and knew exactly where he stood, no matter what. It wasn’t a mystery.”

Quincey Reese | TribLive

Mary and Keith Skirpan of Hempfield cast their ballots at the township’s athletic complex on Forbes Trail on Tuesday.

A Harris victory would mean “total chaos in our country,” said Mary Skirpan.

First-time voter Derrick Johnson, 43, of New Kensington said he cast his ballot for Harris at AK Research Park, the former Alcoa research center along Freeport Road.

Johnson said Harris was something different from Trump, and he liked her message more than Trump’s. He said advertisements of Harris wanting to cut taxes for the middle class got him interested in voting. Regardless, he said he is praying for the best.

“I just liked what I heard more on the Kamala Harris side,” he said.

At the Dennison precinct along Frye Farm Road in Unity, Wendy Ulishney and Peter Maida were among those who cast votes for Donald Trump in the presidential race.

Both have supported Trump in the past.

This time, Ulishney said, border security was of most importance to her.

“We need to stop all the illegals coming in,” she said. “I think he’ll do that.”

Maida, who owns the independent Norvelt Pharmacy, said he doesn’t think anyone, including Trump, has found a way to solve the dilemma his industry faces because of payments from customers’ insurance plans that fall short of medication costs.

But, he said, he voted for conservative candidates to “save America from socialism. We’ve got a lot of issues, and we have to project strength.”

He added, “Whoever wins fairly , you’ve got to back them. If you don’t respect the person, you respect the office.”

Lara D., 26, who did not want to reveal her full last name, and her sister, Carmen, 18, said they both voted for Kamala Harris for president at the Unity precinct, primarily because they didn’t want to see Trump re-elected.

Lara, a former Republican, advertised her current allegiance, wearing a hat and shirt endorsing the Harris campaign.

She said she voted for all Democratic candidates on the ticket because she is concerned about “protecting women’s bodily autonomy and also bringing normalcy back to politics.”

Carmen, voting for the first time, said she had similar priorities, including “keeping Donald Trump out and hoping he’ll stay out.”

‘Ready for everything to be over’

Outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse along North Pennsylvania Avenue, friends Sandy Conyette and Vicki Bitens walked to get breakfast together after casting their votes at their polling place nearby.

Conyette, 69, said she’s known for a couple months that she was going to support Harris. She based her decision on what the candidates intend to do if elected. “Not so much the ads but the policies,” she said. “Some ads turn me off more than they turn me on.”

Bitens, 68, agreed. “Last night, I was ready for everything to be over,” she said. “If you don’t know who you’re voting for by now, forget it.”

Both think a loss for Harris means hardship for the country and lots of prayers for the next four years.

“I just like the way my candidate presented things,” Bitens said. “I just liked her more.”

In decades past, the women said presidential candidates presented their thoughts on issues and elections had fewer attacks on the opposing party.

“It was more dignified, that’s what I miss,” Conyette said.

‘Everybody’s stressed’

Alisa Omelchenko, who started her day by voting for Harris at a Hazelwood church, said she’s tired of the election noise.

“I’m getting all of the texts, I’m getting all of the mail — I didn’t realize how a lot of the mail is hateful,” said Omelchenko, 29, of Hazelwood, a full-time research assistant working on her doctoral dissertation in biology at the University of Pittsburgh. “I’m staying off the grid today. Today’s not going to solve anything.”

Omelchenko said reproductive rights and the overturning of Roe v. Wade heavily influenced her vote.

“As a woman, seeing other women literally be denied care when they need it, dying or bleeding out in hospitals, that is very shocking,” she said. “(Harris) is not the perfect candidate. But I can’t do another four years with Trump.”

Another woman voting in Hazelwood also said she disliked the idea of a second Trump term.

“I didn’t like what Trump did when he was in office, and I don’t want that again,” said Sarai Elvira, 38, a homemaker and mother who grew up in Arizona and has been living in Hazelwood for 10 years.

Elvira, who is Native American, said she wanted to get to the polls before 9 a.m.

“Honestly, I just wanted to get it out of the way,” she laughed. “Everybody’s stressed. Everybody’s freaking out. But you have to go, vote, do your part.”

In Homewood, the second floor of the library serves as a voting hub. Wildena Thompson, a poll worker there, said, “I wanted to make sure we get equal rights in this world and that we elect the right president who will help us, not harm us.” pic.twitter.com/gUaZiyeAbj

— Shaylah L. Brown (@shaylah_brown) November 5, 2024

Ed King said he voted for Harris.

The Allegheny Health Network employee said he voted, in part, to voice opposition to divisiveness in America that he worries is getting out of control.

“I feel this division in our country — which has gotten massive and rancorous — is because people are afraid. They’re terrified,” said King, 56, who lives on the border between Hazelwood and Greenfield. “The reason I voted is because people are (ticked off), and the government is not working.”

By 9 a.m., more than 50 people had voted at Center of Life Keystone Church on Hazelwood Avenue, a few blocks from the neighborhood’s business district, according to poll workers there.

Some Pittsburghers who voted at the Carnegie Library of Homewood said fulfilling a civic duty is important to them.

“I always try to make it my business to go vote,” said Ashley Jackson, 35, of Homewood, as she walked out of the Hamilton Avenue library.

Jackson, a registered Democrat who voted for Harris, said she’s been trying to avoid news coverage of the race.

“I try not to pay attention to the media — it puts an influence on us,” she said. “I’m the type of person who wants to hear from the horse’s mouth.”

Homewood resident Robert Yancey said no particular issue drove him to the polls. He votes every year. And every time there’s a presidential race, he votes for the Democrat.

“I’m not a politician, really,” said Yancey, 52, a sous chef at the University of Pittsburgh. “I just get out here.”

Election Court updates

Although the seventh-floor courtroom in the City-County Building in Downtown Pittsburgh is packed with attorneys, so far, few cases have made their way to Election Court.

“It’s going very smoothly, very well,” said Assistant County Solicitor Dennis Biondo. “It’s the types of things we hear every year.”

Early Tuesday morning, the sheriff’s office was sent to the home of a judge of elections who failed to show up to open the polling location at Lincoln Place Presbyterian Church. The sheriff went to retrieve the election equipment and take it to the church to open.

In the early afternoon, Common Pleas Judge John T. McVay signed a court order requiring Moon Area High School to halt intermittent fire alarm testing that was occurring in the lobby of the school cafeteria that serves as a polling place for two precincts.

The order requires the testing to be stopped until all voting is completed.

One additional complaint was made about long lines at the Oakland Career Center voting location on Semple Street. Election advocates complained that voters were waiting in lines as long as an hour.

The county split the poll book at the location to allow for faster check in, Biondo said.

“Everybody that wants to vote will get to vote,” Biondo said.

Tale of 2 voters

Jim Bires, 75, said he cast his ballot for Trump at the Lower Burrell City Hall, just like he did in 2016 and 2020.

“We’ve got to change the country and fix things,” he said. Bires said he’s tired of the country paying for illegal immigrants and would rather that money go back to the people. He said he hopes Trump can finish the border wall.

He also said a businessman, like Trump, would do a better job running the country than a politician like Harris.

He said Harris talked about Trump during her Fox News interview instead of what she would do as president. “If you run the country like a businessman, you have budgets, and it’s not spend, spend, spend,” Bires said.

Lucy Knapek, 72, also voted at city hall in Lower Burrell, but she said her vote was cast for Harris.

“I’m voting for democracy. I believe in democracy,” Knapek said. “I believe in the rule of law and fairness for everyone.”

She said the country would be in bad shape if Trump won. “I think (Harris) would be fair. She’s an outreach person,” Knapek said.

‘Put the country back together’

Connie Rusek, 82, of Harrison said she has known who she’s voting for the past 12 years. “We need to put our country back together again,” she said.

Rusek said she voted for Trump at the Community Library of Allegheny Valley, adding the former president will be the one to “put the country back together.”

One of his policies that attracted her vote is Trump’s stance on abortion. “Trump is for letting the states and individuals deal with it, which is the way it should be,” Rusek said. “It shouldn’t be federally mandated.”

Rusek said she doesn’t think Harris has the background to deal appropriately with foreign affairs, nor does Rusek think Harris prioritizes the military enough with her policies.

“I just don’t think she has the fortitude or the knowledge to be able to go after (Vladimir) Putin or to stop spending so much (of the country’s) money,” Rusek said. “Plus, I have a couple of (grandkids) in the Marines and that makes me worried too.”

If Trump does not win the presidency, Rusek said she believes inflation will get worse and will end up costing the country “a lot more money.”

Rusek said she believes Trump is the best candidate to improve the economy, student loans and to help first-time home owners.

“I don’t think (Harris) understands politics, and I don’t think she understands the economy,” Rusek said.

Election Day issues

Election officials in Allegheny County reported there were a few delays in voting in the county.

Gardner said voters at the Whitehall-03 polling site were waiting on the judge of elections to show up. She said the judge has since arrived and the site is open and running now.

There was also a delay for voters at the Lincoln Place Presbyterian Church (Pittsburgh 31-03), as the judge of elections did not show up. “The sheriff is retrieving the poll book from the judge of elections and will take it to the polling place,” Gardner said. “There are poll workers in place so upon arrival of the polling book, the site will open as normal. People are able to vote provisionally at this location now.”

Find out where your polling site is located.

Allegheny County Councilman at-large Sam DeMarco, R-North Fayette, posted on social media about reports of fake ballots going around.

“I’m currently getting calls and some texts about a supposed ballot with a pre-printed dot in the box for Harris. This is NOT a ballot from Allegheny County or here in Pennsylvania. It could very well be disinformation intended to confuse or cause trouble. Below is the picture sent and next to it on the right an official Allegheny County Ballot. Don’t buy into these false claims and please don’t spread them.”

I’m currently getting calls and some texts about a supposed ballot with a pre-printed dot in the box for Harris. This is NOT a ballot from Allegheny County or here in Pennsylvania. It could very well be disinformation intended to confuse or cause trouble. Below is the picture… pic.twitter.com/BMv13MNnZb

— Sam DeMarco ???????????????? (@sdemarcoii) November 5, 2024

Voters divided

At around 6:40 a.m., as red-illuminated clouds pockmarked a predawn sky, an Orthodox Jew stood outside a Squirrel Hill polling place and challenged Election Day wisdom.

Yosef Hashimi, a businessman and Carnegie Mellon University instructor, said he rejected the findings of an American Psychological Association poll that showed 56% of Americans worry the 2024 presidential race could end democracy in the U.S.

“If Kamala Harris wins, am I going to have a meltdown? No — I’m just going to come out next time,” said Hashimi, 56, of Squirrel Hill, as he prepared to form a queue outside the Jewish Community Center of Pittsburgh, where the city’s 14th ward voters trekked to cast their ballots. “What’s really at stake is, ‘What is the best way to maintain our constitutional republic?’”

Hashimi said he backed Trump, in part, because of the Republican’s stance on the war in Gaza.

“The biggest thing for me, though, is that I believe there is a neo-Marxist movement afoot that’s trying to take over the Democratic Party,” he said. “Voting for Trump is not about Israel/Palestine. It’s about fundamentally maintaining the integrity of what our founders envisioned it to be — a republic of states.”

As Korryn Resetar walked onto Darlington Road after voting at the JCC, she also talked about preserving America — but stressed she voted for Harris.

“It’s about the stability of the country,” said Resetar, 27, of Squirrel Hill, a registered Democrat who grew up in Oakmont and was voting for president in Squirrel Hill for the first time. “Comparatively, it’s a no-brainer.”

Some voters expressed opinions but were hesitant to be identified online.

Democratic Party committeewoman Anna Fisher, who handed out campaign literature outside the polls, said foot traffic was “busier than usual” at the JCC around 7 a.m. She teaches developmental psychology at CMU. Born in Ukraine and raised in Russia, the naturalized American citizen said she has been volunteering at the polls since 2016.

She said her reasons for volunteering her time and labor for Democratic candidates like Harris is simple. “I have two daughters, I’m an immigrant — that’s why,” said Fisher, 47, of Squirrel Hill. “Reproductive rights are pretty high on the list. Ukraine? Pretty high.”

Maintaining Democracy

Gavin White, 23, of Tarentum said he knew he would be voting for Harris pretty early in the race.

“I appreciate that we have a democracy and I want to keep it that way,” White said after voting in the Tarentum Borough Building.

He said it would “be bad all around” if Trump wins because of the Project 2025 rhetoric.

“I know he technically disavowed Project 2025, but he pretty much has the same exact things up on his official campaign promises,” White said.

Despite the barrage of campaigning events and media aimed for the swing state’s voters, White said he remained steadfast in his decision.

“It’s impossible to avoid,” White said.

He said he feels as though Trump’s past comments have created tension between Americans.

“You can’t really move forward if you claim that half the country is the enemy from within,” White said.

Poll workers

The Westmoreland elections bureau of 10 full-time employees has been buoyed by the help of about 80 county workers for the past two weeks, McCloskey said. They will get to work processing thousands of mail-in ballots Tuesday morning.

“I could not be more proud of everyone that has set foot in the elections bureau to assist voters,” Chew said. “We have a phenomenal staff.”

Chew, Gardner and McCloskey were not anticipating any problems.

Pittsburgh Police were prepared for “an all-hands-on-deck kind of moment,” said Acting Chief Christopher Ragland, and 16 Allegheny County sheriff’s deputies have been assigned to handle election security.

McCloskey said he’s been in contact with local, state and national authorities and has not heard of any specific, credible threats related to Westmoreland County. No additional security measures have been taken.

“We’re on schedule,” he said. “We believe we’re going to have a fair and safe election (Tuesday), and record turnout.”

“I’m hoping that the people of Westmoreland County have reasonable minds (Tuesday) and that we don’t have issues in our precincts, but Westmoreland County is prepared for whatever comes our way,” Chew said.

Unofficial results in both counties — including mail-in ballots — are expected to be online later Tuesday night or overnight.

Staff writers Haley Daugherty, Bill Schackner, Kellen Stepler, Paula Reed Ward, Jeff Himler and Quincey Reese contributed. Renatta Signorini is a TribLive staff writer. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com. Justin Vellucci is a TribLive staff writer. He can be reached at jvellucci@triblive.com.