Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of State Issues Election Day Report
HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Acting Secretary of State Robert Torres reported this evening that today's municipal election saw no widespread issues at polling places.
"The election was carried out statewide with little incident," Secretary Torres said. "Thanks to properly trained poll workers and well-informed voters, most areas of the state saw only isolated issues."
In York County, election officials are dealing with a ballot programming situation that could have allowed a voter to cast two votes for any candidate who cross-filed or who qualified for both the Democratic and Republican tickets. The county is also addressing reports that voters in some areas encountered difficulty in casting straight-party ticket votes.
"York County election officials have kept us informed throughout the day," Torres said. "It is my plan to request York County conduct a full review and report on what occurred."
Torres added that such a review, authorized under the Pennsylvania Election Code, will assist York County officials in implementing additional controls to avoid such occurrences in the future.
In Philadelphia, meanwhile, the election board confirmed a ballot printing error in some polling places that misstated the name of a candidate for Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court. Notices were placed in polling places informing voters of the error.
Chester County reported that voters in one apartment complex had been assigned to the wrong precinct. Election officials ensured that the 163 voters involved were able to cast ballots.
By the time polls closed at 8 p.m., Department of State staff had answered more than 600 calls received via the Commonwealth's voter help line (1-877-VOTESPA). Most callers asked for help in locating their polling place.
Throughout the day, the Department monitored issues reported by voters, the counties or the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA).
In the wake of severe storms, several northern counties reported weather-related incidents such as power outages at polling places, but coordination among local and state emergency personnel provided temporary power so voting could continue.
Torres pointed out that Pennsylvania's election involved approximately 9,160 polling places. He thanked the tens of thousands of Pennsylvania poll workers who assisted with the election.
"Poll workers are in the front lines administering fair and reliable elections. They work long hours and have a strong sense of civic responsibility," Torres said. "Their role is vital to our democracy."
For unofficial election results, visit the Department of State election night returns website at electionreturns.pa.gov. The site provides statewide totals as well as county-by-county breakdowns of each race.
MEDIA CONTACT: Wanda Murren, (717) 783-1621
SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of State
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