Primary election day saw short lines, mailed ballots
Primary election day got off to a quiet start in the Poconos on Tuesday.
Campaign volunteers and a steady trickle of voters made their way to the polls for election day statewide, but shorter lines could be attributed to individuals voting by mail.
At least 16,000 "no excuse" mail-in ballots were requested across Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties alone, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State. That number does not include absentee ballots.
When are mailed ballots counted in Pennsylvania?
As of Tuesday morning, there were 15,463 mail ballots requested in Lackawanna, 9,432 requested in Monroe, 3,987 requested in Pike and 2,795 requested in Wayne.
About 80% (12,337) of mail ballots have been returned in Lackawanna, 76% (7,197) in Monroe, 78.7% (3,137) in Pike and 83.2% (849) in Wayne.
Pike County election officials began livestreaming absentee and mail-in ballot canvassing at 8:30 a.m. on YouTube. During canvassing, workers open and process mailed ballots. Thirty-seven states allow for mailed ballot canvassing prior to election day. Pennsylvania permits the process to begin on election day, before polls close.
The Board of Elections broadcasted for over four hours in the Commissioners Meeting Room in Milford. By 11 p.m., all 18 of Pike's precincts had reported election results.
In-person turnout appeared light around midday in Stroudsburg at the Pocono Family YMCA and the Monroe County Administrative Center.
However, lots of voters were dropping off mail ballots at the administrative center, said Linda Schwartz, a longtime volunteer with the Monroe County Democratic Party. Voters can drop off mail ballots anywhere in the county, she noted, so it may have been a convenient drop-off location for more than just the borough’s residents.
Candidate for Democratic State Committee Jacob Pride was at a polling location in Middle Smithfield Township volunteering for his party.
"It's been a relatively slow day, but we expect things to pick up." Pride told reporters Tuesday morning. "There's a lot of mail-in ballots that are in."
All 51 of Monroe County's precincts had reported election results by midnight, Wednesday.
Contested primaries
In the Poconos, both parties had competitive primaries for the 139th District, with two Democrats — Marian Keegan and Meg Rosenfeld — and three Republicans — Joseph Adams, Robert Beierle and Theo Balu — running.
Stroudsburg Mayor Tarah Probst is unopposed in the Democratic primary for the 189th District, and local restaurant industry figures John Petrizzo and Steve Ertle competed in the Republican primary.
The 111th, 115th and 176th Districts do not have any primary races. No Democrats are running against state Rep. Jonathan Fritz (R-111). State Rep. Maureen Madden (D-115) and state Rep. Jack Rader (R-176) have each drawn one challenger: Republican Krista Paolucci and Democrat Hope Christman, respectively.
The 8th District race saw Trump-endorsed Jim Bognet square off against Mike Marsicano for the chance to unseat incumbent Matthew Cartwright (a Democract) in November, who ran uncontested in Tuesday's primary. By 11 p.m., the Associated Press had called the race for Bognet.
The 8th District includes all of Wayne, Pike and Lackawanna counties, as well as portions of Luzerne and Monroe counties.
Over at the YMCA in Stroudsburg, Shelli Bird was posted outside to promote Ertle and Rosemary Brown, Republican candidates for the 189th and 40th districts, respectively, and her sister, a write-in candidate for the Republican county committee.
“I always take a personal day so that I can help support the candidates that I feel strongly about,” said Bird, a high school teacher who said education is always a top election priority, including funding, quality, and access to the internet.
Republicans hit the polls
Ed Kuschner, a Monroe County voter who said that he supported the "America first" agenda, called Dr. Nche Zama the "most intelligent man" on the Republican ticket for governor. Zama is a cardiothoracic surgeon who previously worked at Pocono Medical Center.
"He's a critical thinker, a conservative and he can get things done. I love the fact that he is an outsider and can't be bought. Most importantly, we need someone that can defeat Josh Shapiro." Kuschner said, adding that a Shapiro victory would equate to four more years of "radical left" agenda.
"I don't want to get locked down again. I built a business for 35 years and lost it to Tom Wolf." He said. "If I had my business in Florida, I would have been thriving. Instead, I had to shut down and lose all my employees."
Zama saw little traction outside of Monroe County, however, with the Associated Press calling the race for the GOP ticket for Doug Mastriano before 10 p.m. on Tuesday night.
New district lines
Campaigning for Brown, outside the Lake Township polling place Tuesday morning, Chief of Staff Mackenzie Muller commented that many voters she'd spoken with were unaware their township was now part of the 40th. Brown is running to replace outgoing Senator Mario Scavello in the 40th Senatorial District, which was redrawn and now includes areas of Wayne and Lackawanna counties, in addition to all of Monroe.
The Lackawanna County portion includes the city of Carbondale; Carbondale, Clifton, Covington, Elmhurst, Fell, Jefferson, Madison, Roaring Brook, Spring Brook and Thornhurst townships; and the boroughs of Archbald, Blakely, Jermyn, Jessup, Mayfield, Moscow, Olyphant and Vandling.
The Wayne County portion includes Canaan, Cherry Ridge, Dreher, Lake, Lehigh, Salem, South Canaan, Sterling and Texas townships, and the boroughs of Honesdale, Prompton and Waymart.
Wayne County's 35 precincts had reported election results by 11 p.m. The same could not be said for Lackawanna—by midnight Wednesday, the county had not yet tallied votes from all 163 precincts.