Long lines were a constant at polling places across McKean County on Tuesday as an unprecedented number of voters cast ballots.
But the high voter turnout came as no surprise to Judge of Elections (Emery Towers) Barbara Pecora, something she attributes to “interest in voting this year. It’s huge.”
Dinah Gallegos, McKean County Director of Elections/Voter Registration, shared similar thoughts, citing the media coverage of the election. For months, the battle for the White House between presidential Republican nominee businessman Donald Trump and presidential Democratic nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has dominated the headlines.
All told, unofficial election results in McKean County, as of around 10:10 p.m., showed that 5,400 people voted, or 66.39 percent; at that point, with 16 of 42 precincts reporting. Trump walked away with 2,352 votes and Clinton, 379, according to unofficial results available at that time. A total of 15,077 voters cast their ballots in the 2012 presidential election, Gallegos reported.
In Bradford, by around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at Emery Towers on South Avenue, the polling place recorded 94 voters and, just minutes later, as of around 2:40 p.m. the polling place broke 100 voters.
Across town, as of around 11 a.m., 149 people voted at Hill Memorial United Methodist Church on Kennedy Street and even before the polling place opened its doors, 12 people were waiting to cast their ballots.
As of around 2:55 p.m., Hill Memorial saw 255 voters, the normal amount the location would see in a typical election day.
And with some four hours to go, Judge of Elections (Hill Memorial) Diana Church expected a “good 400” voters to have voted on Tuesday at that location.
“It’s just been a good election. It’s been an interesting election,” Church said.
Elsewhere in Bradford, 163 voters had cast their ballots as of around 2:45 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church on Mechanic Street, a bit more than in the 2012 presidential election.
“We are all surprised with the high number because in the primary we have very few people come out,” Election Minority Inspector (Grace Lutheran) Kay Smeal said.
Many first-time voters took part in Tuesday’s election, too.
“And we’re glad to see the young ones are getting out to vote,” Smeal said.
At the Asbury Methodist Church on East Main Street in Bradford, Election Majority Inspector John Egbert estimated that the polling location would surpass 400 voters.
As of around 6:30 p.m., the polling location saw 375, and the turnout had been steady, he said. Normally, he said, 200 people go to that church to vote.
“The enthusiasm has been building since the primaries,” Egbert said.
Elsewhere in McKean County, as of the late afternoon, more than 300 people had voted at the Coleville Christian Gospel Church. Normally about a 100 people vote at that location.
Meanwhile, Cameron County residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of Republican candidate Donald Trump, according to unofficial results available Monday night. All precincts were reported before 9:30 p.m.
Turnout was up, though only slightly. Of the county’s 3,231 registered voters, 63.91 percent, or 2,065 people, cast their ballot. Trump captured 73.07 percent of the county’s votes, while Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton took only 22.92 percent. Cameron County typically leans Republican.
In Elk County, 14,060 people voted, or 69.45 percent, in Tuesday’s election. Trump received 9,704 votes and Clinton, 3,637, according to unofficial election results.
For Potter County, 14 of 33 precincts were reporting around 10 p.m. with Trump having 2,648 votes and Clinton, 654, according to the county’s news website, Potter County Today.
