BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Voters across Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley headed to the polls Tuesday to decide local contests ranging from city council seats to county executive races as well as whether three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices should keep their seats for another term.
Polls opened at 7 a.m. statewide and will remain open until 8 p.m. Mail ballots must be received — not just postmarked — by county election offices by 8 p.m. to be counted. Officials in Lehigh and Northampton counties said they were not reporting any significant issues at polling locations as of midday.
At St. Peter’s Church in South Side Bethlehem — the new polling location for hundreds of Lehigh University students — a line still stretched out the door shortly before noon. Around 11:45 a.m., roughly 51 voters waited to cast ballots, with two voting machines in use.
The site was moved this year after last November’s hours-long wait at the Banana Factory, where some students stood in line for more than five hours. Several students said the experience still sticks with them.
“We were in line for seven hours,” said Harrison Burns, a sophomore political science major who also voted in Bethlehem last year. “It wrapped all the way around the block. Today is definitely better — like half an hour. Much better than seven hours.”
Burns said seeing fellow students voting in a low-turnout year mattered to him.
“I’m a political science major — this is the stuff I live for,” he said. “It’s exciting to see that even in a double off-year when there’s no federal races, students are still getting out to vote.”
Sophomore David Whitehead Scheismiller, a product design major, recalled watching a movie on his phone to pass the time in line last year.
“Now I can appreciate this line a lot more,” he said, laughing.
For some first-year students, Tuesday marked their first time voting in Pennsylvania.
Freshman Parker Brookins said he came to campus from Boston and learned about the polling place through a text message. He said voting feels more consequential in Pennsylvania than in his home state.
“Pennsylvania is a state where voting really matters,” Brookins said. “Massachusetts is the most liberal state in the country. My vote doesn’t matter all too much there. Here, it does.”
Sophomore Prisha Saxena said she waited about 20 minutes Tuesday, compared to several hours last fall.
“Last year was definitely crazy,” Saxena said. “But the energy was high and it felt like our community came together. Today is much calmer, but I still think turnout could be higher. It’s important to show up every year.”
Voters trickled steadily into other polling places Tuesday, including Fountain Hill Fire Company, Payrow Plaza, the Freemansburg Municipal Building and the Lehigh County Government Center.
Third-year student Jesús Marquez, who came to Lehigh from Puerto Rico, said he arrived early last year to avoid long lines and did the same again Tuesday.
“Everything starts locally,” Marquez said. “You’ve got to turn out to the local elections too.”
Key races on the ballot
Dozens of municipal and county offices are on the ballot throughout the region.
Lehigh County Executive:
- Josh Siegel (D), state representative
- Roger MacLean (R), former Allentown police chief and council member
Northampton County Executive:
- Tara Zrinski (D), county controller
- Thomas Giovanni (R), county council member
In Allentown, Mayor Matt Tuerk faces City Council member Ed Zucal in a rematch of this spring’s primary.
Three Democratic state Supreme Court Justices — Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht — are on the ballot in retention races. While retention elections are typically low-profile, advocacy groups from both political parties have waged messaging efforts leading up to Tuesday’s vote.
Residents who are in line by 8 p.m. are permitted to remain in line to vote.
