Fayette County voters report to polls in droves for presidential election
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Charles McDonald of South Union Township holds a notice he received after filling out a provisional ballot. This photo was edited to hide his voter ID number.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
South Union Township voters line up to cast a ballot at Laurel Highlands Middle School early Tuesday.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
South Union Township voters line up to cast a ballot at Laurel Highlands Middle School early Tuesday.
South Union Township voters line up to cast a ballot at Laurel Highlands Middle School early Tuesday.
Fayette County voters flocked to the polls in droves Tuesday despite long lines, an ongoing pandemic and some reports of issues with provisional ballots and mail-in voting.
Most voters reported a smooth process and no issues. But Charles and Barbara McDonald of South Union Township questioned whether their votes would even count. They arrived at Laurel Highlands Middle School shortly after the polls opened, and were told their names were marked as receiving a mail-in ballot. They said they never received mail-in ballots and do not recall requesting them.
鈥淣ow we have to wait a week to find out if our vote counted,鈥� said Barbara McDonald. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just ridiculous. If someone voted for us, we won鈥檛 know.鈥�
They filled out provisional ballots and received a number to call after at least seven days, where they will give their voter IDs and determine if their ballots were 鈥渃ounted, partially counted or not counted鈥� and file a complaint if necessary.
The McDonalds came to the polls at 7:30 a.m. and waited for 1 1/2 hours to vote. A person from the election bureau was called to the polling place to instruct the poll workers on how to cast the provisional ballots.
鈥淲hat if it doesn鈥檛 count? I voted,鈥� Barbara McDonald said.
Charles McDonald said problems like theirs will make voters question the entire electoral process and its legitimacy. He said he believes voting in person 鈥渟hould supersede anything that anybody鈥檚 done.鈥�
鈥淚 know one thing for damn sure: I didn鈥檛 want a mail-in ballot and I didn鈥檛 do one this time,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 know for sure we never got a mail-in ballot and we didn鈥檛 request one for this election.鈥�
Commissioner Scott Dunn emphasized casting a provisional ballot 鈥渋s a legitimate vote.鈥�
鈥淧eople think that is lesser of a vote, that it鈥檚 not going to count, but it will count,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e just need to check that people haven鈥檛 voted twice, but it will count.鈥�
Dunn said he heard reports of others encountering the same issue, and asks anyone in the same situation to call him.
Election Bureau Director Larry Blosser said he believes issues arose when voters requested mail-in ballots during the primary election and unintentionally signed up as permanent mail-in voters.
鈥淎 lot of people, they don鈥檛 remember they signed up for one in the primary,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ost of it, that鈥檚 what it is. They have forgotten that they were a permanent mail-in.鈥�
He said other complaints arose over provisional ballots because poll workers in 鈥渙ne or two precincts鈥� were unaware that a person could surrender a mail-in ballot to vote in person without using a provisional ballot. He said the poll workers were made aware of the rule.
Barb Tiberi, a poll watcher at the election bureau, said about 15,000 to 16,000 mail-in ballots were received in total. She observed counts of the mail-ins, which she said was 鈥渜uite a process.鈥�
鈥淚 was impressed. It was efficient. These people were busy,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 lot of work.鈥�
Poll workers were asked to put aside ballots that had 鈥渁ny marks at all鈥� on the secrecy envelope to be counted later. Those accounted for about 1%, she estimated.
鈥淔or as many votes as there are, people seem to have done it correctly,鈥� she said.
Dunn said bureau employees were 鈥渨orking furiously鈥� to make sure the mail-ins were all counted Tuesday.
Jeff Hulton, who left the South Union Township polling place at about the same time as the McDonalds, waited for about 45 minutes to vote.
鈥淓very vote should count,鈥� he said.
He said he had no problems voting and expected a longer line. But he questioned how easy it would be to vote fraudulently by requesting a paper ballot without signing in.
鈥淲e need to go back to the old days,鈥� he said.
Shortly after the polls opened at 7 a.m., the line at Laurel Highlands Middle School stretched around the school building. Voters said they arrived before the polls opened in hopes of avoiding long lines. The backup dissipated about an hour later.
Some of the longest wait times were at precincts in Dunbar and Bullskin townships, with wait times of about one hour and 45 minutes, Dunn said.
鈥淚鈥檓 pleased that everyone stood in line and voted. That鈥檚 America. That鈥檚 democracy in action,鈥� he said.
Brian Ribniscky, a voter at Joseph A. Hardy/Connellsville Airport in Dunbar Township, said he had been waiting to vote for about one hour and 15 minutes, and still had several people in line in front of him. He was accustomed to waiting to vote for only about five minutes, but said he didn鈥檛 mind.
鈥淚t鈥檚 worth the wait,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think everyone here thinks it鈥檚 worth the wait.鈥�
Amanda Potter was able to vote without a line at Menallen Elementary. But she said her fiance, who registered to vote before the deadline, was told to go to his former polling place in Johnstown to cast his ballot. It鈥檚 an issue he has encountered before with other government documents, like tax filings, she said.
She brought her son, Dayten, to observe.
鈥淗e鈥檚 only 4, but I wanted for him to see the process,鈥� she said.
Pam Newmeyer, a poll watcher in Star Junction, said the day was quiet, though voters did face lengthy lines. At times, the wait time was about one hour and 40 minutes. Some voters left, often because they were physically unable to stand for that length of time.
鈥淲e had people walk away. I had people here three times because they can鈥檛 stand in line,鈥� she said.
The constable escorted those who were handicapped, she said, and others were returning throughout the day to see if the line was shorter.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e slowly coming back to see where the line is,鈥� she said.
She sent some people with mail-in ballots to the election bureau to vote, where there was no line Tuesday.
And some came to cast a ballot without wearing masks, she said.
鈥淲e just let them, because we didn鈥檛 want any problems,鈥� Newmeyer said.
In Farmington, poll watcher MaryEllen Snyder said some voters would not wear a mask, even if they were offered one.
鈥淭he people who were working the polls were saints today because they had to help people who weren鈥檛 wearing masks,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey obviously weren鈥檛 going to tell people, 鈥榊ou can鈥檛 vote.'鈥�
She commended the poll workers, saying many were older and risked exposure to the coronavirus. They were diligent and stayed positive, she said.
鈥淭hey really worked hard under probably the worst conditions they ever had because of exposure to the virus,鈥� she said.
Volunteers from New Meadow Run cleaned each voting place between voters, she said. She estimated wait times did not exceed 20 or 30 minutes.
She also saw many young voters, and people who said they were voting for the first time.
鈥淭hat was very encouraging,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat was very nice to see.鈥�