Pa. election officials deliver quiet night in complex election

Support from the Department of State helps counties run elections.

• Jordan Wilkie/WITF
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  As the democracy reporter for WITF, I will cover any kind of story that has to do with how we govern ourselves. That will include doing a lot of election coverage about how to access the ballot, how public officials administer elections, the technology used to run and secure elections, and the laws that govern it all.
  
  My work will also include accountability coverage for elected officials that use their positions to then undermine democratic institutions, like the legislators that voted against the certification of the presidential election results on January 6, 2021. If that weren’t enough, I foresee covering some local government decisions, fights over public records and transparency, and some candidate coverage around the major elections. As seen in my coverage of immigrant of LGBTQ+ communities, I also report on the consequences of elections for minority groups.

People fill out mail-in ballots for the 2024 General Election in the United States at a Voters Services satellite office at the Chester County Government Services Center, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in West Chester, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

The Department of State cancelled a planned 11 p.m. press conference Tuesday night because the primary ran smoothly all across the state. Results were delivered in a timely fashion, with only “a few minor issues” from throughout the day, said Secretary of State Al Schmidt. 

Voting was made possible by 45,000 poll workers staffing over 9,000 precincts across the commonwealth, organized by county election officials and supported by Schmidt’s staff. 

“ While these are lower profile elections, in my experience, they are some of the most complex,” Schmidt said at a press briefing earlier in the evening. “There are so many different candidates running for so many different offices down ticket at the local level that makes them a particular challenge.” 

Cumberland County’s summary results ran to 142 pages for the primary, compared to last year’s primary which only filled 11 pages. 

Statewide turnout was relatively low. Statewide judicial races this year saw 1.48 million votes cast for the Democratic and Republican Judge of Superior Court primaries, compared to 2.9 million in 2023 and 1.87 million in 2021. In 2023, both primaries were competitive and a state Supreme Court race was also on the ballot, and in 2021 there were ballot measures, all of which help to increase turnout. 

Certifying the results 

Whether 148,000 people turn out to vote or just 12,000 — the difference in Dauphin County’s turnout from November’s general election to Tuesday’s primary — the post-election process of certifying results is the same, said county election director Chris Spackman. 

“It’s a multi-step process that takes time no matter how many votes were cast, no matter which election it is,” Spackman said. 

Counties still have to review provisional ballots and any military ballots that arrive within seven days of the primary. It will take three weeks to certify the results, pending legal challenges which can arise in very close elections. There are no automatic recount requirements for local races. Those are only triggered by state law for statewide races within a 0.5% margin. 

As of Wednesday morning, he did not have a final count of provisional ballots, though he said there were relatively few. Election directors will also have to count votes for write-in candidates, a process that starts next week after all ballots are received and processed. 

Then comes the state’s two audits, required after every election, to ensure voting machines did not make errors in determining results marked on paper ballots. Each county is responsible for running a statutorily required check on 2% of ballots cast. 

Then, for statewide races, the Department of State carries out a more mathematically robust audit across a randomly selected group of precincts and mail-in ballots to determine with high confidence that voting machines accurately show the candidate with the most votes won the race. 

Both audits, called tabulation audits, are open to public review. The Department of State says it will release additional data on its audit in the coming days. 

Support and success with new election directors 

Schmidt specifically recognized the work of counties with new election officials who helped deliver a well-run primary. The state has seen significant turnover in elections offices, with one estimate from last year saying the state lost almost 300 years of cumulative experience since November 2019. 

Fulton County recently saw turnover at the head of their election department. The county was able to smooth the transition with support and training from the Department of State and by having the former director come back to help new staff, said chief clerk Stacey Shives. 

Elections are complex endeavors which require input and support from several departments, including elections, clerks, law enforcement and IT, as well as all the schools, community centers and other sites that open their doors to act as voting sites. The Department of State has specific staff assigned to counties to help them navigate any issues that may arise, as well as to offer several trainings. 

“ I think it’s one of the more significant things that we’ve done in the election space in the last couple of years,” Schmidt said.

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