WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — Washington County is expecting high voter turnout on Election Day, comparable to the last presidential election which saw 78%.
Elections leaders say some areas of the county will see long lines, including Southpointe where voters experienced two-hour waits in 2020.
“I think we had extraordinary turnouts in the last two presidential elections and I don’t see why this would be any different, and a lot more money is being spent, we are all getting 30-plus texts a day,” voter William Minor said.
“I actually voted early so I will not be participating in the long waits tomorrow,” voter Jimmy Peraffan said.
At the Washington County Board of Elections, workers were sorting ballots in precinct order on Monday.
Mail-in ballots came in from Oct. 7 through 29. More than 33,000 voters requested them in Washington County, and 24,000 have come in. More than 2,000 people came to request a ballot in person, fill it out and submit it, which is the closest option the state has to early voting.
Washington County’s Director of Elections Melanie Ostrande is encouraging voters to double-check they have the correct precinct. Knowing there could be long lines, she doesn’t want voters to get to the front of the line and discover they were at the wrong place.
“We feel good about tomorrow here in Washington County, we expect voter turnout to be high, at about 78%, which is comparable to 2020,” Ostrande said. “We are encouraging people to be patient, there will be lines with the turnout as high as we expect. There were lines in past presidential elections as well, our poll workers are prepared and equipped to handle the line.”
Ostrande wants voters to know... anyone in line at 8 p.m. when the polls close will be able to vote, but you have to be in line at 8 p.m. If you arrive after polls close you cannot vote.
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