ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Voters went to the polls across the Lehigh Valley early Tuesday as their last chance to cast their vote in the 2022 midterm elections.
- Some polls across the Lehigh Valley saw steady turnout this morning
- Many voters said this election felt different than in past years
- Some voters were motivated by women's rights. Others talked about the divisiveness in political conversations
Many voters said they thought this election was different than ones in prior years. They cited as reasons the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade earlier this year, and the divisiveness in politics.
Voters were casting ballots for U.S. Senate, Congress, Pennsylvania governor and state legislative races.
Union Terrace School, Allentown
About 9 a.m., there were a handful of mostly older voters coming in and out of the gym at Union Terrace Elementary School in Allentown.
Kris Yoder, 51, has lived in Allentown for 20 years. He said he occasionally votes in midterms, but there was nothing particular about this election that made him come out to vote this time.
He said he doesn’t think there’s anything different this year from previous years.
“Just remember, it's only historic if the party in power does not lose seats,” Yoder said.
Yoder said he is “sick and tired” of the divisive political ads on TV.
Hilda Bichardo, 68, moved to the area from New York two years ago. She said she thinks this election is different because the world has changed in the past few years. She also thinks it’s important to vote for politicians who care about the people.
“It’s impossible to get the president and the state to do something if they don’t care about the people,” she said.
The Banana Factory, Bethlehem
The Banana Factory polling site in Bethlehem had long lines of primarily Lehigh University student voters that stretched down the street, with wait times about 90 minutes.
Poll workers said there had been a voting machine paper jam.
Lehigh junior Jake Amidon and others were passing out snacks and water.
“The line was probably an hour and a half long earlier just to get to the door,” Amidon said. “Then the paper jam obviously made the line go a lot slower, but once we got in the door we kinda saw it go quicker. But nobody left the line. For an hour and a half we didn’t see anybody leave.”
Amidon said he worked to get students registered to vote prior to the election. He said voter registration numbers exceeded expectations.
He said there were two issues top of mind for students at Lehigh University
“Abortion is big with students: pro-choice versus pro-life. We’ve heard that a lot,” Amidon said. “Also economic issues. Students still have to pay bills, and still have to buy food. Inflation and abortion are the two key issues we've been hearing on campus.”
ATAS International, Upper Macungie Twp.
The parking lot at ATAS International in Upper Macungie Township was consistently full around 10 a.m. At times, lines of about a dozen people in the building waited to be processed.
Campaigners said it was crowded because the county added another precinct to the polling location.
Victoria Dougherty, 59, said she has lived in the area her whole life, and she has voted in every midterm election. She said this election is important because of abortion rights.
"I'm a health care professional. And I believe that a woman's right to choose is all about her health. And I want it protected for my health, for my daughter's health, for my granddaughter's health," Dougherty said.
Troy Stuart, 60, said he hasn’t voted in midterm elections in 12 years. He hesitated to vote this time, he said, because he doesn’t like the candidates on the ballot.
“It's not easy to come in today because of the quality of the candidates. But you gotta do something.”Troy Stuart, Upper Macungie Township resident
“It's not easy to come in today because of the quality of the candidates,” Stuart said. “But you gotta do something.”
Stuart said he voted Republican, but he said there are many reasons why he’s conflicted about his vote — too many to name.
St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Allentown
Voters in East Allentown took to the polls over the contested races in the redrawn 22nd state House District seat between candidates Allentown City Councilman Josh Siegel, a Democrat, and former Allentown School Board Director Robert Smith, a Republican; and the 14th District state Senate race between Republican Dean Browning and Democrat Nick Miller.
Those at the polling location said in-person turnout was way higher than in other recent elections.
At the polls were family members of Siegel and Smith, making last-minute pitches and pushing for their candidates. Both said they had confidence going in for their candidate or their party.
“They're looking for leadership, somebody that's proven themselves, there's a lot of Democrats and independents are coming over his way," said Jackie Rivera, Smith’s daughter.
"Everything's at stake, not only just for me, just because there's a new district here for him that he's running for, but I think for governor and for Senate and everything else," Siegel's father, Monty, said. "I think people are very concerned and want to get out and vote."
Some right-leaning voters, such as Lewis Moreland, said they are seeking a return to what the prior administration offered, taking issue with the leadership of the Democrats over the past two years.
"We want to get the conservatives in so they can turn everything around and get it back to the way it was when Trump was President," Moreland said. "The economy, the crime, everything you can think of."
Others, such as Donna Kennedy, said they came out to safeguard issues key for many voters.
"Democracy, women's rights, voting rights, social security, Medicare, common sense gun laws, these breaks, those are all big issues," she said. "And my grandchildren, mostly for their sake, but certainly for mine too and for all of us, it's important."
Many, of all ages, said they can see the importance the midterms can have in shaping the politics for years to come. Allentown voter Betty Stout said has been voting since she first was able. Now, at 90, she said she wouldn't have it any other way than being able to come out to the polls today.
"This is a privilege that we have," Stout said. "And you know what? People don't take advantage of it. Although it looks pretty good today out here. I hope more people come out to vote more than ever.
"It's our chance to voice who we would like to run and, and what we need as good people in our government. We need good people."
Farmersville Elementary School, Bethlehem Twp.
Campaigners in front of Farmersville Elementary School in Bethlehem Township said there had been a steady stream of people since the polls opened.
A line of about 70 people had formed by 7 a.m., waiting for the polls to open, they said.
Meghan Laverty, 27, said she has tried to vote in every election, including primaries, since she has eligible to vote. She thinks there’s a lot at stake in this election, and she voted Democratic partly because she admires gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro, she said.
“I have a lot of respect for Josh Shapiro with what he did in terms of victims of abuse in the Catholic Church,” Laverty said. “I've been following his career since that. So that kind of led the way for me with a lot of my decisions.”
As state attorney general, Shapiro led a statewide investigative grand jury that spent two years uncovering abuse of children by priests and a decades-long systematic cover-up by senior church leaders.
Lynn Stiteler, 72, said she votes in every midterm election because she wants her voice heard. But she thinks this election is different from others.
“I think it's getting more and more humorous as time goes on, and in a very negative way,” Stiteler said. “So I think it's a very important election, that people need to be heard and things need to change.”
Stiteler said she voted Republican down the ballot –- not necessarily because of the candidates, but because she feels the Republican Party as a whole represents her values.
American Legion Post 314, Lehighton
Carbon County is a new addition to the 7th Congressional District, where Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Susan Wild is facing a challenge from Republican Lisa Scheller, a former Lehigh County commissioner.
In Carbon County's most populous community, Lehighton, at 8:15 a.m., neither Wild nor Scheller had campaign workers at any of the borough's three polling places. Nor did any other candidate.
In fact, at American Legion Post 314, the polling place for Lehighton's First Ward, just 40 people had voted. A poll worker said the place was "dead" after a brief line shortly after the polls opened.
Polls across Pennsylvania are open until 8 p.m.
