BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Polling places across the Lehigh Valley were seeing just a trickle of voters Tuesday, with turnout for the primary election lagging in many areas.
At one of Bethlehem's larger polling locations on the city's South Side, only five people had cast ballots by noon, poll workers said.
While low turnout in off-year primaries is not unusual, it was a exclamation point on a lack of in-person civic engagement as LehighValleyNews.com canvassed polling locations throughout the morning.
Around 8:30 a.m., 29 residents had cast their ballots at St. Peter's Lutheran Church on Hanover Avenue on Allentown's east side.
The polling place is part of the city's 15th Ward, 3rd district.
For those who did come out to vote in person, a small crowd of campaign volunteers handed out political fliers both in English and Spanish in support of Democratic candidates, including incumbent Mayor Matt Tuerk and his opponent, Councilman Ed Zucal.
By 9 a.m., about 100 Bethlehem residents had voted at Wesley United Methodist Church on Center Street — a slightly higher turnout than usual, according to a poll worker, who noted a steady flow of voters since polls opened at 7 a.m.
Wendy Martel, a city resident for the past 15 years, emphasized the importance of voting in the primary.
"Because that affects me. That affects my community. And if I don't play a part in that, then I might not get the things that I feel are important," she said.
Among the races on the Democratic ballot in Bethlehem are mayor, between incumbent J. William Reynolds and Councilwoman Grace Crampsie Smith; and the county executive primary between Tara Zrinski and Amy Cozze.
Democratic City Council candidate Tina Cantelmi — known by some for her work in the arts and local nonprofits—had not yet voted but was spotted outside of Wesley United Methodist Church.
Robert Eyer, Northampton County’s first assistant district attorney and a Democratic candidate for county judge, also was seen at the polling location in Bethlehem's 14th Ward, 2nd District.
The mail-in ballot effect?
Just five minutes away at Liberty High School, poll workers described the pace as "super slow," with only 22 people having voted shortly before 10 a.m.
Turnout at the polls may be muted as mail-in ballots gain popularity.
Lehigh County officials reported they sent out 23,499 ballots to voters ahead of Tuesday's election. Officials in Northampton County have mailed out another 24,635 mail-ins of their own, officials said.
That's a total of just over 48,000 mail-in ballots between the two counties. In the last municipal election, in 2021, a little more than 33,500 residents cast their vote with a mail-in ballot in Lehigh and Northampton counties.
While breakdowns for mail-in ballots aren't yet clear, one area voters may have shifted to the convenience of voting by mail was another spot on the east side of Allentown.
Just before 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, it also was mostly quiet at East Side Youth Center.
Poll workers said 28 people had voted and stressed the number was very low for the area, in the city's 15th Ward, 1st District.
Zucal was among those speaking with voters and campaign volunteers in the youth center's parking lot.
"I feel pretty comfortable. I got the major polls covered. They're telling me I'm getting good response. I do have a lot of people that support me, whether that makes me win, I don't know, but it's good to have that support, and it's nice to know," Zucal said.
"I got a little criticism for wanting to get the write-in (Republican vote), but it would be a missed opportunity to serve the citizens and it could be the thing that makes me ultimately win," he added.
Last week, Mayor Tuerk hit out at Zucal for actively courting Republican support in the final weeks of his campaign.
Zucal could lose the Democratic primary, but needs just 100 valid write-in votes from Republicans to win the party’s nomination for Allentown mayor and appear on the ballot in the fall, according to Pennsylvania election regulations.
No Republican candidate is seeking the party's nomination for the office.
Tuerk voted early Tuesday, posting on Facebook he was in and out of the polls by 7:18 a.m.
"I just voted for four more years of serving the city that I love! Let's go Allentown," the post said.
Later reached by phone, he said he was greeting voters at Ag Hall at the Allentown Fairgrounds.
"It’s a really light turnout. As a mayor we always want to see 100% turnout. But that’s unrealistic," Tuerk said.
"We will see what happens with the mail-in ballots coming in. I think it’s going to be a high percentage of the turnout, but people who are voting are feeling good.
"I've been running a campaign that is focused on being present and engaging with people this whole time — my focus has been on making sure that that I serve the city and I'm here for the city.
"I am out about for everything I can get to, and I try to be everywhere. And that's what I'm hoping voters respond to, and I think they do," Tuerk said.
Who's running?
Registered voters will cast ballots for a multitude of local offices, including county executive, mayors, councils and judges at the state, county and local levels.
Because Pennsylvania is a closed-primary state, voters are only able to cast ballots for candidates in their own political party.
Alongside the mayoral and county executive races, each county also has a vacancy on Common Pleas Court, so county judge is on the ballot, too, in addition to local magisterial district court judges.
Polling place locations are available through the Pennsylvania Department of State’s Find Your Polling Place tool at pavoterservices.pa.gov.
Polls are open until 8 p.m.
This story will be updated.
