Gov. Tom Wolf, Secretary Of State Report No Widespread Issues On Election Day: 'Democracy Is Alive And Well'

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

HARRISBURG (KDKA) - Gov. Tom Wolf and Pennsylvania's top election official say the state saw no widespread problems amid a high turnout at the polls.

"I'm happy to report that today's election in the commonwealth went remarkably smoothly. We have no major or widespread events to report," Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said at a press conference an hour after polls closed.

Some issues included lines and confusion over the use of provisional ballots, which the Pennsylvania Department of State says were used in higher numbers because some voters who applied for mail-in ballots instead came to vote at the polls.

There were also a few counties that ran low on provisional ballots or regular ballots but were able to get more.

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"We've heard a lot from the candidates in the last year, but today it was time for the people to speak," Governor Wolf in a press release.

"I'm proud of how Pennsylvanians conducted themselves in this historic election during a global pandemic. And I'm proud that democracy is alive and well in the commonwealth. This election elicited an apparent record in voter registration in Pennsylvania and impressively high turnout today at the polls as well as in mail ballot voting."

More than 9 million Pennsylvanians registered to vote in time for this election. There were more than 2.5 million mail-in ballots cast in the state's first general election where Pennsylvanians could vote by mail without giving an excuse.

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