Western Pennsylvania Voters Hit The Polls, With Some Places Seeing Long Lines
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The day has finally arrived for Americans to cast their votes to choose who will be the next president of the United States. In Western Pennsylvania, voters hit the polls.
In Westmoreland County where there's 307 precincts, some were busy. Others -- not so much.
At the SonRise Church in Greensburg along Route 30, voters waited patiently in the brisk morning air -- some waiting for more than 2 hours to cast their votes.
In Murrysville, it depended where you voted. Some places were in and out like always, but there was quite a line early on at the municipal building.
"I came because I wanted to vote. That was my duty," said 94-year-old Helen Opsitnick.
All things considered, things have gone well in Westmoreland County with one reported problem in Whitney. There was apparently an issue with one of the vote scanning machines in that precinct. Some voters waited in line for two hours until the issue was resolved.
With a few hours to go until the polls closed, Beaver County reported a high voter turnout. The lines died down in the evening, but they expected a late rush.
WATCH: KDKA's Shelby Cassesse reports
The polling place at the Big Knob Volunteer Fire Department was one of the busier Beaver County locations Tuesday but volunteers told KDKA it calmed down in the evening.
There were similar, smaller lines at polling places in Beaver County, but elections officials say turnout was especially high this year.
As for issues, there weren't many and they were quickly fixed.
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Lines ranged anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. One voter told KDKA she stopped in the morning and decided to come back later, where she found a much shorter line.
"Beaver County is seeing a large turnout, which we are very ecstatic about. We're happy to see that our residents are engaging, they want their voice to be heard. There's polling precincts that are reporting over 80 percent of their ballots cast already. That includes mail-in ballots plus individuals who are coming to cast their vote," said Beaver County Board of Elections Chairman Daniel Camp.
Beaver County will count their in-person ballots when polls close at 8 but won't start counting their mail-in ballots until tomorrow.
In Butler, long lines were the biggest complaints for voters.
When it comes to voter turnout numbers, the election leaders in Butler County believe they will shatter the 2016 voter participation numbers.
After the polls closed, the Butler County Board of Elections says nearly 50% of mail-in and absentee ballots returned have been counted, but because of mechanical issues with a scanner, the process has been slower than anticipated. A certified technician is still on-site at the Election Bureau.
According to a press release from the county, they'll continue counting ballots until 11 p.m. and will start again on 8:30 a.m. Wednesday when a scanner is expected to arrive.
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