Power (and candy) to the people
Milford. Voters throughout Pike County form long lines, and wait for hours in the cold, to do their democratic duty on Election Day.
| 04 Nov 2020 | 01:15
Voting in Milford Borough was crisp, with line of 20 people waiting. Officials said 200 people had voted by 11 a.m. (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
The Democratic table in Milford Borough on Election Day, with offers of candy and water to fortify voters (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
The Republican table in Milford Borough on Election Day (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
At the Westfall Township Municipal Building polling place in Matamoras, voters waited for two hours to cast their ballots (Photo by Becca Tucker)
At the Westfall Township Municipal Building polling place in Matamoras, voters waited for two hours to cast their ballots (Photo by Becca Tucker)
Voting is a family affair at the Westfall Township Municipal Building polling place in Matamoras (Photo by Becca Tucker)
At the Westfall Township Municipal Building polling place in Matamoras, voters waited for two hours to cast their ballots (Photo by Becca Tucker)
At the Westfall Township Municipal Building polling place in Matamoras, voters waited for two hours to cast their ballots (Photo by Becca Tucker)
Dingman District 1 voters walked blocks to their polling place Milford Bible College from the stop sign at the end of Foxcroft Drive, which absorbed the overflow of cars since the parking lot was maxed out (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
The Republican table at Dingman District 1 loaded with candy, coffee, and donuts, along with campaign literature (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
The Democratic table at Dingman District 1 loaded with candy, coffee, and donuts, along with campaign literature (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
People near the entrance to Dingman District 1's polling place at Milford Bible College said they'd waited in line for two hours. When asked how long he'd been waiting, one man said, "Four years, 17 hours, and 2 minutes." (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
Hundreds wait in line at Dingman District 1, headquartered at Milford Bible College on Foxcroft Drive (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
Pennsylvania State Constable Timothy Haken greeted voters are the door of the Milford Township polling place on Election Day. Many midmorning voters waited an hour to cast their ballots (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
Voters in Milford Township waited 30 minutes to an hour to cast their ballots (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
Voters in Milford Township snaked around the parking lot as they waited 30 minutes to an hour to cast their ballots (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
One Democratic tent and one Republican tent stood near the entrance to the Milford Township polling station offering campaign materials, coffee, donuts, and candy (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
Voting in Milford Borough was crisp, with line of 20 people waiting. Officials said 200 people had voted by 11 a.m. (Photo by Frances Ruth Harris)
The next president will be decided by the people you see on this page, along with their fellow citizens throughout Pennsylvania, plus a handful of other battleground states still counting ballots as this paper goes to press. The U.S. Supreme Court decided late last month that county election officials in Pennsylvania must count mailed-in ballots that arrive up until Friday, Nov. 6, as long as there is no proof they were mailed after the polls closed.
But plenty of local citizens decided to do their democratic duty in person. The polling stations we checked in on — in Milford Borough, Milford Township, Dingman, and Westfall — were busy with voters standing in long lines on the morning of Election Day. Wait time was an hour in Milford and more than two hours in Dingman and Westfall. When asked how long he’d been waiting, one man at the Milford Bible College polling station said, “Four years, 17 hours, and 2 minutes.”
Sidled up close to the entrance at every location was a Democratic tent and a Republican tent, whose partisans handed out campaign literature and encouragement, along with hot coffee, donuts, and candy.
On the ballot, of course, were President Donald Trump (R) and challenger Joe Biden (D), who had the foresight to spend his first 11 years in Scranton, Pa. Also to be decided are the following races: 8th U.S. Congressional District between incumbent Matt Cartwright (D) and challenger Jim Bognet (R); Pennsylvania attorney general between incumbent Josh Shapiro (D) and Heather Heidelbaugh; the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 139th District, between incumbent Mike Peifer (R) and challenger Marian Keegan (D); and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 189th District, between incumbent Rosemary Brown (R) and challenger Adam Rodriguez (D).
There’s also the question put to Milford Borough and Township residents about whether a tax levy should be instituted for ambulance and rescue services. There is strong support for the levy, based on the tally as of Wednesday morning.
Editor’s note: Becca Tucker and the Associated Press contributed to the reporting of this story.