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Pennsylvania Elections

Poll workers report record voter

turnout in Philadelphia
Battleground: Pennsylvania
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The 2020 Pennsylvania general election
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PennLive has to offer on this year's historic elections — and

much By
more:
Julia Hatmaker | jhatmaker@pennlive.com

In-depth reporting about Pa.'s pivotal role in the campaign for the presidency
Election Day in Philadelphia was busy in the morning, but
The first and latest county-by-county returns
relatively quiet as evening set in.
Breaking news about important state and local races

Full Poll workers

access at Ward
to Subscriber 26 in South
Exclusive news, Philadelphia, Wardstories
sports and lifestyle 36 inacross PennLive
Graduate Hospital and Ward 46 in West Philadelphia all reported
long lines as polls opened, but after 5 p.m. there was just a trickle
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Ward 26 was one of the few neighborhoods in the city that
President Donald Trump narrowly won in 2016. As you drove
through the ward, heading farther and farther south, the more
signs for Trump you saw -- a marked contrast with the Biden-sign
heavy Center City.

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Ward 26 faced record turnout according to several poll workers. In

division 3, they estimated that they had nearly 80% voter turnout,
once you counted mail-in ballots. Division 2 had more than 50% of
voters come to cast their ballot in person.

While record turnout could imply a Republican victory, given the

ward’s recent history, division 12 committee person John
Zimmerman thinks that Ward 26 will swing for Biden this go
round.

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“I feel really good about today,” he said. “I feel better about today
than last time.”

ELECTION RESULTS 2020

PRESIDENT

Pennsylvania Presidential General Results

National map: U.S. Presidential Race

Select a County

Erie

Allentown
Pittsburgh
Harrisburg

Philadelphia

20 electoral votes at stake

CANDIDATE VOTES PCT.

Donald Trump* (R) 3,285,965 49.56%

Joe Biden (D) 3,267,923 49.29%
Jo Jorgensen (LIB) 76,135 1.15%
* Incumbent
Expected vote An Associated Press estimate of how much of the vote in an election has been
counted. It is informed by turnout in recent elections, details on votes cast in advance and – after
polls close – early returns. The estimate may fluctuate as election officials report additional results
95% and AP learns more about how many voters have cast a ballot.
Last updated: Nov 6, 2020, 1:59 AM

Record turnout was also reported at various divisions in Wards 36

and 46.

“We don’t usually make 100 voters,” said Ward 36, division 21 poll
worker Nadine Davis. “We’re well past that.”

In fact, around 7 p.m. they were close to doubling that figure, with
180 voters coming in-person to cast their ballot.

The poll workers for Ward 46, division 15 estimated that they had
50 percent voter turnout from in-person votes alone. And in
division 14, election judge William Squires said he saw the highest
turnout ever.

“It was better than even when Obama ran,” he said.

READ MORE: Election Day 2020 Pa. live updates: Voters say lack
of trust, tradition brought them to the polls

There had been some issues, however. Two of the voting machines
for Ward 26, division 10, went down within an hour of each other,
leaving volunteers scrabbling to get them fixed as voters patiently
waited to cast their votes.

A similar situation had happened in Ward 46, division 14, when a

voting machine broke in the morning. Squires said that the
machine was out-of-commission for an hour and a half. During
that time, only two voters left -- the rest just waited until it was
back online.

Ward 26 had some issues with people following COVID-19

protocols. Poll worker Hanna Garrity said that many people have
shown up without masks, and had to be given one.

READ MORE: When will we see election results in Pennsylvania?

Here are some projections, with pleas for patience

And there were issues with mail-in ballots at nearly all the polling
locations PennLive visited in Philadelphia. Most of this centered on
confusion, with some unsure what to do if their mail-in ballot
hadn’t been registered as processed on the state’s website yet.
Others said they had never received the mail-in ballot they
requested. Poll workers had those with these problems fill out a
provisional ballot, but some voters didn’t understand that meant.

Others understood exactly what to do with their mail-in ballot. A

bunch of people dropped off their completed ballots in person at
the polling locations in Ward 26′s division 2.

Another commonality among the polling places in Philadelphia

was the abundance of new and younger poll workers.

The workers for Ward 26, division 3 were all one family.

Theresa Franchetti’s mom worked the polls for 50 years, but when
she passed away Franchetti decided to do her best to fill her
shoes. When she heard that the divisions usual poll workers
couldn’t work this year because of the pandemic, she recruited her
husband, Sonny, and 22-year-old daughter, Mary, to help.

Mary Franchetti has been more than happy to assist.

“I know there’s a lot at stake this year and I wanted to help any
way I could,” she said.

This was the first presidential election for 18-year-old Faith Walker,
who was working the polls at Ward 36′s division 7. She felt it was
important to be a poll worker, not only because she felt like it was
her civic duty, but because it provided an outlet for her to feel like
she’s doing something to help the issues the country is facing. She
was excited to cast her own vote too.

“I remember distinctly the 2016 election,” Walker said. “Being able

to participate in this election feels good.”

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