Bucks County Election 2022: Fitzpatrick holds onto seat for GOP and other results
You've seen all the ads, read all the mailers and heard all the claims. You may have watched a debate or two. It's time to decide. And the stakes are high today in Bucks County and around Pennsylvania. It's Election Day, and we will be bringing you coverage from both around the region and the commonwealth.
Pennsylvanians will choose their next governor and US senator, as well as new state representatives and state senators to do their bidding in Harrisburg. It's also a midterm election and voters in Bucks County will decide on who will represent them in Congress in Pennsylvania's First Congressional District.
Check back often throughout the day and night as we provide information as it breaks.
Live election coverage: The counting begins as most polls close in Pennsylvania
Brian Fitzpatrick wins another term in Congress
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick will return to Congress after holding off a challenge from newcomer Ashley Ehasz.
Fitzpatrick has long touted his bipartisan record, and it seemed, with more name recognition and a better funded campaign, to easily win despite Ehasz' campaign that attacked his record, especially on issues live women's reproductive rights, impeachment and the Jan. 6 Committee.
More:Fitzpatrick bests Ehasz in PA's 1st Congressional District race
Voters flip Central Bucks' district, return incumbents in Lower Bucks
Check out these voting results stories from around Bucks County:
More:PA Election: Labs re-elected in Central Bucks' 143rd House District
More:PA Election: Bensalem's K.C. Tomlinson holds onto seat in the 18th House District
More:Democrat Santarsiero holds off challenge by GOP's McCullough for 10th state Senate seat
More:Republican Marcell appears to defeat Democrat Breyman in 178th House District race
More:PA Election: Dem Tina Davis defeats Republican Kelly Bellerby-Allen in Bucks County's 141st District
More:Flipped: Democrat Brennan wins 29th state House seat in Central Bucks
More:In Pa.'s 31st, Warren defeats Sauer to maintain seat in House
More:Incumbent Craig Staats defeats Democrat Jim Miller, Lib Lula Vanliew in 145th state House race
Montgomery County's Josh Shapiro wins governor's race
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro bested Trump-backed Republican Doug Mastriano to win the governor’s race in Pennsylvania, according to NBC, Fox news and USA Today.
Shapiro had been leading Mastriano by significant margins in recent polling.
More:Shapiro wins, extending Democratic control of PA governorship to third consecutive term
Shapiro, the state’s attorney general since 2017, led Mastriano 52%-40% in a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll last week. He is a former state representative who cast himself as someone willing to take the fight to the status quo. Shapiro defended the state’s presidential election results in 2020 against an onslaught of legal challenges.
Mastriano, a state senator and retired Army colonel, marched on the U.S. Capitol in the Jan. 6 attack and was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who visited the state to rally for him. Mastriano supported unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election and held a hearing featuring Rudy Giuliani and Trump, via call-in, hyping voting irregularities.
— Donovan Slack
Polls close in Bucks County; wait for election results begins
As polls closed, Bucks County spokesperson James O’Malley noted there were “no major issues” at any Bucks County polling location and officials did not anticipate any major issues as the counting process unfolds.
“We are waiting for the numbers to come in from the polling places,” O’Malley said. “We upload those manually. We don’t have to scan them again, but we have to wait for the USB (devices containing the encrypted votes tallies) to come in.”
O’Malley said the count for Bucks County should be completed on Wednesday.
If mail-in ballots are any indication, voter participation may be high. According to O’Malley, Bucks County sent out 98,506 mail-in ballots, of which 82,789 were returned as of last count. Officials expect that number to rise as voters dropped off ballots Tuesday throughout the day.
O’Malley also noted that very few, if any, voters visited the Board of Elections to have their mail-in ballot cured, or fixed due to a lacking or wrong date or signature on the outer envelope.
“We are just hunkering down right now and hoping that everything continues to go smoothly,” O’Malley said. “Everyone worked real hard to make this election go smoothly, and the Board of Elections are the pros and best in the business.
“We are waiting on them and giving them the space to do their work.”
-Damon Williams
Ehasz won't comment on her bid for Congress against Brian Fitzpatrick until all mail-ins are counted: campaign
Ashley Ehasz, the Democrat looking to unseat incumbent Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in the 1st Congressional District, planned to watch the vote returns with other Democrats at the Temperance House in Newtown on Tuesday night but her campaign announced late Tuesday afternoon that she wouldn't comment on the results until after mail-in votes are counted in the days to come.
"While she is excited to celebrate the results, she urges us to remember that we will not have a result in the election tonight, and we must wait until every ballot is counted in Bucks and Montgomery counties," her campaign announced in an email.
Mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania cannot be pre-canvassed until 7 a.m. Election Day morning and the votes can't be counted until after the polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Night.
Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of State Leigh Chapman expects the mail-in ballot counting to take a few days. The issue is also complicated by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling last week that ballots that are not dated should be included in the count. In Bucks County, the ballots were segregated but the Board of Elections tried to contact the ballot applicants to urge them to come to the board office to "cure" their ballot or go to their polls and vote with a provisional ballot until the issue is resolved. Democrats in Pennsylvania are trying to have that ruling overturned, citing it as a civil rights violation of federal law.
About 1.4 million mail-in ballots were requested by voters throughout Pennsylvania and most have been requested by Democratic voters, the state has reported. Over 98,000 were requested in Bucks.
-Peg Quann
Bucks County reports smooth Election Day ahead of PA polls closing at 8 p.m.
Bucks County reported no serious problems or interruptions with voting Tuesday beyond one Bensalem polling place that lost power in the morning but because the voting machines have battery backup there was no disruption in voting, county spokesman James O’Malley said.
O’Malley also noted that the new electronic polling books that are being used this election have a feature that allows poll workers to quickly find the correct polling place for voters who show up at the wrong one.
Tonight, the county has teams of 30 to 40 employees who will be working in shifts until all the votes are counted.
However, all elections have issues that need some working out at the polls.
Outside the Bensalem Library Marlyn Doss Was and her sister, Angela Sweet, ran into an issue. Sweet was told she could not vote.
They both live in the same Bensalem apartment complex but poll workers told Sweet they could not find her name in the poll books. Sweet said that she is registered to vote and she voted last year.
After Pennsylvania voter protection official overheard Sweet, he and a poll watcher approached to get her information to investigate. She was not the first voter to have trouble voting Tuesday at the polling place, poll watcher Scott Endicter said.
A bigger issue was the number of people dropping off mail in ballots when the polls opened at 7 o’clock, but before the ballot box at the library opened at 9 a.m., he said. People were attempting to leave their mail in ballots at the polling place which was not allowed.
“Quite a few,“ Endicter said. “At least a handful.”
In Sweet’s case, at a minimum the poll worker should’ve offered her a provisional ballot to cast, Endicter said.
Both women said no one offered Sweet a provisional ballot.
After taking her information and heading back inside it was learned that Sweet moved into a new apartment in the same complex, but did not update her voter registration.
O'Malley said he was not aware of complaints about the drop boxes and anyone trying to leave ballots there early.
-Jo Ciavaglia
Bucks County voters want truth in election ads, campaigns
Among voters, both Republican and Democrat, inflation, the economy and gasoline prices were the top priorities, with “direction of the the country” close behind.
Monica Morris of Croydon had another issue: “My main thing is the truth.”
She worries that lies and rumors, such as the Q-anon phenomenon, and denying election results have eroded trust among ordinary people.
“People should listen to each other and not believe everything they hear on TV. And I don’t like the name calling. Both sides do it. Both sides have their dings and twists on each other.”
It was better when adults in mixed company had a gentleman’s agreement, she said. “They never discussed religion or politics,” Morris said.
Regina Carney, 80, of Levittown, left her polling place in Falls, and while she wouldn’t disclose how she voted, she said the candidates don’t make it easy to know where they stand.
“These commercials on TV, all they do is talk bad about each other. It’s hardly ever about what they support, she said. “And so we’re left to decide who’s better? I just wish they tell us what they stand for instead of talking each other down.”
-JD Mullane
Bensalem women head to the polls for women's rights
Bensalem resident Sarah Vitale never misses the chance to vote but she was resolute about showing up to the polls on Tuesday. She’s worried about her daughters who are 14 and 20. “I'm afraid for Pennsylvania,” she said as she headed into the Bensalem High School with her younger daughter, Cameron.
The biggest issue driving her to the polls was abortion rights and body autonomy. “If they are going to take away one right they’ll take away others, Vitale said. "It’s scary.”
Cynthia Schioppa also made sure she was out to vote Tuesday to vote for Democrats seeking state and federal offices.
“We think Biden is doing good for us,” she said at the midterm election. She called Democrats the party that puts people before profits. She also expressed concern about women losing their rights.
Also on Schioppa's mind is the polarization of the nation. Where once Americans who supported different political ideologies could have a civil discussion now she worries expressing an opinion could end up in a fistfight or worse.
“I’m afraid people are brainwashed,” she said. “You can’t fix stupid. You can’t argue with crazy.”
-Jo Ciavaglia
2020 election brings out first-time poll watcher in Bucks County
Dave Whyno greeted voters outside the Bristol Township municipal building. He’s a Republican and, at 52, a first time poll watcher. He pulled out his credentials that allow him to observe the Election Day vote count. Trump’s loss to Biden two years ago remains a bitter taste.
“I decided to become a poll watcher because of it. I’m tired of all the (nonsense) from the other side, dragging out the vote count for days,” said Whyno, wearing a black baseball cap inscribed “Let’s Go Brandon.”
“After 2020, I don’t trust the system, so I decided to get involved. This lets me observe the count within 10 feet. I can see pretty good from 10 feet. I won’t need my theater glasses for that.”
--JD Mullane
Bucks County voters using digital polls books for first time
In a sign of the times, Bucks County voters were greeted Tuesday with new digital poll books to sign in at the polls. The screens replace the paper books where voters have signed in for decades. The new system allows poll workers to know if the voter already sent in a mail in ballot, which would immediately eliminate a voter from casting another vote. The system can also direct a voter to the correct polling place. They are safe, officials said, as they operate on a closed system, not the internet.
So far Tuesday, poll workers report that the digital books have been well received and are making things faster.
The screens also eliminate the need to print out some 27,000 pages of poll books for Bucks County's 307 precincts.
--Danielle Camilli
More:Bucks County to deploy digital poll books for general elections starting in November
Bucks County allowing voters to 'cure' ballots
Bucks County is allowing absentee or mail-in ballot voters to “cure” or fix mistakes, such as a missing date or signature, on their ballot or advising people to vote by provisional ballot. If the county Board of Election finds problems with a mail-in ballot, it will not directly notify voters of the problem, county spokesman James O'Malley said.
Instead, the ballot will be entered as canceled in the state’s tracking website for mail-in ballots. The state system will notify a voter by email about the cancellation, but only if it has an email address on file.
Voters who want to fix a mail-in ballot must go in-person to the Board of Elections office on the second floor of the county headquarters in Doylestown. Otherwise, the only option is to cast a provisional ballot at their polling place.
Not all Pennsylvania counties are allowing mail-in voters to fix ballot mistakes. York County election officials are not allowing curing, meaning the only option for those voters is to cast a provisional ballot.
Bucks County sent out 98,506 mail-in and absentee ballots for the 2022 midterms, roughly half the number it sent out for the 2020 presidential race during the COVID-19 pandemic, O’Malley said.
As of last night, 82,789 of those ballots, roughly 82% had been returned, slightly lower than the 85% return rate as of 2020 election eve, O’Malley said.
The county started processing those mail-in ballots at 7 a.m. meaning workers began scanning ballots into voting machines, but tallying does not take place until 8 pm when polls close.
The mail-in and absentee ballot requests heavily favored registered Democrats with 63,562 compared to 22,847 ballots requested by registered Republicans.
The breakdown of the political affiliations of others requesting mail-in or absentee ballots was; “No Affiliation” (8,565), “No Party” (1,752), Independents (997) and the remaining 783 ballots for voters registered in other parties including “Pizza Party” and “Trump Party,” which each had one ballot request.
-Jo Ciavaglia
Early voters hit the polls in Bucks County
Some voters wasted no time casting their ballots Tuesday, lining up ahead of the 7 a.m. opening of the polls. There were short lines at some polling places in Bucks County, but there were no problems reported.
Matt Krince, of Levittown, was among the early arrivals at his polling place at Samuel Everitt Elementary School in Middletown. He said he would vote Republican.
“I’m really interested in keeping a balance of power” between the two parties, he said. “But what’s the middle road anymore? It’s too polarized on both sides for there to be a middle ground.”
The candidates don’t make it easier to discern, he said. “So Fetterman. Is he for fracking, or is he against? Which is it?”
Also out to vote Tuesday morning, Congressional candidate Ashley Ehasz, a Democrat looking to unseat the GOP's Brian Fitzpatrick, in Pennsylvania's First Congressional District that covers all of Bucks County and a sliver of Montgomery County.
-JD Mullane
When can I cast my ballot?
Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. If there is a line at 8 p.m., and you are in it, you will be allowed to cast your ballot. To check your registration status, or update your address, party affiliation or other information, visit vote.pa.gov. It is too late to register for this election if you are a new voter.
Where can I drop off my mail-in ballot in Bucks County?
More than 98,000 Bucks County voters requested a mail-in ballot, and 79,330 had been returned, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State early Monday. There are roughly 480,795 total voters in Bucks County as of the Oct. 24 deadline to register to vote in the midterm.
Those who have not returned their mail-in ballot can do so on Election Day before the polls close at 8 p.m. It is too late to mail them in. Date and sign the back on the envelope you place your ballot in. You also can only return your ballot.
The county drop boxes are located at:
Upper Bucks Government Services Center, 261 California Road, Quakertown. 8 a.m. to 4 :30 p.m. weekdays
Lower Bucks Government Services Center, 7321 New Falls Road, Levittown. 8 a.m. to 4 :30 p.m. weekdays
County Administration Building, 55 E. Court St., Doylestown. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays
Bensalem Library, 3700 Hulmeville Road.
Bristol Borough Hall, 250 Pond St.
New Hope Library, 93 W. Ferry St.
Northampton Library, 25 Upper Holland Road, Richboro.
Perkasie Library, 491 Arthur Ave.
Riegelsville Library, 615 Easton Road. Open until 5 p.m.
Warminster Library, 1076 Emma Lane
Yardley-Makefield Library, 1080 Edgewood Road
What if I want to vote at the poll instead of using my requested mail-in ballot?
If you have a mail ballot but decide to vote in person, bring the entire ballot, including security envelope, to the polls. If you don't have the mail ballot but still show up to the polls to vote in person anyway, you'll be able to cast a provisional ballot. But counting your ballot could be delayed until it's determined you didn't also vote by mail.
PA candidate election information in Bucks County
Check out our coverage of the election here:
All eyes on PA:Polls open tomorrow. So what's at stake in these midterms in Pa. & across the U.S.?
Voters Guide: Election 2022: Your guide to Pennsylvania's general election in Bucks County and Eastern Montco
PA House, Senate races election 2022:Who you'll be voting for in Pennsylvania House, Senate races in Bucks and Montco
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County election results: Fitzpatrick re-elected in PA-01
