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BELLEFONTE -- At the start of this week's Board of Commissioners meeting, Centre County's Commissioners reflected on last week's election, noting both the challenges it encountered and the dedicated staff who helped make it one of the county's most successful election nights in years.
During the general election on Nov. 5, 81,345 votes were cast, with a 74.05% voter turnout. The unofficial preliminary results show Democratic wins in the presidential race (Kamala Harris), US Senate (Robert P. Casey Jr.) and Pennsylvania's 82nd Legislative District (Paul Takac). Republican candidates won the races for Attorney General (Dave Sunday), Auditor General (Tim DeFoor), State Treasurer (Stacy Garrity), the 15th Congressional District (Glenn "GT" Thompson) and the 25th and 35th State Senate Districts (Cris Dush and Wayne Langerholc Jr., respectively).
"I want to take a moment and reflect on last week's election, particularly all the people whose efforts made it possible to administer the election," said Commissioner Mark Higgins.
Higgins thanked, first and foremost, the county election staff, recognizing by name Elections Director Melanie Bailey, Election Coordinator Jodi Nedd, Voter Registration Coordinator Latisha Stefanko, Laura Day and Sharon Johnson. Together, they managed the registrations and logistics of the election, allowing it to run smoothly.
Bailey, who began as Centre County's director of elections in August, was given special recognition by the commissioners.
"From her first day on the job here in Centre County, Melanie hit the ground running, and I'm very grateful for her ability to step in and oversee this election," Higgins said.
He also thanked the nearly 1,000 temporary election and poll workers who volunteered to help run the Nov. 5 general election, "without whom, our elections could not function."
Commissioner Steven Dershem acknowledged the hard work of election workers at Penn State's Precincts 24 and 44 at the HUB-Robeson Center, where 7,654 voters cast ballots last Tuesday. According to Dershem, the precinct is the largest in the state.
"This was the most organized, well-run and responsive election that we've ever had up there," said Dershem. "It's a huge responsibility to make sure that is done properly."
He gave special commendation to PSU Votes and the Penn State's government outreach team for their help facilitating the election on Penn State's University Park campus.
Commissioner Amber Concepcion said the county was fortunate to have so many people interested in helping with the election.
"The community really stepped up to make sure we were covered," she said. "We saw just incredible professionalism from the beginning of this season as we've been preparing for the election, all the way through what was a really long day on Tuesday."
Higgins also recognized the law enforcement officials who aided the county with election security concerns.
"Election night did come with an unprecedented hiccup, but law enforcement navigated the situation with grace and efficiency, allowing us to safely return to work during the election," said Higgins.
On election night, The Willowbank Building in Bellefonte, which houses the Centre County Elections Office, was temporarily evacuated to investigate a bomb threat received via email to the Elections Office, according to a release from Centre County Government officials.
The non-credible threat made to the Election's Office was one of dozens sent to election administrators around the country. In a release, the FBI said they were aware of bomb threats to polling locations in several states, including Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania. According to the FBI, many of the emails appeared to originate from Russian email domains.
"Everyone, especially in that moment of disruption, was committed to the security of the election," said Higgins.
He thanked state police, the Spring Township and Bellefonte Police Departments and Sheriff Bryan Sampsel, "who all responded swiftly to ensure the Willowbank Building was safe and secure." He also thanked deputies Kasey Hoover, Garrett Rigg and Peyton Hill who worked security at the Willowbank Building on election night.
While law enforcement ensured there was no threat, election and county staff stayed with the election material to ensure they stayed under constant supervision.
"I won't soon forget the image of Tina Conwrath clinging to a police evidence bag of mail-in ballots, committed to not breaking the chain of custody as we returned from having the Willowbank Building swept by law enforcement. She even went as far as to keep one hand on the bag as she struggled to remove her coat to go through security," Higgins said.
Concepcion added that, "through it all, everyone remained calm and committed to ensuring we carry out the election processes as thoroughly and carefully as we always do."
Sheriff Sampsel said, "Great work by all involved to resolve the bomb threat and continue with the elections process."
Finally, Mark Higgins, on behalf of the commissioners, thanked the administrative team, including County Administrator John Franek, the deputy administrators, and the county solicitor.
"I feel confident in the decision we made for this election, because I know we've discussed and thought through the election, and in each of these discussions we've been guided by our commitment to the public of Centre County, our devotion to democracy and our resolve to run a secure election," Higgins said.