Scenes from an election
Centre County election workers opened polling places at 7 a.m. Tuesday and began the wait to see how many voters would show up in a non-presidential election year.
Mayor again
Mayor Elizabeth Goreham was re-elected as the mayor of State College on Tuesday to her second term as mayor. She says her favorite part about the job is, “every day is different”, and claims her main principles are “keeping the town creative, tightly-knit, and relaxed.”
by Tatiana Flowers
A rare breed
Republican candidate Ron Madrid had hoped it was time for a change as he ran against incumbent mayor Elizabeth Goreham in Tuesday’s election in State College. Madrid said his only regret if he lost would be for all of his supporters who worked so hard to get him elected. Based on early returns Tuesday it appeared Goreham would win reelection and defeat Madrid.
by Alyssa Sovereign
Survivor
Jeff Kern, a longtime resident of State College, has been volunteering at the polls for about 15 years. Kern also served on the State College Borough Council for eight years. He reflects on a difficult and personal experience he had at the end of his Borough Council career.
by Danielle Matalonis
Empty ballot
John Vincenti helped monitor the election process Tuesday at Mike's Video,TV & Appliance in State College. Vincenti wished more people would come out to vote.
by Anayes Baldwin
The story of two volunteers
Bob Berry is a retired police officer who calls himself a professional volunteer. After 12 years of being Judge of Elections he knows the ins and outs of voting. Bryanna Summers, high school senior, is still too young to vote but finds herself drawn to the people at the polls. Together they have an interesting take on the voters in precinct 44.
by Deja McClendon
Get out and vote
Although this year’s election is not a presidential election, Casey Rabiea feels as though it is just as important, if not more important, to vote on a local level. Upon graduation, she hopes her vote positively impacts the new chapter in her life as a Centre County employee.
by Kelsey Rowley
Keeping the election machinery running
Bob Barry, judge of elections, explains some of the preparations he goes through on election day. He is a resident of Ferguson township and is working his second year as judge of elections for State College's election day. He makes sure voting machines are set up and operational, including one for sight- or hearing-impaired voters. He is paid a small stipend for this work.
by Simeon Pantelidis
PSU alum works to get out the vote
Anthony Christina graduated from Penn State last year, but was back on campus today to hand out literature near the HUB today and encouraging students to make sure they vote. He emphasized that even though it is not an election with a large turnout, it is still important because the candidates in this election are the ones who work closely with the community.
by Sam Ashton
Madrid supporter
Mary Marino is a supporter of mayoral candidate Ron Madrid. She thinks that students should pay more attention to local The decisions that local government make influence people’s daily life.
by Shurong Liu
Election day turnout low
There was a scant voter turnout in the HUB’s Heritage Hall today, despite it being the voting location for 5 precincts. Geddy McCullough, Judge of Elections for Precint 28, and Paige Gresser, a Bellefonte Area High School senior who volunteered to help with the election, have their own theories about why turnout is so low.
by Felicia Jackson
Low turnout not a surprise to veteran poll worker
Judge of Elections Bob Barry says that voter turnout is just as he expected. He says there are no major representatives running for positions and nothing surprising or controversial is happening, so turnout has been low. However, he says that people in the community should still vote because the positions being filled have an impact. Barry says that he expects turnout to be much higher during the next presidential elections.
by Yashira Diaz
Planning ahead
Courtney Hayden is the Communication and Special Projects Coordinator for the Borough of State College. She began her career as an AmeriCorps worker specializing in environmental issues. In January, Hayden will be running orientation for candidates vying for spots on the 2014 ballot so they can review their strategic plans.
by Courtney LaBeach
Election Day with Deb Flavin
Deb Flavin, the director of Centre County Republican Party, has spent the past few months preparing for this election by going door-to-door and distributing literature packages with information on the candidates. Putting in 13-14 hours a day for six days a week, she is passionate about her job and getting the word out about the candidates. She is also in charge of running the Facebook page and keeping the community informed of what is happening politically in the Centre County area.
by Chelsea Howard
Students show little interest in election at campus polls
Election judge Albert Nakpil saw little student enthusiasm for the elction as he worked in the 25th Precinct polling place today.
by Belinda Charles
Election Day at Unity Church
Bob Minard is a registered State College area voter who has been dedicated to assisting voters at the polls for moree than 10 years. Today he spent his time at Unity Church along with his wife and a few friends giving voters a helping hand. His day consisted of waking up at 6 a.m. to get the polls set up, then sharing stories about why it was so important to get out and vote.
by Kiona Dyches
Benner Township candidates face off … slowly
Despite his tough race against incumbent John Elnitski, Mark Capriani spent most of election day waiting for voters to show up. Capriani is running for a spot on Benner Township's Board of Supervisors.
by Noelle Mateer
Get out and vote
Aaron Dennis thinks it’s important that we vote. It’s so important he spent Election Day working to get students to the polls.
by Sean Grier
True believer
Although Colin Hogan has only lived in State College for his graduate career, he feels more passionate about showing up at the polls than many long-time State College citizens. Hogan, an American Literature graduate student, says, “It’s not for a particular candidate or a particular issue, but to participate and exercise my democratic rights.
by Casie Tennin
Ron Madrid for Mayor
Ron Madrid, the candidate run against Elizabeth Goreham for State College Mayor, stayed busy on Election Day. Madrid with the help of his neighbor and supporter Mary Marino, campaigned outside the Knights of Columbus polling location. Madrid is involved in many State College organizations including the Holmes-Foster Neighborhood Association, the State College Historic Resources Commission, and the Planning Commission.
by Siyi Sun
Inside The Mind of a Voter
Katherine Coratta is a sophomore who majors in social studies. Katherine Coratta’s father was a part of the United States Army for twenty-six years and she spent a great deal of her childhood on military bases. The experience she gathered from her father’s time in the army generated a genuine passion in politics. Katherine, a sophomore at Penn State, also perpetuated her appetite for politics in high school when she took AP government and politics and AP United States History. Katherine ultimately wishes to pass what she has learned about United States history and the government to young kids as a teacher..
by Bruce Fluellen
Penn State student helps with local election
With Election Day finally here, students are volunteering at polling places around campus. Penn State sophomore Aaron Dennis explains his role with the election and why it is important for students to vote.
by Michael Bradley
First vote
William Su, a senior at Penn State, voted for his first time Tuesday. He went to the HUB-Robeson Center early in the morning to cast his vote and represent himself in the election.
by Cheuk Wai Lam
Polling Location Preparation
Election Day is much more than just another day for Joe Kowalski. Kowalski serves as one of the election inspectors for the 21st precinct in State College. He provides an inside look at everything that goes into getting his polling station ready to open.
by Dan Cronin
Write-in candidate runs for mayor
After the incumbent decided that he no longer could be mayor in the small town of Port Matilda, Pa., three candidates decided to run as write-in candidates. Ida Lively is one of those three. She has lived in Port Matilda for 18 years, and says she wants to be voice for the residents of the town.
by Vincent Corso
High School helper
Noah Borowski, a high school senior, spent his school day doing volunteer service for his AP government class working as an election volunteer in the HUB Robeson Center on Penn State University's campus for Election Day.
by Christopher Aland
View from a volunteer
Geddy McCullough is a fifth year senior majoring in Telecommunications. He is regular volunteer at the election polls. Today he is working at the HUB-Robeson Center.
by Carl Normil
Brooks predicts low turnout for local elections
Judge of Elections Donna Brooks says she expects less than a dozen voters to cast ballots at St. Paul's United Methodist Church on College Avenue for the 2013 local elections today. Poll workers like Brooks are committed to running voting booths for the 13-hour voting time despite the predicted low turnout.
by Jessica Paholsky