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Polls in Pennsylvania for the primary election have closed.

Now candidates — and voters — must sit and wait for the ballots to be tallied.

Several high-profile races are on the ballot, including the governor’s office and the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Pat Toomey. Toomey, a Republican, announced last year he would not seek re-election.

Seven Republicans are on the ballot, and four Democrats are seeking the nomination.

On the gubernatorial ballot, Attorney General Josh Shapiro is the lone Democrat. On the Republican side, there are seven candidates.

Shapiro was set to visit Pittsburgh and Johnstown, but he took a precautionary covid-19 test Monday night that came back positive.

“I’m experiencing some mild symptoms and will continue serving the people of Pennsylvania as I isolate at home,” he posted to Twitter on Tuesday morning, about 90 minutes after the polls opened.

I’ll be back on the campaign trail next week and I’m looking forward to kicking off the general election in Johnstown.

Please get out there and vote today — and after these few days at home, I’m going to go win this race for Pennsylvania.

— Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) May 17, 2022

U.S. Senate candidate and current Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, too, was set to host an election night soiree, but he announced Sunday he’d suffered a stroke two days prior.

Fetterman, who has been leading the polls, said he was on his way to a “full recovery.” On Tuesday he was set to undergo surgery to implant a pacemaker to regulate his heart rate and rhythm.

Click here for the Trib’s full primary election guide

As of 8 p.m., Allegheny County had scanned 90,909 ballots, said county spokeswoman Amie Downs. Another 467 ballots were received from the last sweep at the post office, she said. About 1,000 ballots had been returned to the county office building. “Those will be brought to the warehouse after polls close and processed then,” Downs said.

About 100 mail-in ballots were damaged when opened, Downs said. Those ballots are being recreated on the ExpressVote machines and will be scanned and added to the totals, she said.

Westmoreland County election officials said more than 17,500 mail-in ballots were processed and counted by 7 p.m.

Elections Bureau interim director Greg McCloskey said more than 18,000 voters returned mail-in ballots to the county through Monday. Workers started at 7 a.m. to open mail-in ballots and run them through counting machines at the courthouse. Results from ballots cast at the county’s 307 voting precincts will be posted starting at around 9:30 p.m., McCloskey said.

‘Decent for a primary’

At 2:45 p.m., roughly 10% of the nearly 300 registered voters in Greensburg 5-2 had cast their ballot at the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department Hose Company No. 6.

Among them was Trump-supporter Republican Robert Adamson, who indicated he voted for candidates based on endorsements by the former president.

He acknowledged sticking to that strategy was “tough.”

“There are people who are maybe better than the ones he suggested, but I’m going to go along with him because this is just the primary,” Adamson said. “I think maybe he knows better.

“Whoever gets in will do a better job than what’s been happening of late.”

At the fire department’s Company No. 1 station, Democrat Denise Pullen said she planned to vote for candidates in Greensburg 2-3 who she hopes “can help to build a case against Donald Trump.”

In the U.S. Senate primary, Pullen said she previously has supported U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb but was still weighing whether to vote for him or for the frontrunner, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, as she headed to the polling area.

“I just wonder if shaking things up might have a better effect,” she said. “I’m going to make my decision when I pull the lever.”

Shortly after 2 p.m. at the nearby McKenna Center senior center, Judge of Elections John Stafford said the turnout was “decent for a primary,” with about 200 ballots cast among the more than 1,000 voters in Greensburg Precinct 2-4.

“With mail-in ballots, we don’t expect as many people now,” he said.

There was a technical glitch with one of the precinct’s six voting machines.

At one point, Stafford said, the machine incorrectly registered a write-in vote when a voter instead attempted to select Eric Nelson of Hempfield, who is unopposed on the Republican ticket for another term in the state House.

“The calibration was off, but we caught it right away and put (the voter) on a different machine,” Stafford said.

He said the problem was remedied following a call to county election officials.

“The county is good at giving us help,” he said.

‘I’m eating up my money right now’

As a widow with a set income, Beverley Danusis was eager to cast her ballot because she is “very disappointed in what’s happening” in Pennsylvania and beyond as inflation continues to surge.

“I’m eating up my money right now,” said Danusis, who added that the border and crime also influenced her vote.

In the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, the Unity woman put her support behind businessman Dave McCormick, who she described as a “homegrown boy.”

Though Danusis is a “Trump fan,” she feels Trump “wasn’t right” to endorse celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz for the Senate nomination.

“I like (McCormick’s) experience and I feel Oz is too glib,” Danusis said.

Walking into the polls to vote Mehmet Oz with my wife Lisa! pic.twitter.com/5GGjCNdlLL

— Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) May 17, 2022

Trump’s endorsement of Oz did influence the opinion of Jason Graham of Latrobe. Graham said his biggest political concerns are the economy and inflation.

“I think (Oz) would be best for our state,” Graham said. “Hopefully, things change with Dr. Oz.”

Danusis said she believed November’s election will be key for Americans who share her conservative values.

“It’s going to be a turning moment,” she said.

In contrast, Kirk Miller of Latrobe said he believed every election is equally important. Miller — who voted for McCormick and former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta in the race for governor — said he would like to see Pennsylvanian politicians “cut government in half” eventually.

However, Miller acknowledged that “change isn’t going to happen overnight.”

Several issues involving polling places arose Tuesday afternoon, but they were quickly resolved, Downs said:

• Campaign volunteers were campaigning too close to a polling place in Pine

• A utility closed a road near a polling place in Richland but later reopened

• A tree-cutting crew was blocking a polling place in Pittsburgh and had to be moved

• A White Oak precinct did not open until 11 a.m. “This was not reported to Elections until media inquired into it, after which we verified the report,” Downs said.

Earlier in the afternoon, Fetterman voted via emergency absentee ballot from Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital. Fetterman remained hospitalized Tuesday following a stroke he suffered Friday.

What’s so funny about ‘kindness, love and peace?’

Sheila Hughley, 65, of New Kensington has always supported the Democratic Party.

“I vote because I want to see the civic-minded people do the right thing. (The country) is a hot mess. You gotta pick the lesser of two evils,” Hughley said.

Describing the political atmosphere as hostile, Hughley urged folks to use their manners.

“There should be discussion but with common courtesy, kindness, love and peace,” she said.

Hughley said she voted for Fetterman and that his recent stroke didn’t sway her vote.

“He’ll kick it. He looks like he’ll get the job done. He’s a real person,” Hughley said.

‘I wish people would just be nicer’

Lifelong Democrat Staci Womack of Springdale didn’t mince words after voting.

“I’m considering switching political parties,” Womack said.

Womack, 54, a bank administrator, said although she voted for President Joe Biden, she’s not happy with the current situation in America.

“The hot topic issue for me as a grandmother is the baby formula shortage. That’s ridiculous,” Womack said.

More than 102 people had voted by 11 a.m. at the township building.

Republican Kelly Conroy of Harwick said her number one political issue is abortion rights.

“I’m pro-life and have strong Christian values,” said Conroy, who declined to comment on specific candidates.

Conroy, 53, said the current political climate often brings out bad behavior on both sides of the political aisle.

“We’re a melting pot and we all have different ideas and that’s OK,” Conroy said. “I wish people would just be nicer.”

Allegheny County staff began scanning mail-in ballots about 11 a.m., said spokeswoman Amie Downs. Three authorized representatives are observing the process in the warehouse.

Downs said some poll workers have reported they are running low on ballots, though elections officials have found that is usually a result of an undercount or similar issue.

“Even with that being the case,” she said, “each request for additional ballots is being fulfilled with polling place coordinators and leadmen delivering.”

She stressed that no voter should be turned away and noted that each polling place has an Express Vote machine that has all ballots for that location loaded on the machine.

A few hundred people ventured to the Hempfield Township Athletic Complex.

By 10 a.m., about 170 people had voted, a significant decrease from previous years, said Judge of Elections Ted Short. Short, who has held that role for 43 years, said they would be lucky if 500 people turned out.

“We’re usually busier,” he said. “Don’t know what’s going on.”

Despite the low turnout, a slow but steady stream of people wandered into the building, several of whom said they make it a priority to vote during each election.

“I always vote,” said Henry Dyson, noting that he keeps up with politics to ensure he is a well-informed voter. “I never miss. … I’d have to be on my deathbed to miss a vote.”

The 68-year-old said he hopes to elect candidates who can help control inflation, which has reached a 40-year high.

Albert Rosatti and his wife, Pat, said they also vote during every election.

“We listened to all the candidates and chose the one we wanted,” said Albert Rosatti, 78.

For Patricia Long, 92, voting is imperative, especially during a race that decides the governor and senators.

“I try to vote every time, whether it’s primary or whatever,” Long said. “I’m concerned, I guess, because of the governor and everybody else.”

All of the privacy envelopes for the more than 86,000 ballots either turned in or mailed in have been opened, Downs said.

The pre-canvassing began about 7 a.m. at the county elections warehouse on the North Side after polls opened at 7 a.m. Staff members began extracting, opening and flattening the ballots.

One poll location in Ross did not open until just before 9 a.m., as the individual charged with opening the building could not be reached. Downs said officials were notified of the problem before the polls opened, and they were considering getting a court order to have sheriff’s deputies open the building.

Turnout was expected to be low, as is often the case in primary elections. In Allegheny County, 30% of registered Democrats and 35% of Republicans are expected to vote, Downs said. Westmoreland County officials said they expect overall turnout to be around 32%.

Rising gas prices prompted first-time voter Logan Vacanti, 18, to come out to vote before going to Kiski Area High School, where he’s a senior.

He said he and his friends discuss gas prices a lot.

“They’re too high. That was the main reason I came out to vote, but I do think it’s important to vote,” said Vacanti, a registered Republican from Allegheny Township.

Vacanti said he was a little nervous voting for the first time but added that the process went smoothly.

Voting in primary is nothing new to Barb Arendas of North Huntingdon, regardless of how is running and how many candidates are on the ballot.

“I came out to vote because it is the right thing to do. That’s all you need to know,” said who cast her vote at the North Huntingdon Town House.

In Irwin, Elaine Ferris said voting in an off-year election is nothing new to her.

“I always vote,” Ferris said, as she entered the Irwin Fire Hall to vote.

No one candidate brought her out to vote in a non-presidential election year.

“They (elections) are all important to me,” regardless of whether it is for statewide, countywide or local elections, Ferris said.

Suzanne McGonigle walked out of the Irwin Fire Hall after voting with a smile on her face, having voted for what she said was a her hometown favorite, Braddock’s Fetterman. McGonigle said she grew up in the Swissvale area and wanted the candidate from her home area to win.

Allegheny Township resident Jodie Lott said she voted for Republicans but declined to say which candidates she favored.

“I’m looking for a candidate that will represent our local community and help small businesses,” Lott said.

Carol Bronkaj of New Kensington said Trump’s endorsement of Oz for Senate helped her decide.

“He is for the United States,” she said. “I’m pro-life and the inflation – two issues. What the Biden administration is doing to us is outrageous.”

In Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Second Lady Gisele Fetterman voted early Tuesday. She said her husband, who suffered a stroke on Friday, is doing well.

.@giselefetterman already voted this morning for her husband @JohnFetterman. She says he’s doing well and that’s what matters most. He will be voting later today. More details to follow. @WPXI #PASen ???? pic.twitter.com/61875dE8uv

— Alyssa Raymond (@AlyssaRaymond) May 17, 2022

Staff writers Maddie Aiken, Rich Cholodofsky and Jeff Himler contributed to this report.

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