ALLENTOWN, Pa. — As a woman exited the Lehigh County Government Center on Wednesday morning, she said, simply, "I did it. I voted.”
Another, while sidestepping a large number of city employees and street cleaners in the area of Seventh and Hamilton streets, said, “It was easier than I thought."
The latter was present as part of cleanup from a Donald Trump campaign rally that drew thousands downtown Tuesday.
The former were there because the rally hindered access to what should have been the final day of on-demand voting, Lehigh County Judge Tom Capehart ruled.
Tuesday afternoon, Capehart granted a motion by the Lehigh County Board of Elections to extend in-person voting at the elections office until 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The ruling came after law enforcement and city officials closed some streets to traffic Monday evening, with surrounding roads blocked off early Tuesday, lasting through the day.
The closures made the neighborhood difficult to reach. Allentown School District cancelled classes, and the county government had most employees work from home.
Even as the government center opened at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Hamilton Street remained closed between Seventh and Eighth streets.
Tempers were short and horns blared as those on their morning commute were caught up in the gridlock.
A busy last day
While drivers appeared short-tempered outside, things were decidedly more calm inside the government center.
A trickle of voters — a handful at 8:15 a.m. — became 10, then 20, then 25.
A sign in the office advertised a wait of about 40 minutes, but it ticked up as people walked off the elevator and joined the queue.
“Did you already request a mail-in ballot?"A worker at Lehigh County Government Center to prospective voters
“Did you already request a mail-in ballot?” a worker asked as each person arrived.
Several said they had, but it never showed up in the mail.
Others who hadn't requested one were unaware they had to fill out an application for a mail-in ballot before getting in line.
Over-the-counter ballots are regular mail-in ballots. However, voters can turn them in during the same visit rather than returning them through the mail or depositing them in a drop box.
Some said they were there specifically because they couldn’t get downtown Tuesday.
Workers praised
There are rules if you plan to vote in person Wednesday before the office closes.
You will need your PennDOT ID number (driver’s license) or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
Workers will take your application to be verified and processed, which could take a few minutes.
“Those folks should get a medal. They’re doing a great job.”A man who was voting at Lehigh County Government Center
They’ll call your name once your ballot has been printed and explain the process of sealing it in the secrecy envelope, then tucking it inside an outer return envelope.
All voters must complete, sign and date the voter’s declaration on the outside of the outer return envelope before handing it in.
With the number of voters showing up Wednesday, election officials handed out explainers printed in English and Spanish, along with a plain English statement on the Allentown referendum question.
Despite the growing line and the wait, voters had high praise for staff as they exited the building.
“Those folks should get a medal,” one man said. “They’re doing a great job.”
