Copyright Mechanicsburg Patriot News
Voter turnout surged in the Harrisburg region compared to the municipal election four years ago and the high-profile state Supreme Court retention question, as well as unhappiness over President Donald Trump’s policies were likely the main drivers. In Dauphin County, 41.9% of voters came out on Election Day compared to 32.1% in 2021 when there were state and county judge races on the ballot, along with county row offices and local seats. Nearly 45% of Cumberland County voters cast ballots compared to just under 32% four years ago, while York County saw a nearly 7-point increase. Perry County had 43% turnout with 13,332 ballots cast compared to 10,016 ballots cast in 2021. Statewide, turnout was about 40% but likely to increase once all votes are counted, said Berwood Yost, director of polling for Franklin & Marshall College. Yost said the higher-than-normal turnout did not surprise him after F&M polling estimated in October that it would be about 45%. There was no breakdown on party turnout available, but Democrats hold about a 171,000 voter registration advantage in the state. The retention question for Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht, all Democrats, drew heavy spending by Republicans to try and oust them, noted Yost, with TV ads, mailers and media coverage stressing the result’s consequences. “It raised the stakes, and it raised awareness in voters’ minds,” said Yost. That helped push voters to the polls where dissatisfaction with Trump and the GOP agenda likely caused them to vote against Republicans in county and local races, he said. Voters in Dauphin and Cumberland chose to retain all three justices, while Perry voters rejected all three and York voters decided they wanted to retain Donohue and Dougherty but not Wecht ... by just 20 votes. Also, Trump not being on the ballot could have kept many in his base home with his absence dampening their enthusiasm to go vote. There was no exit polling done in Pennsylvania, said Yost, but those done in New Jersey and Virginia showed that there were Trump voters who voted for Democrats. “Make of that what you will,” said Yost. “I imagine there was some of that in Pennsylvania if we saw it in other states.” Yost said expectations were low for Republicans in an off-year election with Trump’s low polling numbers. “All that makes for a good environment (for Democrats),” he said, “.but it was much more than what people expected.”
