This Election Day, LebTown will provide live updates from the field as voters head out to the polls. Check back often to see updates, or follow us on Facebook for the latest.
Find complete ballot information below, as well as links to our previous coverage. If you’re voting in person today, you can look up your polling place here. Polls close at 8 p.m.
Live election results via the Associated Press
9:30 p.m. – Goodnight from LebTown: Polls are closed, results may be announced tonight
Lebanon County’s chief election official, Sean Drasher, credited scores of election workers for a wire-to-wire problem-free Election Day, despite heavy turnout at county polling places and record numbers of mail-in ballots.
Drasher had nothing but praise for those who put in 12-hour or longer days at the 60 polling places in the county and at the municipal building, where over 18,000 mail ballots were counted in 6 ½ hours.
“I can’t say enough about them,” Drasher said shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. “They were focused and dedicated to getting the job done.”
While Drasher could not cite specific percentages at 8:30, he called turnout throughout the county “very heavy.”
After the polls closed, judges of elections from each polling place delivered their results, in paper and electronic form, to tables set out on the second-floor hallway outside the Voter Registration Office, where workers logged them in.
The first to arrive, at 8:40, was Lebanon 2nd Ward West judge of elections Debra Kline.
Drasher said he hoped to announce unofficial election results by 9:30 p.m., depending on how quickly individual polling place results are returned to the election office.
8:20 p.m. – Election Day baby
It was the shout of “joy” heard around the world – or at least throughout the second floor of the Lebanon County municipal building.
Joy Scarbrough, deputy director of the Lebanon County Voter Registration/Elections Office, was beyond joyous to learn that her daughter had just given birth to a healthy, 7-pound baby girl.
Adalyn Grace Brown entered the world at 3:21 p.m. Tuesday – Election Day – at Ephrata Hospital in Lancaster County.
“My day has been full of wonderful suspense and a great new addition, and it’s been a great day helping our community and helping to get votes counted,” said Scarbrough. “But the best is certainly the birth of a new granddaughter.”
Brown, the second grandchild for Scarbrough, entered the world on the busiest day of the year for county election workers, not to mention Scarbrough’s daughter.
Scarbrough said her daughter was in labor for about 10 hours on Election Day.
“I got a call yesterday, last night, and I told her it was time to go and she went to the hospital and got a good night’s sleep,” said Scarbrough. “Then this morning I got a call at 5:30 a.m. on my way to work to tell me that her water broke.”
Scarbrough’s co-workers stopped by to congratulate her on the addition to the family after she stood up at her desk and let out a loud shout of happiness. She was told by some that Adalyn should have a patriotic name.
“My favorite that I heard was America Grace,” said Scarbrough. “I will tell her that story one day and it will be such a great story about the day of her birth. Her birth today of all days was surely by the grace of God.”
5:15 p.m. – Number of student poll workers in Lebanon County on the rise
Just as the number of registered voters in Lebanon County hit an all-time high this election cycle, so, too, has the number of student poll workers at various precincts.
Although no Lebanon County school district has an official student poll worker program, several are collaborating with election officials to supply poll workers for this election.
At least 50 students from three public school districts (Cedar Crest, Lebanon and Palmyra high schools) and New Covenant Christian School are serving as county employees for the day in the position of poll workers.
Emily Ficken-Seitz, 17, a senior at Lebanon High, was enjoying the learning experience so much that she lost track of time.
“These first two hours have felt like 45 minutes,” said Ficken-Seitz, who was surprised when she was told she had actually been working for three and not two hours. “I can’t vote since I am not 18, so I decided a good way to get involved with the election was to work at the polls.”
It’s the first time that all of the students interviewed by LebTown today were serving as poll workers, including Cedar Crest students Jacob Alnoor and Faris Omar, both 17 and in their senior year.
Just like Ficken-Seitz, both were learning about the election process while working at the North Cornwall South precinct and feeling good about being involved with Lebanon countians cast their ballots.
“My mom used to take me when I was young to the polls all the time and I thought it was cool and as I grew up, I came to appreciate how cool it is to vote and a privilege to choose our own leaders,” said Alnoor.
Omar said he also developed an appreciation for voting when he was young.
“I always watched the news growing up and seeing all of the political things that were going on,” said Omar. “My parents were also involved in it, so I wanted to come today to see how the process works and see how things work behind the scenes.”
3:15 p.m. – Lebanon laps other counties processing mail-in ballots
We could know the results of mail-in voting before the results of polling place voting.
Lebanon County director of elections Sean Drasher says his crew of 40 finished processing 18,003 mail-in ballots without any problems in about 6 ¾ hours, “and that’s with a lunch break.”
Processing started at 7 a.m. today, and was finished at 1:45 p.m.
Drasher said he told his workers this morning that they might still be processing ballots at 8 p.m., when in-person voting at polling places ends.
The results of the machine-based counting of those ballots will remain locked inside the machines, known to no one, until after polls close. At that point, Drasher says it will be as simple as pushing a button and the count will appear. “It’s instant,” he said.
Drasher still expects a few more ballots to be hand-delivered to his office before the 8 p.m. deadline.
Throughout the day, Drasher was in touch with his counterparts in Pennsylvania’s other 66 counties, and he believes Lebanon County is the first in the state to finish processing mail-in ballots.
“Based on the feedback I’m getting from my colleagues, it looks like we’re first.”
2:30 p.m. – The McDonald’s of Voting
As of noon today, the numbers were 60 percent to 40 percent.
That’s not the result of an election but a rough estimate of the percentages of voters who walked (60) rather than drove (40) to the drop-off satellite office to deliver their mail-in ballot.
Business was steady the first five hours after the satellite office opened to collect ballots at 7 a.m, according to Dakisha Robinson, who was manning the booth during a seven-hour shift set to conclude at 2 p.m.
During a 20-minute period in the late morning, there were just as many (if not more) ballots dropped off by people who walked up to the booth as those who chose to drive to it.
“This is the McDonald’s of voting,” said Robinson. “It’s like a drive-thru for voters.”
Robinson, a retired veteran who moved to Pennsylvania three years ago following a career in the Army Reserve, said she was a little nervous about working the polls but eventually talked herself into following through with her commitment.
“I was a little apprehensive about it yesterday and I considered backing out,” Robinson said. “I told myself that you never back down and you are not backing down from this.”
Robinson was glad she stuck to her guns and worked at the county’s satellite office.
“People are light-hearted, they are upbeat. We’ve had parents come up with their children after they delayed taking them to school so they could witness voting in action,” she said. “I didn’t ask them why they were so upbeat, but I can surmise that they are happy to have a say in the direction they want our country to go.”
Lebanon resident Josh Cyphers delivered his ballot to the satellite office on foot shortly before noon. He said he decided to vote by mail to give himself time, as an undecided voter, to weigh the merits of the candidates on his election ballot.
He said he also appreciates the opportunity to vote by mail-in ballot.
“I think it is a good thing, a good thing to have voting options,” said Cyphers when asked why he decided to vote by mail instead of in-person or by casting an early ballot.
Readers who still have their mail-in ballots have until 8 p.m. to deliver them to the satellite office or the second floor of the Lebanon County municipal building at 400 S. 8th St., Lebanon.
12:35 p.m. – Candidates vie for 98th district seat
Incumbent Republican state Rep. Tom Jones is facing Democratic challenger Lynn McCleary for Pennsylvania’s House seat in the 98th Legislative District.
Jones won his position in 2022 with almost 62 percent of the vote, compared to the Democratic candidate’s 35 percent. In the 2024 Republican primary, he was the only candidate on the ballot.
McCleary, on the other hand, won a write-in campaign for the Democratic nomination during the April primary.
Barb Hanson voted at the Lawn Fire Company social room in South Londonderry Township.
She said she “understands the assignment” and voted for Democratic candidates throughout the ballot, though she said she didn’t see much information about the local candidates.
“I’m a female, so I voted for all of the female reasons,” Hanson said.
Since his campaign in 2022, Jones has emphasized “upholding the sanctity of life,” while McCleary ran on protecting reproductive freedom as a “fundamental human right,” according to her website.
Hanson said waiting for results is “very scary,” but she’s hopeful outcomes will be in the Democrats’ favor.
Shane Arrigoni with the Lebanon County Republican Committee stood outside the entrance to the Lawn polling place with sample ballots filled with Republican candidates and information voters could take.
He said he hasn’t heard much about the local races, but those elections are the most important to him.
“We do not have as great of effect on things that happen in Washington, D.C.,” Arrigoni said. “Here in the local community, we interact with these people. They directly affect what happens day-to-day here.”
Jones’s other policies include protecting Second Amendment rights, improving election integrity, increasing parental influence in education and decreasing government spending, according to his website.
McCleary supports equitable funding for public schools, LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality, racial justice and gun safety measures such as universal background checks, according to her campaign site.
Polls close at 8 p.m. and information about results will be available through the Department of State.
South Annville Township, South Londonderry Township and Mount Gretna Borough are the Lebanon County regions included in District 98. In Lancaster, it covers Conoy, West Donegal, East Donegal, and Mount Joy townships along with Elizabethtown, Mount Joy and Marietta boroughs.
12:15 p.m. – So far, so good
At 10:30 a.m., Lebanon County elections chief Sean Drasher reported that mail-in ballot processing has been running smoothly all morning, with no major issues.
Drasher was likewise unaware of any significant problems at polling places throughout the county.
LebTown spoke by telephone at 11:15 a.m. with state Rep. Russ Diamond (R-102), who hadn’t heard of any major problems. “So far, so good,” he said. “There were a lot of people in line early, but that’s to be expected.”
Diamond reported hearing of a problem turning on a voting machine at Myerstown West, but county clerk Jamie Wolgemuth had earlier told LebTown that the problem was quickly solved. Diamond also said he had spoken to the judge of elections at Richland, who reported a few quickly-fixed paper jams.
At 11:45 a.m., state Rep. John Schlegel (R-101) told LebTown that he had been to five polling places by that point.
“Everything seems to be going smoothly,” he said from the North Lebanon Township East polling place. “The lines were long at the beginning of the day, but they kind of evened out.”
“Everywhere I’ve been, even now,” he added, “there’s a bit of a line inside, but they’re not lined up outside.”
Diamond and Schlegel are both up for reelection, but neither is opposed.
11:45 a.m. – Spanish assistance at the polls
Neraly Castillo and Fernanda Font were providing an invaluable service to Spanish language only voters on Election Day – even outside the precinct where they were serving as poll workers.
As the two Lebanon High School seniors were speaking to LebTown in front of the Lebanon 5th Ward West precinct at St. Mark’s UCC in the 400 block of North 8th Street, Lebanon, a woman asked in Spanish if this was a polling precinct.
After telling her “si´,” both told LebTown they were happy to be serving a need within the Latino community in Lebanon County on Election Day.
“I just wanted to help out the community, and help my Spanish people, my Latinos, in case they needed help,” said Castillo about the translation services being offered during Tuesday’s general election.
“We have had to help a few people actually, since this is a high Spanish-speaking community, already,” said Font at about 9 a.m., two hours after precincts had opened to in-person voting.
Castillo said they had assisted voters signing in to vote, translating the few non-Spanish language words on the Spanish-language ballot for those voters and what she called “other little things.”
Keith Rolon, a Lebanon High teacher who has collaborated with Lebanon County election officials to provide high school students for three consecutive years at most, if not all, of the county’s 15 city-based precincts, said he had 35 students at precincts for this year’s election.
“There are several reasons why this has grown,” said Rolon. “It’s more popular through word of mouth. I had between 60 and 70 students reach out to me who wanted to work for this election.”
Rolon noted that bilingual students are given priority to work since the county wants to provide that service to voters whose only language is Spanish.
A few blocks away, Perla Chavez, was working the precinct located at the Salvation Army in the 1000 block of Guilford St., Lebanon, and had already answered logistical questions of voters at that precinct.
“They figure out that I look Hispanic, so they ask me if I speak Spanish,” said Chavez about the connection she had made with some voters. “I explain to them how to fill out their ballot, how to darken the bubbles completely and answer any questions they have. Their faces are full of relief once their questions are answered.”
8:45 a.m. – Polls open in Fredericksburg
Polling places opened today, Nov. 5, at 7 a.m.
Before the doors opened in Fredericksburg, the line started at the entrance and wrapped along the side of the parking lot. Some voters clutched cups of hot coffee to warm their hands and wake up before heading off to work.
Mike Somers, a poll worker in Fredericksburg, said general elections typically bring higher turnout, and mornings see longer lines.
“There are two big surges — right now and in the afternoon and evening,” Somers said.
He said they move people through as fast as they can check voters into the building.
Zach Herb, a student at Lancaster Bible College and the first in line, said he got to the building at 6:01 a.m.
This is his first presidential election, and he said he will be voting for Donald Trump.
“I think it’s important to come out and vote, especially with the younger generation at this time,” Herb said.
Teri Light said she joined the queue at 6:40 a.m., and wanted to vote early so she could get to work by 9.
She said the early-morning turnout in Fredericksburg was higher than normal. She thinks it’s because of how polarizing each candidate is.
“I feel that this is probably one of the most important we’ve had in a long, long time,” Light said. “I’m voting for the person who’s going to do the best for the country — in my opinion, that would be Trump.”
Local poll workers are able to move people through the building quickly, she said, so she was confident she’d be able to vote before having to head out.
7:10 a.m. – Mail-in ballot processing starts
President Judge John C. Tylwalk swore in about 40 mail-in ballot processors on the second floor of the Lebanon Municipal Building at 7:10 a.m., just minutes after today’s official 6:40 a.m. sunrise.
They will work throughout the day to open, verify, and prepare for counting the 18,003 early voting ballots submitted by Lebanon Countians before Election Day.
The Lebanon County voter office, Municipal Building Room 209, must PHYSICALLY RECEIVE your completed mail ballot by 8 p.m. A postmark by 8 p.m. is not sufficient.
YOU CANNOT HAND IN MAIL-IN BALLOTS AT INDIVIDUAL POLLING PLACES.
“Precanvassing” is the process of preparing ballots submitted before Election Day for counting. These steps can include checking signatures and dates, opening envelopes, sorting ballots, and scanning them into ballot-counting machines.
Precanvassing does not include having the ballot-counting machines generate a vote count. That can only happen after the polls close at 8 p.m. on election evening.
Pennsylvania is one of seven states that does not allow the labor-intensive processing of absentee or mail ballots until 7 a.m. Election Day. This means that election officials must deal with these ballots at the same time the polls are open, in essence running two elections at once. This can cause delays in publishing unofficial results.
The consensus among election directors throughout Pennsylvania is that being able to do at least some of the work a day or more ahead of time would make things run more efficiently on Election Day.
6:00 a.m. – Election Day is here
Good morning, Lebanon County voters and LebTown readers!
Today is the General Election with Lebanon County’s 60 voting precincts opening at 7 a.m. and closing at 8 p.m.
The best advice LebTown can provide those registered voters before they head out to the polls comes from Sean Drasher, director of the Lebanon County Bureau of Elections and Voter Registration.
“Please be very, very patient. We anticipate very long lines. Bring a book,” said Drasher.
With Lebanon County voter registration reaching an all-time high at 95,833, long lines will probably be the norm at many precincts throughout the Lebanon Valley today. (There are 53,489 registered Republicans and 26,683 Democrats.)
In Lebanon County, 20,893 mail-in ballots were distributed, meaning that over 70 percent of the total number of registered voters – if everyone turns out to vote – will hit the county election polls before polls close at 8 p.m.
Here are a few helpful reminders for the courtesy of voters:
- Mail-in ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. today to either the county’s drive-up drop-off satellite office located in the parking lot of the county municipal building at 400 S. 8th St., Lebanon, or to the elections office on the second floor of the county municipal building.
- Mail-in ballots will NOT be accepted at voting precincts.
- Individuals in line prior to 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote or drop-off their mail ballot.
- If you still have your mail-in ballot in your possession, you must deliver it by 8 p.m. to one of the two aforementioned locations at the county municipal building because all ballots must be in the hands of county election officials when polls close.
- Be aware that Pennsylvania law requires voters to only return their mail-in ballot with an exception. If a Pennsylvania voter has a disability and needs assistance returning their ballot, they can designate someone to deliver it for them. The voter must use a designated agent form and send the form along with their ballot with the person delivering it.
- First-time voters must bring a valid ID to vote.
The right to vote is arguably the greatest freedom we enjoy as Americans, so exercise yours if you’re registered and get out to your local precinct today!
6:00 a.m. – Election Day weather forecast
When Lebanon County’s voting precincts open today for the General Election, temperatures will be near 50. Cloudy skies will give way to sunshine by the middle of the afternoon, with temperatures reaching the mid-70s.
By the time the voting precincts close at 8 p.m., voters will see the return of cloudy skies and temperatures dropping to the mid-60s.
Although researchers have drawn different conclusions on how weather impacts elections, many agree that the rise of alternative voting methods has lowered the effect that weather has on election results.
According to an article by NBC News last updated on Monday, Nov. 4, more than 1.75 million Pennsylvanians are among the more than 76 million Americans who have already cast their vote, be it through early in-person or mail-in ballot voting.
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