Election Results: Donald Trump Wins Pennsylvania; Pat Toomey Re-Elected To Senate

UPDATE: Donald Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to win Pennsylvania on Tuesday, and Pat Toomey was re-elected to the Senate.

Read more here:

• BREAKING: Election Result: Donald Trump Wins Pennsylvania, Reports Say
• Pennsylvania U.S. Senate Results: Pat Toomey Wins

ORIGINAL STORY: Energy was high and turnout is strong statewide Tuesday in Pennsylvania, as voters turn out to select the next president of the United States plus weigh in on local races and two statewide ballot questions. Find your polling place here, and get voting.

The rough-and-tumble 2016 presidential campaign culminates with your vote today, and Patch will be covering any and all things election-related here in Pennsylvania. Until 8 p.m., voters will hit the ballot box, electing not only our next commander-in-chief but also deciding four important statewide ballot questions and several influential local races in the Keystone State.

Patch will have all your updates here plus breaking results as Pennsylvania decides on a pivotal Senate race and a race for attorney general. Keep checking back here.

As of 12:40 a.m., GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump had a growing 26,000 lead in the state over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

SEE ALSO: Full Presidential Election Results As They Come In

Here are some of the stories from the trail:

Gas leak at 33rd Ward

4:42 p.m. A gas leak was reported at the 33rd Ward's 1st division, according to political officials. All voters in the ward were asked to submit provisional ballots as the poll was evacuated.

Information being handed out outside polls

3:53 p.m. Individuals have been reported standing outside polling places across the region handing out literature on candidates. In many cases eyewitnesses say the information is general and nonpartisan, although others have reported both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton supporters passing out brochures. Pennsylvania law requires that anyone who is not a poll worker remain 10 feet away from a polling place.

Beautiful weather could encourage high voter turnout

Temperatures soared into the 60s on Tuesday afternoon in the Philadelphia area as voters hit the polls. As one voter put it, "more perfect voting weather in Philadelphia is not possible."

Low GOP Turnout?

1:29 p.m. Republican Committeeman Tony Radicay told Newsworks that the Republican turnout has not been as good in Philadelphia as the Democratic turnout. He added that he still thinks Trump can will Pennsylvania but that he will not win Philadelphia.

Philadelphia GOP alleges voter fraud

1:18 p.m. The Philadelphia GOP is alleging instances of voter fraud across the city. In the 5th division of the 52nd Ward, poll worker Brittany Foreman told the Philly GOP that an individual who was not a poll worker or an official poll watcher was "helping" people vote.

"I witnessed Mr. John Bush assisting people on voting," Foreman said. "I was told by the Assistant Ward Leader that he was not supposed to be in the room or helping people vote. He was also giving out Democratic literature in the polling place."

Philly GOP Chairman Joseph Defelice has further alleged that Democrats are preventing official Republican poll watchers from entering poll sites in the city.

Pastor's bus tailed by 'Project Veritas Action'

12:44 p.m. Members of an organization called Project Veritas Action are following a pastor's bus that is taking people to the polls around Philadelphia.

The hashtag #VeritasIsEverywhere was trending on Twitter early Tuesday afternoon. It's an organization that claims to be investigating voter fraud across the nation "conducting investigations into waste, fraud, abuse, corruption, dishonesty, self-dealing and other misconduct for the purpose of educating the public, stakeholders, policymakers and communities in order to create a more ethical and transparent society."

The founder, James O'Keefe, is a conservative political activist and journalist who first gained notoriety for his coverage of video recordings at ACORN offices in 2009.

Voting issues continue

12:49 p.m. In western Pennsylvania's Beaver County, one polling station featured offensive graffiti spray painted onto the back of a car. The graffiti read "Trump that B----." It was located at Big Knob Fire Department in Rochester.

12:16 p.m.

Lengthy lines and healthy voter turnout in Montgomery County

11:46 a.m.

Complaints at Kensington High School in Philadelphia

11:32 a.m. A man said that he was turned away from voting at Kensington High School in Philadelphia because he had registered to vote using a new voter registration book, which election officials claimed to not recognize. Al Schmidt, the city commissioner in charge of elections, said that the individual should not have been turned away and that the situation at Kensington would be monitored.

Outside of the Polls

11:26 a.m. At a workplace in Devon that is also serving as a voting location, employees have reported individuals walking around outside, yelling at individuals entering the building and trying to hand out flyers. Supporters of both Sen. Pat Toomey and his challenger Katie McGinty had set up tables outside.

The NAACP has also reported individuals blocking poll doors and handing out flyers in various precincts in Philadelphia. It’s not yet clear who these individuals are associated with, or if these incidents are related.

Voting problems already

10:15 a.m. Some are already reporting problems, particularly in counties where voting lines are long.

In Allegheny County alone:

Worries of Voter Intimidation on Election Day

Issues of voter intimidation remain a concern around the nation and particularly in Pennsylvania. The integrity of the election in the greater Philadelphia region is of particular importance to the nation as a whole. Southeastern Pennsylvania is thought to be a vital swing area within the state for both Trump and Clinton.

Last week, it was reported that a white supremacist leader had partnered with an alt-right website to create a plan to disrupt the election in the Philadelphia area. According to a report in Politico, neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin is going to hand out "40's and weed" in the "ghetto" of Philly to encourage residents to stay home and not vote. White supremacist and nationalist groups including the Ku Klux Klan, the American Freedom Party and The Oath Keepers have all said at various points that they will be "watching" the polls. The Oath Keepers, at least, frequently show up in public heavily armed. Trump has urged voters to volunteer as "monitors" on Election Day, but many have taken this as license to restrict access to poor and minority areas which historically lean left.

Maintaining the integrity of polling places is of the utmost importance to authorities. The U.S. Justice Department will have agents monitoring Philadelphia polling places to ensure voters are not met with resistance when attempting to cast ballots Tuesday, the department said Monday.

According to a press release, the department's Civil Rights Division will have agents in the city, as well as 66 other jurisdictions in 27 other states, "to see to it that every eligible voter can participate in our elections to the full extent that federal law provides."

"The bedrock of our democracy is the right to vote, and the Department of Justice works tirelessly to uphold that right not only on Election Day, but every day,” Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said in the release. "We enforce federal statutes related to voting through a range of activities– including filing our own litigation when the facts warrant, submitting statements of interest in private lawsuits to help explain our understanding of these laws, and providing guidance to election officials and the general public about what these laws mean and what they require."

In nearby Montgomery County, prosecutors have been specifically assigned to handle incidents of voter intimidation.

“This election season has been extremely contentious and discordant. There have been allegations that there will be election irregularities, and while we don’t expect any, we stand ready to assist in protecting the integrity of our electoral system — as we do for every election,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said.

Pennsylvania has left itself vulnerable to "poll watchers" who challenge voters at polling places. That means that citizens who have applied to work as poll watchers can stand inside polling places and demand voters provide identification. The biggest problem with that could be that it leads to lengthy delays. In 2004, students at the University of Pittsburgh waited for hours to vote due to Republican lawyers making students provide proof of residence, Politico reports.

Pennsylvania law also does not outlaw guns at polling places; voters can open carry their weapons into the polls. Philadelphia does not permit this, however, so it won't legally be an issue there.

More on PA voting laws is available here.

Philadelphia's Historical Role

Dating back to the primary season, the Philadelphia area has been at the center of the political maelstrom of 2016. Winning Pennsylvania put both Clinton and Trump over the top, effectively ending the race for their challengers within their respective parties. Both Clinton and Trump dominated in heavily populated southeastern Pennsylvania, putting them over the edge.

Then in July, Philadelphia hosted the Democratic National Convention. Controversy embroiled the DNC leading up to and through the convention, as hacked emails revealed that party leadership had conspired to undermine the campaign of Bernie Sanders.

As the electoral importance of the area became clear in the fall, celebrities and leaders from both parties descended on the region en masse. Trump, his running mate Mike Pence and Clinton all campaigned in Philadelphia and Montgomery County. President Obama and Bill Clinton joined Hillary Clinton at a massive rally at Independence Mall on Monday night.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was in Collegeville on Tuesday afternoon. Figures like Anne Hathaway, Katy Perry, Natalie Portman, Ted Danson, B.D. Wong and others have campaigned throughout the suburbs.

SEPTA

Another major potential major issue leading up to Election Day was the SEPTA strike, which could have prevented many voters from making it to the polls. An agreement was officially announced Monday morning, and SEPTA returned to its normal schedule gradually throughout the day Monday.

Nonetheless, before the deal was announced, ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft, recently made legal everywhere in the state, offered free rides to the polls on Election Day. Riders just need to enter their polling location as their destination and enter the promo code VOTEPA.

Results will be provided here throughout the night Tuesday as they become available. Check back for updates as the night progresses.

To find your polling place, enter your address here. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Did you experience problems at the polls? Long lines? Trouble finding your polling place? Whatever it is, we want to know. Text us your experiences by signing up for the Electionland Project. Just text ELECTIONLAND to 69866 to participate and tell us about your experience voting. We’ll find out what, if anything, went wrong in your district.

Patch file photo.

Photo courtesy of @amyjo_brown