Mask Issues Arise At Several Allegheny County Polling Places

PITTSBURGH, PA — In the most unusual Pennsylvania primary in history, Allegheny County officials said Tuesday they have received a few calls regarding poll workers not wearing face coverings.

In those cases, Elections Division workers have reached out to remind them of the requirement to wear a mask or face shield. While not mandatory for voters, masks or face shields have been required of poll workers.

At Taylor Allderdice High School in Squirrel Hill, voters were verbally arguing with another voter to put on his mask. When that voter began screaming at the other voters, the resulting argument
included pushing and shoving and the Pittsburgh Public Schools Police and Pittsburgh Police were called. The voter was advised to go vote and leave the premises and no charges would be filed.

Long lines were reported at Brashear and Perry high schools because voters were waiting to vote on the voting machine.

This morning, county employees at the elections division warehouse began the process of opening more than 185,000 ballots on seven pallets (appx. 26,000 ballots on each pallet). As of noon, all seven pallets have been opened, six have been cleared with the seventh being opened now.

There currently are five scanners operating with all eight expected to be running due to the increased volume in the next hour. As of noon, 23,988 ballots had been scanned.

Here's how the process works:

• Ballots on pallets brought out of locked, secure room in the elections warehouse.

• Shrink wrapped pallets opened and trays of ballots taken to letter opening machines.

• Once opened, trays of envelopes given to employees to separate the declaration envelope from the inner security envelope.

• Trays of ballots in the security envelope are then taken to letter opening machines.

• Once opened, trays of envelopes are again given to employees to separate the security envelope from the ballot.

• Ballots are then unfolded and backfolded so they lay as flat as possible.

• Once there is enough volume, batches of ballots are put through the scanner to be counted.