Lehigh Valley voter turnout exceeds 70%

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Voters in the Lehigh Valley showed up at the polls in high numbers Tuesday, encountering long lines in some spots, most notably in Behlehem’s 3rd Ward in where lines stretched outside the Banana Factory. 

The Lehigh University student newspaper, The Brown and White, reported that voters, including many Lehigh students, waited as long as five-plus hours to vote.

The polling place began the day with three machines but one failed and was replaced, according to county spokesperson Becky Bartlett. Eventually the county sent three additional machines, the last after 7 p.m., she said. 

Turnout in Lehigh (72.5%) and Northampton (74.6%) counties was high, according to unofficial results, but they were down slightly from the last presidential election. In 2020, Lehigh voter turnout was 74.7% and Northampton’s was 75.7%. However, both counties saw an increase in registered voters and the number of ballots cast.

Voting by the numbers: 2020 to 2024
Lehigh County
Registered voters: 249,387 / 258,758
Ballots cast: 186,227 / 187,485

Northampton County
Registered voters: 227,371 / 235,323
Ballots cast: 172,065 / 175,621

At Lafayette College’s Kirby Sports Center in Easton, the lines weren’t nearly as long as at the Banana Factory, with some Lafayette students waiting more than 90 minutes to vote.

When polls in the Easton area opened at 7 a.m., many locations had lines of 75-100 people, with most voters reporting waiting 45 minutes to an hour to cast their ballot. 

At the Mary Meuser Memorial Library in Wilson, 200 people had voted before 9 a.m., which is about twice as much as usual. By 9:30 a.m., it took about 30 minutes to vote. Outside the library, a deejay from DJs at the Polls played family friendly music. 

Voters in Northampton’s 3rd Ward were in line by 6 a.m., an hour before the polling place opened. It took about 40 minutes to vote for much of the morning. In Moore Township, about 50 people were in line at the Salem United Church of Christ of Moorestown by 7 a.m..

At the Banana Factory, the Harris campaign dispatched Tony Award-winning singer and actor Jonathan Groff, comedian Wandy Sykes and actor Marissa Tomei to encourage voters to remain in line, while singer Demi Lovato did the same via Facetime, The Brown and White reported.

Polls closed at 8 p.m., but everyone in line could still vote. The last voter was Lehigh student John Rizzo, who cast his ballot at 9:30 p.m., according to The Brown and White.