"Slow" and "steady" were the words used to describe both the rain and the voter turnout Tuesday afternoon across Northumberland County.
"It was never this light before," Carol Strocko, a poll worker at the Anthracite Fire Company in Mount Carmel, said around noon Tuesday.
Strocko said the rain - heavy at times earlier in the day - probably contributed to the low turnout at her typically busy polling site.
"Hopefully, more people will start to show up when the weather clears up," she said.
Busy at Shamokin Area
A short time later, there was much more activity outside Shamokin Area High School and Elysburg Fire Company, two large county polling sites. Tracey Witmer, an incumbent school director not up for re-election, was among those outside the high school promoting a change for the Shamokin Area School Board, for which there were 13 candidates seeking five nominations on both the Republican and Democratic tickets in November.
"We need a new board to reduce taxes and meet the needs of the taxpayers," said Witmer, who paid for a number of newspaper advertisements during the campaign season against four board incumbents. "This election should be about the children and academics, not politics."
Samuel Schiccatano, one of seven Republicans seeking two party nominations for county commissioner, who was also outside the high school. He said he was happy with the turnout Tuesday afternoon.
"This is one of the places that usually has a big turnout," said Schiccatano, who was confident of his hometown supporters in Coal Township. "I am confident that I will receive a lot more votes here than the other precincts."
Poll workers at the high school, Chet Purcell, Charlotte Stank and Dianne Fabrizio, said there was a good turnout at the precinct; 154 had voted by noon. Stank was expecting the usual turnout for the day - many voters coming after work - despite the rain.
"It's better than snow," she said.
Contenders at Elysburg
County commissioner candidates Charles Horvath, a retired teacher from Rush Township, and Rick Shoch, a Sunbury attorney, were outside the Elysburg Fire Company welcoming voters Tuesday afternoon. It was the first time both candidates had been to the voting station.
"I think that the weather may have something to do with the turnout, but it is also an off-election," said Shoch. "I feel OK with my chances, but we will have to wait and see how the numbers roll in later tonight."
Horvath said the number was around what he expected with the weather, and he was "hopeful" about his chances.
"I enjoyed the campaign, and the people I met as I went door-to-door were very nice and supportive," said Horvath. "I learned a lot about the county and enjoyed meeting all the people," he said.
There had been about 200 voters at the Elysburg Fire Company by 1 p.m.
No hype in Snydertown
Despite the fact that two of the seven GOP county commissioner candidates were from the small borough of Snydertown - population 339 - turnout wasn't great early Tuesday.
Thirty-four votes had been cast as of 1 p.m. at the St. John's Lutheran Church polling site. The borough has 188 registered voters.
"I know almost all the faces in town, and expect to see a few more by the end of the night," said poll worker Judy Wary, also the mother of candidate Larry Wary. The other hometown candidate is Terry Curran.