Community Corner
Mail-In Ballots And The PA. Primary | The Numbers Racket
'Curious what the demographics of those requests for mail-in ballots looks like across the state?'
By Cassie Miller, The Pennsylvania Capital-Star
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June 22, 2020
This year is a first for mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania. The COVID-19 pandemic has also pushed many Pennsylvanians to seek a mail-in ballot when they otherwise would have voted in person.
Find out what's happening in Across Pennsylvaniafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Curious what the demographics of those requests for mail-in ballots looks like across the state?
So were we, which is why it’s the subject of this week’s Numbers Racket.
Find out what's happening in Across Pennsylvaniafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Requests for mail-ins from registered voters
The Center for Rural Pennsylvania reports that the top five counties across the state for mail-in ballot requests in the June 2 primary were:
Allegheny County … 31.2%
Montgomery County … 27.1%
Luzerne County … 25.2%
Chester County … 24.9%
Lackawanna County … 23.8%
Statewide, the percentage of registered voters who requested a mail-in ballot for the primary was 21.3 percent.
Pennsylvania’s more rural counties made up the bottom five of requests for mail-in ballots:
Fulton County … 10%
Northumberland County … 12.3%
Warren County … 12.5%
Bradford County … 12.7%
Potter County … 13%
Mail-in ballots requested
The number of mail-in ballots requested for the June 2 primary varies greatly across Pennsylvania, but, statewide, 1,828,503 mail-in ballots were requested!
Take a look at the by-county breakdown to see how your county stacked up:
Requests for mail-in ballots by age
Statewide, the average age of voters who requested a mail-in ballot was 57.8 years old.
The three counties with the highest average age of voters who requested a mail-in ballot were:
- Forest County … 66.8 years old
- Sullivan County … 66.1 years old
- Cameron County … 65.5 years old
The three counties with the youngest average of voters who requested a mail-in ballot were:
- Philadelphia County … 51.2 years old
- Centre County … 55.4 years old
- Chester County … 55.7 years old
This story was originally published by the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. For more stories from the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, visit PennCapital-Star.com.
