Bensalem House Special Election Is On Despite Coronavirus

BENSALEM, PA — Despite coronavirus-based objections from officials at the state and local level, a special election to fill a Bensalem state House seat will go ahead as planned Tuesday.

Democrat Harold Hayes and Republican Kathleen "K.C." Tomlinson are seeking to fill the state House of Representatives seat vacated when former representative Gene DiGirolamo, a Republican, was elected to the Bucks County Board of Commissioners.

It is one of three state House special elections scheduled for Tuesday in Pennsylvania. With the spread of the new coronavirus shutting down schools, businesses and government buildings across the commonwealth, many officials had called for the votes to be postponed.

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"We are concerned with both being able to staff that election as well as people’s comfort with being able to come out and vote, given the situation and the social distancing recommendations," Bucks County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Diane Ellis-Marseglia said over the weekend.

Find your polling place in Bucks County by clicking the link.

But Republican Speaker of the House Mike Turzai ruled that the elections would go ahead.

"The impact of the COVID-19 virus is being felt by all of us, and I applaud the statewide efforts to practice social distancing and increased disinfecting in public spaces," Turzai said. "These same practices will be in place on election day, but they do not require the rescheduling of the special elections.

"When you consider that absentee ballots have already been applied for and returned, these elections are already underway."

He said concerns about changing the date included increased voter confusion and disenfranchising absentee voters, who would have to re-apply for absentee status.

Bucks County's board of elections will be sanitizing voting spaces and working to protect voters as much as possible. Voters are encouraged to bring their own blue or black ballpoint pens to the polls to mark their ballots.

Poll workers will be providing hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and nitrile gloves at polling places.

Meanwhile, both candidates in the race were urging their supporters to get to the polls. Misinformation had spread online over the race, with social media posts claiming that the election had been postponed.

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