Twenty journalists from the News Lab at Penn State are reporting from polling places in 26 Pennsylvania counties on Election Day, including throughout WPSU's listening area.
Hidden in a valley, Weedville residents feel overlooked by politicians
WEEDVILLE, Pa. — While visiting their polling location, a couple of lifetime Weedville residents said it is unaffordable to continue living in the place that their ancestors settled in Elk County.
“We go to buy groceries,” said Randy Gouldthread, a retired Weedville resident voting at the Weedville Wesleyan Church in Elk County. “It was costing us roughly $350 a month for two, now we’re spending over $600 for the same amount.”
Joe Uberti Jr., 68, Jay Township Supervisor, said the cost of living is too high for his community. “They’re getting to the point that people can’t pay their bills,” he said. “You have to survive to eat first.”
The residents of Weedville feel that the politicians are not showing them the attention they deserve, they said. “Rural stuff, they’re not as interested [in] as the big towns,” Uberti said.
Gouldthread concurred. “The average working individual is suffering,” he said, adding, “If you look at both forms of government, the Democrats and Republicans, they’re warring against each other. And nobody cares about the people.” —Samantha Oropeza and Jacob DeLuca, The News Lab at Penn State
“I vote my conscience”: Two split ballots in Belleville
BELLEVILLE, Pa. — Robert Scager, a resident of Belleville, said he came out to vote because of financial struggles in his retirement.
“I’m not happy with the way things are going,” Scager said outside of the former Union Elementary Building. “I’m retired, and it’s getting harder and harder everyday.”
Though he refused to comment on the candidates that got his vote, he said he voted a divided ballot. “I vote my conscience,” he said.
Scager said he is happy with Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s work over the past few years. He said he doesn’t believe State Treasurer Stacy Garrity “can fill the shoes of governor.”
Steve Hipple, 70, also of Belleville and a volunteer for the Pennsylvania Special Olympics, said he is pleased with governance at the local and congressional level, but he’s looking for a change in the state government.
Getting Josh Shapiro out of office is what brought him to the polls. “I just think there’s a lot of stuff that can be changed and should be changed,” Hipple said.
When it comes to Stacy Garrity, “I like her policies better,” Hipple said.
“I’m a Republican but I don’t vote straight ticket,” Hipple said. “I decide what issues I care about.” —Maggie Alderisio and Clara Slowinski, The News Lab at Penn State
Local business owner is voting for affordability in Warren County
YOUNGSVILLE, Pa. — Paula Dunn, a local business owner in Youngsville, said that she’s at the polls to vote for affordability because of what she’s hearing in her community.
Dunn is the owner of Simple Dicks Outlet City, a local retail store. She said that community members come into the store and share many different stories about the cost of living in Warren. Even though her goal is to keep her business afloat, she also sees the needs of her community and strives to help everybody.
“We’re eating a lot of it when it comes to freight so that I can keep things very affordable for anybody,” said Dunn. She’s noticed that the middle class is feeling the brunt of the fluctuating economy.
“We get a lot of people that come from Erie, a lot of out-of-towners…Pittsburgh people that have camps in this area. Everybody is looking to save, you know, a few dollars.” —Vivian Parker, The News Lab at Penn State
One voter’s hopes: young voices at the polls and education for older adults
WARREN, Pa. — Savannah Casey, a Warren City Council member and a staff accountant for the Warren Forest Higher Education Council, says that her hope for this election is to see younger people at the polls.
“I’d like for the younger generation to know that what they have to say matters,” said Casey. “And so I think having new, fresh voices — people who are willing to step up and lead — shouldn’t be stifled.”
Casey believes that in Pennsylvania, education is crucial for rural communities. The solution to some of the barriers to adequate education is through community-based programs and an emphasis on STEM.
However, according to Casey, education isn’t just necessary for youth; it also needs to be a focus for older adults.
“Empowerment for continuing education for older adults,” said Casey. “I think those that didn’t have the opportunity to go traditional should know that they have opportunities now to go back that are affordable.” —Vivian Parker, The News Lab at Penn State
Healthcare options are too complicated and lacking all at the same time
LOGANTON, Pa. — Frieda Rauch tries to vote in every election, but this time it was more personal than before.
Rauch, 76, lost her husband, a disabled veteran, this year. She said she has had a lot of trouble dealing with paperwork — they are sent repeatedly; they get mixed up; she doesn’t always understand them. “I thought it should be easier when you die,” she said.
Now, on her own, healthcare is the main issue that she has been dealing with. Rauch has been battling cancer and doesn’t know if her chemotherapy is covered under her health plan.
“I just got done with chemo and radiation, so they took my port out, and I don’t even know if I’m covered,” she said.
“I keep getting Medicare calls about 10 times a day,” she said. “I get sick of it.”
To add to the stress, Rauch’s local doctor is retiring, and she now has to drive 16 miles to a new physician. Even then, she is struggling to find a solution to her needs.
She doesn’t know whether to get Medicare, Geisinger, or some other plan through her treatment center.
“The only doctors we can find are with Geisinger, but the only treatment centers we can find are with UPMC,” she said.
With insurance companies calling her constantly, she just wants them to leave her alone.
“Can’t they make anything simpler?” she asked as she walked away. —Alexandria Smith, The News Lab at Penn State
A Williamsport voter worries that rising costs might be getting in the way of the American dream
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — For Ifeanyi Bertram Nwadukwe and his wife, Ifeoma Kwadukwe, voting in Williamsport comes down to the cost of living today and the opportunities available to the next generation.
Ifeanyi, a physician at Geisinger Medical Center, said rising costs for everyday necessities like gas, heat and groceries have become an ongoing conversation in his household. He said his family has had to become more intentional about spending, making decisions about what they can and cannot afford. They only get what they need — no excesses, he said.
Nwadukwe wants lower taxes and more affordable housing, particularly for younger generations entering the workforce, he said. He also wants to see greater support for lower-income families, giving more people the opportunity to “live the American dream.”
Education is another priority. He believes college costs need to come down and that students should have access to curricula and degree programs that better reflect the realities of today’s job market.
His wife, Ifeoma, runs a small baking and catering business called Ifychops n Cake. She wants to see the state’s current policy ensuring free school meals remain available to children across Pennsylvania. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2026-27 budget proposal included funding for universal free school breakfast for a fourth consecutive year, according to his administration.
“As a mom, you want to make sure that your kids are fed three times a day, so that is really important for me,” she said. —Victoria Misuraca, The News Lab at Penn State
National immigration policy playing out in Williamsport: “difficult to fathom”
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Phoebe Wagner, 34, an assistant professor of English at Lycoming College, is a rapid response volunteer for a local group that documents ICE activities in her community.
“When you think of Williamsport and Lycoming County you might not think that there are a lot of immigrants living here, but we do have a population,” Wagner said.
Lycoming County has a relatively small immigrant community, 1.3%, according to U.S. Census data and reporting by Spotlight PA.
“All of the horrors that you see nationally are also happening here in this small rural area,” Wagner said. “Which is really difficult to fathom because we also don’t have the resources to fully assist people.”
“I’ve met people that are afraid. I’ve gone to people’s houses after they’ve been detained and there are children left behind,” Wagner said.
Wagner said it was her concern from the recent ICE raid and worries for the population of immigrants living in Lycoming County that brought her out to vote. —Chayil Dozier, The News Lab at Penn State
Snow Shoe residents look for local businesses to return
SNOW SHOE, Pa. — Snow Shoe stands as a model of a “thriving town” in Centre County ruined by the cost of living, residents said as they headed to the polls on Tuesday.
Snow Shoe residents have felt the loss of essential components of living, including their medical center, pharmacy, grocery store and bank. “Sometimes we feel isolated,” said Vicky McKean, 70, a resident for 50 years. “We had small businesses hiring people and it just seems that no one wants to work these days.”
Shay Peters, 32, also a Snow Shoe resident, said the cost of living is high and employment opportunities in town are few. Travel is a necessity to support her family, Peters said.
“There’s no grocery store in this town, and there’s no work here,” Peters said. “I work in Williamsport, Clearfield, or I’m in Harrisburg — all of those places require travel.” —Jake DeLuca, The News Lab at Penn State
Rural healthcare access brings Warren voter to the polls
WARREN, Pa. — As Election Day kicks off this morning, voters line up around the Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church to cast their ballots. For Warren County voters, this election is crucial, as it can determine what the state of healthcare in the region can look like.
Randy Rossey, the director of planning codes for the city of Warren, says inadequate regional healthcare is what brought him to the polls.
“We need to deal with rural health care,” said Rossey. “That’s a big thing for small towns like Warren to make sure that you can keep your local hospital.”
Currently, the only hospital close to residents is Warren General Hospital; even then, access to care is limited, and people have to rely on neighboring states like New York for adequate care.
The limited access is exemplified when it comes to maternal healthcare. Mothers have to travel further just to give birth, and in terms of prenatal care, living in a rural community makes it that much harder.
“If you don’t mind your child being born in New York State, you can go to Jamestown, which is about 26 miles; if you want to go to Erie, it’s a lot further,” said Rossey. —Vivian Parker, The News Lab at Penn State
A conservative voter in Lock Haven supports Shapiro, “a big deal right now”
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — Nestled behind the Susquehanna River sits the Lock Haven Regatta Foundation building. A small “Vote Here” sign in the back alley leads voters to a basement.
Brett Everhart, a professor at Commonwealth University-Lock Haven, lives on Water Street. He made his way to the building to vote just past 7 a.m.
Everhart said he is conservative but doesn’t always vote along the party line.
“It’s [about] who’s the best one,” he said, adding that he supports Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is seeking re-election against Republican challenger state Treasurer Stacy Garrity. “I think that’s a big deal right now,” he said.
Everhart said he is “pretty pleased” with how his family and his city are doing. “So I am not looking for a whole lot of change,” he said.
National issues are nothing that “one person can solve right now,” Everhart said. He thinks the nation has to be patient and let things “take care of themselves eventually.” —Alexandria Smith, The News Lab at Penn State
These dispatches were produced by the News Lab at Penn State. Reporting by Alexandra Antoniono, Alexandria Smith, Alli Satterfield, Avery McGurgan, Bronwyn Liber, Chayil Dozier, Clara Slowinski, Esteban Marenco, Geraldine Hernandez Cruz, Jake DeLuca, Jenna Ramm, Maggie Alderisio, Piper Murray, Quinn O’Leary, Sadie Harvey, Sam Oropeza, Sofia Costa Miranda, Sophie Walton, Tori Misuraca and Vivian Parker, Hearst Fellows in the News Lab’s Local Reporting Cohort. This work was made possible by funding from the Arthur P. Miller Newsroom Fund and the Hearst Foundations.