Primary election results are completed a week after the election and, in Centre County, voter turnout nearly matched the 2016 primary’s number.
According to unofficial totals posted by the county, more than 36% of registered voters voted in last Tuesday's primary. In 2016, it was 37%.
The county elections office said it received more than 19,000 mail-in ballots by primary day, accounting for more than half of all ballots cast in Centre County. The state encouraged voters to choose that option because of COVID-19 concerns.
The results took more than a week to be posted because of the large number of mailed ballots. Some voting rights advocates and county election directors are calling for multiple changes to the state’s election code, such as allowing counties to process mailed ballots before Election Day.
In the Republican primary for Pennsylvania’s 25th Senatorial District, Cris Dush has won. Dush will face Democrat Margie Brown in November in this heavily Republican district. The winner will replace Joe Scarnati, the current President Pro Tem of the Senate, who is retiring after 20 years.
In a close race among Republican candidates in the primary election for the 75th State House District, Mike Armanini, a current board member of Penn Highlands Healthcare in DuBois, has won, with nearly 45% of the vote. Lisa Becker, the DuBois City treasurer, got 42% of the vote.
Armanini will face Democrat Ryan Grimm in November in the heavily Republican district, which includes all of Elk County and most of Clearfield County.
The new representative will replace incumbent Matt Gabler who is retiring after 11 years in the position.
