Pennsylvania
Here are your rights and duties when voting in Pa., N.J. and Del.
New Jersey
The Garden State has a Voters’ Bill of Rights, which outlines what voters can expect at polling places along with resources available.
While casting their ballot, voters have the right to vote in private, bring in a sample ballot and take a “reasonable” amount of time. Instructions on how to use the voting machine are available in polling places. If you don’t see them, ask any poll worker.
Like in Pennsylvania, New Jersey has support for voters with disabilities and they can also bring someone to help them as long as the person is not a representative of their employer or union. If a disabled voter shows up alone, two poll workers of opposite parties may help. A poll worker must fill out a disability certificate before using a machine.
Garden State residents who are not in incarceration as a result of a conviction of any indictable offense can vote by completing a new voter registration form. Also, anyone who is on parole or is awaiting trial, even in jail, can vote.
New Jersey is also one of 21 states that restricts wearing campaign swag at polling places. A voter at a polling place in Hamilton Township garnered media attention for throwing a tantrum when she was forbidden by poll workers from entering the polling station because of what she was wearing.
You cannot enter a polling place or stand within 100 feet of the outside entrance of a polling place “wearing or displaying anything that may offer support for or opposition against any candidate, party or public question on the ballot,” including “political badges, buttons, insignias, t-shirts, hats or other display that can be read or viewed to identify support or opposition of a candidate, political party or public questions.”
The state’s law against electioneering is spelled out on a new poster the Division of Elections displayed during early voting for the first time on Oct. 26.
Complaint forms are available for voters at every polling station. Voters can call 877-NJ-VOTER (877-658-6837) for any voting questions.
Delaware
A brief overview of accessible voting options is described in this video on the Delaware Elections YouTube page. Each polling site is surveyed by state elections staff to ensure that it is accessible.
Similar to surrounding states, those who need assistance in casting their ballot can take someone to assist them. In addition, at least one universal voting console is available at each polling place
Delaware’s voting machines, the ES&S ExpressVote XL, are fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and have been in use since 2019.
A person convicted of a felony can vote if their sentence has been fully discharged and if they were not convicted of a disqualifying felony as stated in the state’s constitution. The disqualifying felonies include murder and manslaughter, with the exception of vehicular homicide. The exclusion is also extended to offenses against public administration involving bribery, improper influence, abuse of office or a sexual offense.
The First State is also among the 21 states that restrict electioneering.
Campaigning and wearing anything that supports or opposes a candidate or issue is prohibited within 50 feet of a polling place.
Delaware outlines its procedure to file a complaint if you believe your voting rights have been violated. The complaint must be submitted to the Office of the State Election Commissioner or any of the county elections departments. It must be in writing, notarized and signed and sworn by the voter.
Pennsylvania
15-year-old girl killed in Pennsylvania camper fire was known for
A 15-year-old girl killed in a camper fire in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is being remembered for her “bright” smile and “joy of life.”
Paige Dowlin was killed in the camper fire at Roamers Retreat Campground on Lincoln Highway in Salisbury Township on Saturday morning, according to a news release from Pennsylvania State Police. State police said when first responders arrived at the scene around 4 a.m., the camper was fully engulfed in flames, and the teen was found dead inside it.
Multiple fire departments responded to the scene. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the state police fire marshal.
“Further information will be disseminated as it becomes available,” the news release from state police said.
According to PennLive.com, the 15-year-old girl died from smoke inhalation and thermal burns, and her death was ruled an accident.
Lancaster County teen killed in fire remembered
Dowlin, according to her obituary, was a 10th grader at Pequea Valley High School. She also sang in the chorus, participated in the school’s color guard and was a member of her church’s youth group.
“She was known for her bright smile, her joy of life, her positive outlook and will be missed dearly by anyone that knew her,” her obituary said.
Her obituary said she died in a “home fire.” She leaves behind her parents, Kevin Dowlin Sr. and Jennifer L. Reid, her sister, Abrianna Dowlin, and her two brothers, Damien Sexton and Kevin Dowlin Jr.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania 2025 election results
Pennsylvania voters are heading to the polls Tuesday for the 2025 general election.
Voters will weigh in on consequential retention races for the state Supreme Court, in addition to races for Pennsylvania’s Superior and Commonwealth courts.
In Philadelphia, incumbent District Attorney Larry Krasner is running for his third term. He faces Republican challenger Pat Dugan, a former judge. Voters will also consider races for city controller, the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court and the Philadelphia Municipal Court.
WHYY News will have all of the results live as they come in. Polls close at 8 p.m. Follow along for the latest on WHYY.org, the WHYY App and WHYY-FM.
Pennsylvania
Big Dog Reading Series: Rivers, Ridges, and Valleys: Essays on Rural Pennsylvania
Contributors to Rivers, Ridges, and Valleys: Essays on Rural Pennsylvania will read from the collection at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13, in the lobby of Haas Gallery on the Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Ridges, Ridges, and Valleys is co-edited by CU English Professors Jerry Wemple and Anne Dyer Stuart. The book contains essays by 27 writers from around the vast interior of the Keystone State. While about two-thirds are native Pennsylvanians, others hail from places as wide-ranging as North Carolina, Utah, California, China and the Philippines. The focus of the essays varies as well. There are essays dealing with environmental issues, such as the aftermath of coal mining and the more recent hydraulic fracturing. Some essays celebrate the outdoors, whether it is backyard camping or fishing in an isolated trout stream. Others deal with family legacy and the history of people and places. The anthology was recently nominated for the Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia’s Book of the Year award. It is one of eight semifinalists.
Among the event’s participants are others with CU connections: English Professor Claire Lawrence, Music Professor Charisse Baldoria, and Matt Perakovich, a Bloomsburg graduate and adjunct faculty member. Also reading are Grant Clauser, a Bloomsburg graduate, noted poet, and New York Times senior editor, poet and professor Michael Hardin of Danville, and poet and prose writer Abby Minor of Centre County.
Copies of Rivers, Ridges, and Valleys will be on sale at the reading. It is also available at the CU-Bloomsburg University Store or from online retailers. The event is part of the Big Dog Reading Series, organized by the university’s Creative Writing program, which brings regional and nationally known poets and writers to campus to work with students and give public readings.
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