With all 156 precincts reporting, the unofficial NorCo elections results show that Democrats lead in the contested races for county office. There's an important caveat. Numerous emergency and provisional ballots are outstanding, and will be counted during the canvass of the vote, which starts Thursday.
NorCo Judge. - Democrat Brian Panella is ahead of Nancy Aaroe. He has 36,721 votes while she has 30,691. Unless Aaroe garners over 6,000 provisional and emergency ballots, Panella appears to be headed to victory in this race.
NorCo Controller. - Democrat Tara Zrinski has 36,457 votes, while Republican John Cusick has just 30,644. Cusick ran a "stealth" campaign and it shows in this tally.
NorCo Council District One (Bethlehem). - Democrat Ken Kraft leads Republican Bill Rowe by 9,897 to 5.686.
NorCo Council District Three (Nazareth) - Democrat Jeff Warren leads Republican Casey Foreman by 10,696 to 8,227.
Retention race - Judge Jennifer Sletvold has a commanding lead in her retention race with 33,626 Yes votes and 22,842 No votes.
73 comments:
Even if her candidacy is successful, that is the most no votes in this county that I have ever remember for a county common pleas judge's retention seat. Hopefully she or one of her closest gets the message.
Really?? Just a short time ago the county site claimed all reporting and some republicans were winning (Cusick, judge,..) and all of a sudden hundreds of votes get dumped in the McClure democrats totals. This coupled with the earlier problems is very troubling.
An elderly republican waiting in line to vote in front of me said this is all set up to give more weight to mail in democrat votes that are harvested. He may be on to something, at least in Northampton County. Time for an outside investigation of this mess. No surprise with McClure and Dertinger in charge. He was never going to let Cusick get elected, or the other council people.
Too bad Cusick lost. Now the Council can pick another rectum to replace Tara.
I’m disappointed in Cusick. I am a moderate democrat who rarely, if ever, votes straight party. I received absolutely no mailers, no texts, no calls from the campaign, which made me think Cusick is either lazy or arrogant. Lazy because I saw very little in the way of a campaign, arrogant because he expected to beat an ill-qualified candidate. Cusick’s lackluster approach to his campaign lost him this election, but in reality, the people of Northampton County are truly the losers because Zrinski has a lot to learn — and prove.
Sletvold has been put on notice. Our campaign to remove her was effective, and it looks like she will squeak by within a 10 point margin of getting the boot. More importantly, she showed her true character by making personal phone calls to elected officials to ask them to remove our campaign signs and to beg for help to make the campaign against her end. She went so far as to involve the state party as well, unsuccessfully I might add. I know because the same people she called for help to interfere on her behalf in an election talk to me too. It was nice to see what desperation from Sletvold looks like. She has certainly imposed that same feeling on a number of litigants, and she had it coming. I warned her in open court that I would be actively involved in her retention election. Now she knows I keep my word.
To any other judge who feels inclined to the law: WE ARE WATCHING
Lol okay
Time for the electorate to wake up and promote judicial accountability. Judges may have immunity…but not from the voters. They bank on us forgetting their bad acts since we have to wait a decade to call them on it.
To Northampton County I say, be patient, remember and VOTE
Democrats play the long game. They got the colleges. Then they got the secondary schools and the brainwashing starts young. Along came the gift of Covid and they got the mail in ballots so every unproductive lazy ass who won’t go to the polls gets handed a ballot. That’s the dem base. Republicans used to own off year elections, not anymore. Now they got the border wide open and that will finish the job.
In the meantime republicans can’t even elect a speaker because of the Trump assholes. Republicans are done.
At least Elmo Frye won. He had the best campaign signs “stop the woke agenda” love it!
Oh yes im sure Democratic election apparatus descended in get involved in the sad Judge election in Northampton County, which many consider to be one of the county's least impressive elections. Two poor choices one so inexperienced and one out of touch.Some suggest that voters might have chosen an inexperienced candidate with a family name over the Republican option, driven by frustration with claims of a stolen election. God help those come before the young lad.
At least as judge he will now get to see the inside of a courtroom. But back on topic,
There are now both mail-in and paper ballots in play, and due to Harrisburg's restrictions on pre-counting mail-in ballots, there's a specific order for counting them: voting machines first, followed by paper ballots. This sequencing can lead to swift changes in the results, given that a majority of Democrats use mail-in voting. However, speculating that Dertinger played a role in manipulating the election, maybe sitting around the corner with with thousands of Democratic ballots in a rented uhaul truck, is far-fetched and overly generous to Charles. Ultimately, voters seem to have elected Zarinski as the lesser of two evils, highlighting the decline in candidate quality across the board. Rather than complaining about unfair elections, we should focus on presenting more competent candidates.
@12:41AM Come on, just stop with the cynicism. You're generating your plans for spending county dollars on tally audits based on the views of "An elderly republican waiting in line to vote in front of me"? For your own sake and ours, turn off Fox News and Joe Rogan ASAP.
Looks like the democrats got the 12:30AM vote dump. Nothing to see here folks move along now.
Oh God
A-ha! I was right! I should get paid for my prescience!
Yesterday, I had commented that Panella would win comfortably and Zrinkski would also win. Never doubt the NorCo Democrats. They win.
School Boards: not surprising. People complain about tax increases and then they elect the candidates who will rubber stamp budgets with tax increases. The media did a great job vilifying the MFL candidates and it worked. I don't know about other districts, but I know that BASD board members actively campaign for and endorse candidates which I feel is wrong. That makes it political.
Now, the election machine problem: McClure and Dertinger went into damage control mode quickly; blaming the tech guy who programmed it, I believe? Considering how well the Democrats did county-wide, there should be some skepticism about the results.
We should go back to the hulking mechanical machines with the switches.
Oh, boy. Here we go. Did you remind that elderly republican that the genesis for mail in voting rests with his grand old party? Please have some original conspiracy language this go around. Words like "hundreds of votes got dumped" and "democrat votes that are harvested" is so 2020.
Palestinian children are being blown apart by an imperialist nation, funded by OUR taxes dollars and y’all worried about this “hanging chad” situation in a low-brow Pennsylvania county.
So you say some old guy in line told you this.
Well then it must be true! I mean, you heard it from some anonymous old guy you don’t know.
Good enough for me! It’s Gospel!
In Lehigh County, the Dems won widespread races, even sweeping school board races in the traditional Republican strongholds of East Penn, Parkland and Southern Lehigh. A full sweep at County Commissioner as well, not even close.
Congratulations Terra!
Blue Badger
"Just a short time ago the county site claimed all reporting and some republicans were winning (Cusick, judge,..) and all of a sudden hundreds of votes get dumped in the McClure democrats totals. This coupled with the earlier problems is very troubling."
I checked when 58 precincts were in and Dems had the lead. I then checked at about 10:30 pm when all precincts had reported and the Dem lead had grown.
Bernie I believe that’s incorrect. When 156 of 156 reported, the republicans had a rough 600-650 vote lead, specifically in the Norco judge and controller races. This was about 11:30pm. When checking the county website again at around 12:15am 5,000 new mail in votes were added to the totals giving the Dems a 6,000 vote lead you’re reporting. Something is fishy and it’s making myself and some colleagues of mine lose confidence in voting again.
"There are now both mail-in and paper ballots in play, and due to Harrisburg's restrictions on pre-counting mail-in ballots, there's a specific order for counting them: voting machines first, followed by paper ballots."
This is incorrect. Election officials can begin counting MIBs at 7 am, but do not show results until well after 8 pm. Usually the tally of MIBs is done by 1 pm. The vote totals and race results change as voting machine results come in from different precincts. The vote totals and race results could continue to change once emergency and provisional ballots are tallied. Just as Dems dominate MIBs, Rs tend to be the driving force for in-person voting. So I expect that most provisional and emergency ballots will go to Rs. But there would need to be enough of them to make a 6,000 or 7,000 vote difference. That is highly unlikely.
I do understand why Rs are angry. Mistakes like these are inexcusable. Moreover, even minor mistakes can impact an entire election. Finally, no voter should be happy if his paper receipt shows that his vote was not counted. If I was voting in person, I would have insisted on an emergency ballot and would have refused to vote by machine.
And you are doing … what … about it? Posting on a chatboard, my hero?
The GOP is broken. You have Trump and dork MAGA types on one side and spineless frightened traditional small government conservatives on the other wetting their pants afraid to do anything that will get them primaried.
Moderate Republicans and Independents are either not voting or looking for a glimmer of hope to cling to on the Democrat side. Kentucky retained a Democrat as governor, Virginia flipped their state house, Ohio rejected abortion limits, not a good night.
Would much prefer to see Biden replaced, but before celebrating the recent poll #s that came out, remember he was dead and buried in the 2020 Democratic Primaries before a late turnaround. The GOP is absolutely stuck in 2008-2012 mentality and refuses to learn or understand the lessons voters are giving them election after election.
"Bernie I believe that’s incorrect. When 156 of 156 reported, the republicans had a rough 600-650 vote lead, specifically in the Norco judge and controller races. This was about 11:30pm. When checking the county website again at around 12:15am 5,000 new mail in votes were added to the totals giving the Dems a 6,000 vote lead you’re reporting. Something is fishy and it’s making myself and some colleagues of mine lose confidence in voting again."
My story posted at 12:03 am, so I had the results well before midnight. Noting is fishy. Your timeline is necessarily wrong, unless you think I am part of the conspiracy and posted that Dems were in the lead before they were.
3:54 AM she won retention for ANOTHER 10 years. You think she cares how close it was? She is now guaranteed the big fat pension no matter what happens. It was a good try but if you can’t get rid of a judge who has been smacked around for her conduct like her, it’s almost impossible to get rid of asshole judges.
I’m a moderate R who will vote for a D depending on candidate. I totally agree with you other than his signs around it seemed like he didn’t campaign at all.
You mean terrorists are getting blown to hell. There fixed it for you and you’re off topic also go take your meds!
UNREAL..... but so typical.
Dem voters elected an incompetent Tara Z who has NO EXPERIENCE, as a Controller.
Dem voters picked Daddy's boy Panella over a Judge with 5 x ? the experience.
IDIOTS kept Slevold for another 10 YEARS!!
As for mail in ballots, R's need to push that form of voting. Standing in line is wonderful, but not everyone does it, especially in midterms. We all know the Dems are pushing couch potato voting, then so should the R's. It is NOT going away.
Well it depends were you at the courthouse getting live totals? I was on constant refresh at home and that is what was generated at those times. I even took screenshots to send to friends asking for totals and those are the times that they appeared to public. Guess it was just late circulation of numbers to public site. But, LVL even wrote two articles on how Cusick and Aaroe were in the lead and that was about 11:45-12am range. Now taking them down after the shift of votes.
Why were a rough 11,000 mailers counted before hand and 5,000 coming and added to the total so late? It’s not about Rep or Dem it’s about having the faith your vote counts.
FYI I was following the results off of the county website on elections summary totals.
Most republicans vote on Election Day. If a Republican is ahead now by a few votes and then loses due to provisional ballots you’ll know there’s cheating going on. I’m looking at you Elmo Frye, Melinda Gladstone, and Chris Miller. Don’t let them get away with it.
Did the old guy in line smell like piss.
You seem knowledgeable. What is the least woke hemorrhoid cream you can purchase at the drugstore?
Democrats did well nationwide. Thanks Trump
Couch potatoe. It's more like availing yourself of an alternative.
Don't worry folks. Steroid Steve Lynch is going to audit everything for us and make sure all the rampant cheating is exposed.
Haahaha
Hahhahahahahaha
Hahahahahhahahahahaaa
One thing is for sure these voting machines in this county now with two MAJOR screwups with tallying the vote and causing voter distrust need to go ASAP. McClure Admin is responsible and should get rid of the machines immediately.
Vlad -
The 'tech guy' was probably a third party contractor who, in turn, subcontracted that job out to another tech firm who used an 11 year-old script kiddie working in Russia. Maybe it was you, Vlad?
8:43, I was at home, not the courthouse. My story posted at 12:03 and I had the results I wrote about at least a half hour before then. So I am either a part of the conspiracy or you are mistaken. It could be that you were not refreshing properly and saw a "sudden" vote dump that was not sudden at all.
I'm in agreement with 8:40 A.M
It pains me to say that we have people voting that have NO BUSINESS casting a ballot. They clearly have no clue that our country is going to hell in a hand basket because of people who cannot differentiate between QUALIFIED and EXPERIENCED candidates and UNQUALIFIED WITH NO EXPERIENCE. Nancy Aaroe, John Cusick and Charles Diefenderfer are educated, qualified and experienced candidates that should have been selected for the offices for which they were running. Let's add that they are also HONEST good people. I don't regret casting my vote for these amazing hard-working folks.
God help us please! We move a jerk from County Council to watching over the County's money. Then Ken Kraft goes from County Council to a pension job back to County Council. Both are out for themselves and McCluless not us. Saw once again what kind of job McClueless and Bow-Tie do for us. Get rid of all of them! God, please help us.
Explain why the mail ins were added so much later throughout the night then? You said it yourself that most of them were done and counted by 1pm. The numbers even increased more to this morning for mail in votes. I refreshed at a healthy rate. At 8pm and most of the night on the county website it was a 9000 to 2000 advantage for mailers in favor of Dems. The numbers changed and were updated dramatically. My computer works fine just as yours I’m sure.
I'm disappointed, but not surprised by the results: not only did we retain 1 of the worst Judges in county history, we elected 1 with no experience who rode his Daddy's name. Then the "forever" running candidate, who is totally incompetent, is now in control of the county's books!
BernieOHare to 9:58, I believe most of the MIBs were included in the initial rallies.
Oh boy someone is butt hurt about the naz school board results lol.
Democrats have the media, the schools, the mail in ballots for the lazy losers, the border is open for all the undocumented democrats. It’s over folks that’s all she wrote. Kensington and north Philly are literally third world countries and they still vote for the same people.
"It pains me to say that we have people voting that have NO BUSINESS casting a ballot. They clearly have no clue that our country is going to hell in a hand basket because of people who cannot differentiate between QUALIFIED and EXPERIENCED candidates and UNQUALIFIED WITH NO EXPERIENCE. Nancy Aaroe, John Cusick and Charles Diefenderfer are educated, qualified and experienced candidates that should have been selected for the offices for which they were running. Let's add that they are also HONEST good people. I don't regret casting my vote for these amazing hard-working folks."
Looks like the rest of the Lehigh Valley is now experiencing the frustration those of us in Allentown have had for decades now. Elections are numbers games and popularity contests, Imagine where Allentown would be today if voters had elected Air Products executive Bob Lovett for Mayor instead of politician/idiot/con artist Roy Afflerbach 20 years ago! Voters will never go out and elect the best qualified person for the job.
From the looks of things, Panella did well with the republicans this time around.
Tell senior citizens who live in assisted care homes or who have difficulty leaving their homes that they are "couch potatoes." See what kind of responses you get.
Oh we saw all those people who have no business in casting a ballot when this country let Trump become our president. Only single-cell amoeba brains vote for MAGA republicans
One of the really sad thing about Cusick losing, is that he never ran for re-election of his position on the Council or whatever they call it now. He did the honorable thing. And now he is going home. Next year, that council will look completely different with Zrinski, Cusick, and Myers all gone. WFMZ reported that Bucky didn't run for re-election. Poor guy DIED!
I was part of the Northampton County Elections staff yesterday canvassing the mail-in ballots. When we were dismissed at 5:15 PM yesterday, we processed all mail-in ballots except the drop-box ballots (which could not be picked up until 8 PM) and late-delivery mail-in ballots still being brought in by the postal service. The full-time County Elections workers counted the later arrivals which accounted for the changes in vote totals throughout the evening.
God will have the final say in the end.
Golly, the R's got whipped. I guess they really should just disband. Maybe they can go to Argentina.
I agree with 10:17
There is no question there was a late dump of a few thousands votes for democrats like Zirinski. Even the legitimate press was reporting on Cusick and Aaroe leads. Then very late all of sudden new totals appear by the thousands. This must be explained and not brushed off.
Don't be condescending. Other people know how computers work. You feel the need to make excuses for McClure, but this is too important and sad!
"Something is fishy and it’s making myself and some colleagues of mine lose confidence in voting again. "
Oh for the love of all that's healthy, go outside, touch some grass, and STFU! Does anyone REALLY believe that Charles or Lamont would engage in felonious behavior, and risk YEARS of incarceration, just to insure that Brian Panella is elevated to the judiciary? I'm not saying they, like everyone, don't have their price... I'm just saying it ain't a common pleas court seat for somebody's kid.
Just stop.
fyi
you sore loser conspiracy theory idiots are so 2020
Get a life, I'm still and R and I know why we lost and it had nothing to do with a machine or a vote dump
Cusick should have demanded a public debate with Zrinski and announced it to the press. He likely doesn't care much for the Norco Repub Committee folks so, he probably got weak support there. I'm a Dem and voted for him. Wish he had run more publicly. Maybe he was luke warm about actually wanting it.
So the Economic board — the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission has in effect brought New Jersey and New York policy into this Lehigh Valley. A place where if you were kicked by a horse it was your fault because you walked behind her. What does the this planning committee do for a living?
No. Republicans should show up their like the Dems to “help” them with their ballot.
Are they down counting the ballots Bernie?
I used to see Bucky a lot before he passed. I rarely see him anymore. Good dude.
November 8, 2023 at 5:09 PM
your NOT a D
I also cast my vote for these fine people. Proud I did but a little frustrated that with the straight dem voting I really feel like my vote doesn't count. Tx for reminding me it does
It's really hard to believe. I agree. Unbelievable actually
There were 25,000+ mail in ballots received, as reported by the Pennsylvania department of state in advance of the election before a single election day vote was cast. Up until 11:30 there were only 13,000 mail in ballots reported, because the elections workers were still scanning them in. It was very obvious at that point that there were still 12,000 left because the total number of mail in ballots was known before election started.
It was not fishy, it was math.
I smell a rat(s).
Prior to Trump the sore loser making elections appear undemocratic the vast majority favored making voting easier and supported efforts to increase the voting numbers. Early voting, easier registration and other reforms were implemented to enhance democracy and encourage voter participation. Trump destroyed the Republican Party and all intelligent political discourse in this country.
12:41- You are so right. Thank you for highlighting this. I voted early and often and harvested plentiful! Plus, Dominion Voting Machines switched your votes. The fix was in.
8:40- Republicans voted for Trump and are poised to do so again.
Bernie, when are Rs going to realize that the hard right approach is a minority opinion in our area?
It's clear, look at all of the school board races (even Central Bucks) skewing toward D? What creates a ton of clicks is blaming it on "mail in ballots" and "cheating" to cover up the reality that they are in the Minority. It's all BS, they are in the minority. End Stop.
Listened to WAEB this AM, that's all Bobby talked about. It will be interesting to hear what Browning says tomorrow. I'll be listening....
Keep voting for democrats they are doing such a good job.
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