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Voter turnout for off-year elections is traditionally much lower than when a presidency is at stake. The contrast was especially evident Nov. 3 in Centre County as the occasional voter trickled into polling places near campus -- the same locations where students waited up to three hours to vote for John McCain or Barack Obama a year ago. Despite the lack of a national race in 2009, the results of this election, which features a county-wide race for prosecutor, a mayoral contest in State College and numerous school board and judicial elections, will reverberate on campus and in the surrounding communities for years to come. Here are stories of candidates, campaigners, volunteers and voters on election day:

Sometimes it was hard to tell there was an election

College students voted in record numbers during the 2008 presidential election. Local elections for offices such as borough council often go largely unnoticed by students. Organizations like the College Democrats and College Republicans try to raise awareness for local elections. They don't always succeed.

-- By Keith Campbell

How slow was it?

As election day drew to a close, poll workers Megan Helwig and Michelle Hamilton weren't sure if they'd even see a hundred voters in a State College precinct with more than 17 times that many registered.

-- By Adam Clark

Taking time to smell the roses

At Precinct 18, five elections officials said they saw 2,000 voters last year. This year, they expected no more than 150. A slow day isn't all bad, the officials said. In addition to generally enjoying more time for interaction with their neighbors, they each said they enjoyed a few things in particular on this election day.

-- By Danielle Vickery

Waiting for voters

For poll workers at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church on College Avenue, the biggest challenge is finding out how to pass the time.

-- By Ricky Morales

Paternoville outdraws the polls

Pat Gilbert (Freshmen/Marketing) and Justin Peterson (Freshmen/Undeclared) were among the almost 500 students who started setting up their tents at 12:01 am Tuesday morning at Paternoville. Both of them were more than aware of Terrelle Pryor’s stats, and his snub two years ago of their beloved Penn State when he chose to remain a Buckeye. They could recite the starting time of Saturday’s Penn Stat vs Ohio State game, but neither were aware of today’s local elections, nor were they able to recite any two candidates’ names.

-- By Vince Chandler

Not all the polls were slow

More than a hundred voters had cast their ballots at State College West No. 1 Precinct at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church by lunchtime on election day -- a relatively good turnout, said David Beyerle, judge of elections.

-- By David Reinbold

Student candidate campaigns through the day

Student Brett Fisher campaiged outside the HUB during the afternoon for a spot on the State College Borough Council. Fisher was the only student on the ballot. He said he hopes to bring better student representation to local government.

-- By Ben Davis

Politics in the air (and on the windows) at book store

Webster’s Bookstore Cafe is considered one of State College’s “political hubs” by residents and students alike. Andrew Koontz, a Penn State student and Pennsylvania native, discusses the influence Webster’s and its customers has had in sparking his interest on local elections.

-- By Alexandra Petri

Prosecution of athletes plays a role in DA's race

Mark Dyreson is a sports history professor at Penn State University. He explains how the Centre County District Attorney's office has affected Penn State athletics and what that means for the election. Dyreson's published books on sports include Making the American Team: Sport Culture and the Olympic Experience, and Selling the American Team: National Culture and the Olympic Games in the Golden Age of Sport.

-- By Kevin Fay

Why she voted

In the Hub's Heritage Hall, a student voted for her favorite candidate. She explains the reasons why she voted and what it means to vote in America.

-- By Candace Worthen

Not your average polling place

Walt Mahute is an election judge at one of Centre County's most unique polling places -- Mike's Video, TV & Appliance on North Atherton Street. But even with the chance to save 70 percent by shopping the scratch and dent section at the store, voters were few and far between.

-- By Ally Harvest

An endorsement for Jim Leous

Jim Leous is running for State College Area School Board. He is a hockey coach for State College High School, a Penn State technology teacher and a Cub Scout leader. He is committed to academic excellence and integration of new technology in classrooms and school curricula. According to Leous, the voter turnout this year is better than expected. He said he was voter number 132 in his precinct, a good number compared to four years ago.

-- By Fiorella Otero

Seeking voters

The College Democrats said they had one goal for this year’s local election: to get students to vote. Members of the student-run organization were stationed at several voting locations throughout State College encouraging people to head into the polls. College Democrats president Jessica Pelliciotta talks about why today’s election is important and what the College Democrats are doing to get students to vote.

-- By Mollie Kehoe

Student stumps for a seat on borough council

Borough Council Candidate, Brett Fisher, prepares for class this morning, unfazed by the Election Day jitters. Fisher, the student candidate, hopes to capture enough votes to finally put a student on the Borough Council for the first time. After voting today, Fisher campaigned in various polling locations till the polls closed at 8.

-- By Eric Jou

Student canvasses for Panella at campus polls

Mallory Reed, of the College Democrats, was at the HUB-Robeson Center most of the day trying to get students to vote in local elections. She said Jack Panella is one of the main candidates she supports and spoke about the low student turnout at campus polling places. At the time of the interview the polls had drawn less than 20 voters.

-- By Katie Dvorak

College Democrats work to turn out voters

The Penn State College Democrats were outside Heritage Hall all day trying to get more people at the HUB to vote. Student turnout seemed slow but College Democrats members said they were confident more voters would arrive after more classes were over for the day. Rob Ghormoz, a junior in political science, talked about how the College Democrats prepared for the election.

-- By Laura Shay

A sparse turnout at mid-morning

In 2008 students overflowed from the polling place located at the HUB. Three hours after it opened this year, the number of student voters could still be counted on one hand.

-- By Rossilynne Skena

Running for mayor

State College borough council president Elizabeth Goreham campaigns for mayor at the HUB.

-- By Jess Hein

Getting out to vote

Samuel Settle (sophomore-political science and history) was the first voter of the day at the St. Paul's United Methodist Church polling site. The campaign manager for mayoral candidate Joe Wakeley, Settle is hoping to see a solid voter turnout. But poll workers say they're expecting 10 voters at most -- a sharp drop from last year, when they saw over 1,000.

-- By Andrew McGill

First Student Voter at Precinct 26

At 7:10 am on the walkway of Precinct 26 in State College, David Rednick shared his dedication to today’s election. As the first student voter in this precinct he hopes that more students will follow his example throughout the day. Although his friends do not share his passion for politics, he believes that it is very important to make sure that your voice is heard in every election.

-- By Sandy Stutman

 

Ensuring the Integrity of the Vote

As Judge of Elections for Precinct 26, Ian Scott McClellan knows his duties. He gives up his entire vacation day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the name of civic service. He and the other local volunteers ensure the integrity of the vote by making sure the process goes correctly and smoothly for voters, who begin arriving at 7 a.m. McClellan said he expected about one hundred voters throughout the day, since municipal elections typically have low turnouts. Precinct 26 is located at Friends Meetinghouse on 611 E. Prospect Ave. This is the third or fourth time he has held the title of Judge of Elections.

-- By Kerry Dubyk