Politics & Government

Primary Elections Today in Upper Moreland

Here's a quick guide on how and where to vote today.

It’s election time again, and Upper Moreland Patch is here with a primer on how to survive it. There’s a lot to know, and we thought it would be a good idea to give everyone a little refresher course on the basics. We'll also have a rundown on who’s in the race, what they’re running for, and why you should care. But let’s start slow.

What are the primaries?
A primary election is one in which members of the political parties (in this case the Democrats and the Republicans) vote on which candidates they want to see on the ballot for the general election Nov. 8.

Pennsylvania has closed primaries, which means only registered Republicans or Democrats can vote for their own party’s candidates.

“You have to be registered for a specific party to take part in the primary,” said Katie Walsh, an assistant at the Montgomery County Board of Elections. “If you’re not registered as a Democrat or a Republican, you can’t vote in the primary.”

So all of you Independents, Greens, Libertarians and other “third parties” can take it easy today. But don’t worry, you’ll have your chance to make your voice heard in the general election Nov. 8.

Not sure if you’re registered or can’t remember what party you registered with? No problem. Follow this link on the Board of Elections website, and put in your information. It’ll tell you what party you registered with, what voting district you’re in, and where your polling place is.

And that leads us to the next important piece of information.

Where do I vote?
Your polling place (the place you actually do the voting) depends on where you live. There are 11 polling locations set up in Upper Moreland today, spread throughout the seven wards of the township. You can find that location at the above-mentioned link on the Board of Elections website.

Here’s a list of the polling places, but be sure to check the map or the Board of Elections link before you head out. The polling place closest to you may not actually be your place.

Ward 1

Ward 2

Find out what's happening in Upper Moreland-Willow Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • District 1: Blair Mill Inn, Blair Mill Road and Moreland Avenue (Fountain Room)
  • District 2: Blair Mill Inn, Blair Mill Road and Moreland Avenue

Ward 3

  • Districts 1 and 2: , 3075 Terwood Road

Ward 4

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  • District 1: , 117 Park Ave.
  • District 2: , Easton and Barrett roads

Ward 5

In Upper Moreland, there are both Township Commissioner and elections.

Polls will be open at 7 a.m. and stay open until 8 p.m. If there’s a long line at the end of the day, and you’re worried your polling place will close before you get a chance to vote, have no fear. Polling places are required to stay open and allow anyone who was in line by 8 p.m. to vote.

According to the folks at the Board of Elections, the busiest time for polls is before and after work and at lunchtime. If you go at these times, you may have some lines to contend with. If you’re able, try to go between between 2 and 5 p.m. There are no guarantees, but these are typically the least busy times at the polls.

So how do I vote?
Now comes the easy part. Once you’ve figured out what party you’re registered with and found your polling location, show up and sign in.

If you’ve never voted before or are newly registered with a party, you’ll have to bring photo ID so the poll workers will know you’re you. If you’re a regular voter and this is old hat, workers will just compare your signature with the one they have on file from your voter registration card to confirm. Then, they’ll lead you into the booth where you’ll come face-to-face with your ballot.

The county uses the Sequoia AVC Advantage voting machine with a full-faced ballot display, so there’s no scrolling through ballot pages. To vote for a candidate, you just press a square next to that candidate’s name. Write-in votes are done by using a keyboard below the ballot display. You get to view your entire selection before casting your vote.

The voting booth is wheelchair accessible and offers audio help for visually impaired voters.

You can see a picture of the machine and read the step-by-step instructions for using the voting booth or see an instructional video on how to use the machines on the Montgomery County Voter Services website.

We'll have a rundown of the state, county and local candidates and the offices they're vying for posted shortly. Check back with Upper Moreland Patch this evening.

That’s pretty much everything you need to know about voting in the primaries. Upper Moreland Patch will be visiting polling locations throughout the day to check in with voters and poll workers about how things are going. We’ll also be reporting the outcomes of races as they come in and checking in with candidates for their reactions.

If you see a problem on voting day, give us a call at 215-882-2813 or email editor Gerry Dungan at gerrydungan@patch.com, and we’ll be on the scene to make sure the public at large hears about it.

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Information contributed by Gerry Dungan


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