{"id":149536,"date":"2026-05-22T06:02:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T10:02:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/?p=149536"},"modified":"2026-05-22T06:02:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T10:02:26","slug":"despite-early-issues-lehigh-countys-elections-come-off-smoothly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/?p=149536","title":{"rendered":"Despite early issues, Lehigh County\u2019s elections come off smoothly"},"content":{"rendered":"

Allentown<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Lehigh County\u2019s election system, unexpectedly tested by a clerical error in the weeks leading to the May 19 primary, worked as designed and ensured all voters had their voices heard, County Executive Josh Siegel said.<\/p>\n

Thanks to fail-safe procedures and the rapid response of the county and state, the error that led to problems with mail-in ballots was quickly recognized and rectified. Voters can rest assured that all valid ballots were counted and invalid ones rejected.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis primary election was a testament to dedication and capability of our poll workers, election staff and the leadership of our new chief clerk, Michael Paston,\u201d Siegel said. \u201cHis steady hand ensured that Lehigh County had a thorough, free and fair election and a smooth election day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The county\u2019s efforts won plaudits from Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, whose Department of State promotes and protects the integrity of the electoral process.<\/p>\n

\u201cTuesday\u2019s successful primary election in Lehigh County was a testament to the hard work of county elections officials and poll workers,\u201d Schmidt said. \u201cBecause of them, Lehigh County held another safe and secure election, and voters were able to make their voices heard at the ballot box.\u201d<\/p>\n

The county contacted the department for advice and assistance when the error was discovered May 4, then spent the ensuing days making sure all affected voters were reached by letter and telephone and told what to do.<\/p>\n

The county is grateful to local media outlets for helping to disseminate this information. We also appreciate the poll workers in Catasauqua who remained on the job when an explosive device was detonated in the vicinity of the polling site. Voting went uninterrupted despite the anxiety caused by this incident, which police concluded was not election-related.<\/p>\n

\u201cLehigh County\u2019s mail-in ballot return rate and turnout was in line with previous midterm primaries, which reflects both the speed and effectiveness of our response to the clerical error that briefly impacted mail ballots as well as our overall election process,\u201d Siegel said.<\/p>\n

Election results were available Wednesday evening – later than usual because the county took extra steps to ensure ballot integrity in light of the mail-in issue.<\/p>\n

Here are some statistics as of Thursday:<\/p>\n