People at the polls: South Side voters share municipal election experiences

Bethlehem residents and Lehigh students headed to the polls on Tuesday to vote in the Northampton County executive and court races, Northampton County Council, Bethlehem City Council and Pennsylvania Supreme Court retention election races.

During the 2024 presidential election, voters waited for an average of five and a half hours at the Banana Factory to cast their vote. 

Voters attended the new polling location at St. Peter’s Evangelical Church on Vine Street following the closure of the Banana Factory. While wait times were shorter for the municipal election today, some voters at St. Peter’s Church still reported poll accessibility issues and a lack of clear direction. 

Lehigh students who registered to vote under their Farrington P.O. box address voted at St. Peter’s. Students who registered under a different Lehigh address or off campus housing voted at other locations in South Bethlehem including Broughal Middle School and St. John’s Windish Evangelical Lutheran Church. 

Makena Johnson, ‘29, is a first time voter and said she arrived at St. Peter’s at 8:50 a.m. 

When the polling location first opened at 7 a.m., there were no signs or directions to direct voters where to go to find the two voting machines in the building that were located on the ground floor. Around 11 a.m., a sign was then taped to one of the church doors to direct voters where to go alongside other signs that weren’t there previously.

Johnson said she was at St. Peter’s until 10 a.m. even though there was virtually no line. 

“I feel like it would have been so much easier, especially because the polling place is so close, if we had signs on campus,” Johnson said. 

Another first time voter, Jason Yonteff, ‘29, said he also faced difficulties finding where the voting machines were. While Yonteff said he had been to St. Peter’s Church before, he and other voters around him said it was unclear that voting was taking place in the basement of the building as there were no signs directing them. 

He said that small additions like clear signage can have a big impact on voters and their participation. 

Yonteff said it could be challenging for those who might not have off work for Election Day and have limited time to vote, especially if they have to spend extra time trying to find the place to cast their ballot.

Kathy Harrington, the President of Lehigh Valley For All, a grassroots canvassing organization, said there was a greater voter turnout than she expected at St. Peter’s. She also said signs should have been put out earlier in the day as those working at the polling place were not expecting many Lehigh students to vote in the morning.

Other voters whose polling places were Broughal Middle School and St John’s Windish Lutheran Church experienced a smoother voting process. 

Julia Cade, a Bethlehem resident for five years, voted at St. John’s Church. She said her election day experience was a easy process, especially in comparison to when she lived in Philadelphia and voted there.

Rachel Smith, a first-year Lehigh graduate student, voted at Broughal Middle School this year but voted at the Banana Factory last year. She said her voting experience this year was a simpler process.

“[Last year] I waited in line for hours, but I’m at a new location this year, and it was much easier,” Smith said. 

Maggie Sena, ‘26, and Leela Deshpande, ‘27, both voted at St. John’s this year and last year. They said both voting experiences were easy and accessible.

At St. Peter’s Church, the majority of people in line in the evening were Lehigh students.

Amayah Wade, ‘27, voted at the church. She said she got there at 4:30 p.m. and was there for over an hour. 

“I brought a book and other people were using their phones for entertainment while they stood, so it was okay,” Wade said. 

She also said directions in the voting booth were accessible and simple to understand.

Meanwhile, other polls slowed down, with Brougham showing less voters and college students in general.