Almost 61 percent of registered Warren County voters turned out on Election Day.
Warren County Director of Elections Lisa Zuck told the Warren County Commissioners on Friday morning that approximately 17,600 people 60.5 percent of registered voters had cast ballots in the county.
She said not all votes were in yet.
"I'm still waiting for some military and overseas ballots," Zuck said. "They have until next week."
According to Zuck, there are still two emergency responder ballots still out as well.
She said the Pennsylvania Department of State requires unofficial totals of votes by Tuesday, while an official count will be required once all ballots are in.
While the turnout of registered voters on Tuesday was higher than last year's 37 percent, it represents a decline from the last two elections with a presidential contest on the ballot. In 2004, 67.2 percent of registered voters went to the polls and approximately 70 percent made it in 2008.
Zuck reported a relatively smooth election process in the county.
"We had a lot of phone calls asking where to vote, but nothing major," she said.
She reported no mechanical problems outside of a battery needing changed in one voting machine in the Warren West precinct.
Following the report, the commissioners got down to the business of determining which of the 796 write-in votes in the county were eligible to be counted and which were obviously fictional characters or votes for ineligible candidates, such as figures written in who did not meet residency requirements.
Zuck noted she had already counted votes for candidates approved by the Department of State including Virgil Goode and Jim Clymer of the Constitution Party.
"I didn't enter all the Mickey Mouses and Donald Ducks," Zuck said.
"I think that's totally within your discretion," Commissioner John Bortz said.
Zuck said she retains a record of write-in votes that do not count with the rest of voters' ballot information.
Figures such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy all garnered their traditional share of votes, which were promptly disqualified. Anybody Else and Someone Else were also popular choices.
A prominent fictional Alabama lawyer and legislator appeared as a write-in candidate for nearly every race.
"Atticus Finch is sure getting a lot of votes," Commissioner John Eggleston noted. "I'm not sure he's eligible, though."
Another likely fictional write-in retained his eligibility due to the possibility of a real-life person with the name.
"I guess we can leave Charles Brown in," Eggleston said. "I assume they mean the Peanuts character."
Commissioner Chairman Stephen Vanco said, "I know a Charles Brown in Sugar Grove."
The race for state representative for the 65th district garnered some notable write-ins. Voters suggested a boiled cabbage and Albus Dumbledore for the position. The race also netted probably the longest write-in consisting of a full eight word sentence protest vote.
Other notable write-ins included, Karl Marx, Joe Stalin, Jimmy Hoffa, Jessie Ventura and Transformers villain Megatron. All were deemed ineligible for one reason or another.
Fifty-one provisional ballots were cast mostly by people who either voted but weren't registered, voted in the wrong place or moved or did not change the address on their registration.
People who voted at a new polling place but did not show identification were also listed as provisional. Not part of the controversial Voter ID law making its way through the courts, under Pennsylvania law, voters at new polling locations have had to verify their identity with identification for years.
In cases where voters moved within the county from one state Senate district to another but did not change the address on their registration, their vote for state senator did not count, but the rest of their ballot did.
Of voters who were registered but did not change their address or voted in the wrong location Bortz said, "In that case I'm willing to grant a little leniency."
"A lot of people think they can vote anywhere," Zuck said. "That just isn't the case. I had one woman who was registered in California and wanted to vote."
A number of the provisional ballots were rejected on the basis the voter was not registered.
"If they're not registered, the law's pretty clear," Eggleston said.
"My biggest disappointment is the people who went to the effort and it didn't count because they made a mistake," Vanco said.
In less than an hour, the determinations were made and the qualifying votes were moved on to be counted.
"We're (commissioners) very pleased by the work of Ms. Zuck and the efforts of the volunteer workers in making this a successful election," Bortz said.
"We want to make sure to mention the hundreds of people who volunteered," Eggleston added. "It's a lot of work."
"This is a big show, especially in an election like this," Zuck said. "I've got a great bunch of poll workers."