Election Day in Lower Swatara: State Rep Greets Voters at the Polls

Election Day in Lower Swatara: State Rep Greets Voters at the Polls

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On Election Day in Lower Swatara, Pennsylvania, voters arriving at two polling places encountered a mix of personal greetings and youth mobilization efforts, as Thomas Mehaffie held the door at a fire house while a green-and-gold trolley shuttled Penn State Harrisburg students to a church across town, The Daily Collegian reported.

The scene captured the layered reality of a midterm election in a suburban Harrisburg community, where a legislator served as a local committeeman and a limousine company donated transportation to boost student turnout.

Mehaffie Greets Every Voter at the Fire House Door

At the Lower Swatara Township Fire House, Mehaffie, who represents the 106th District and was first elected in 2016, stood at the entrance greeting each voter by name and speaking with every person who entered the polling location. Serving as a committeeman at the site, he described his approach to public service as rooted in direct community contact rather than a fixed legislative agenda.

Election Day, Capitol Building
Photo: psucollegian.com

“That’s where you know what you need to do to make your community better,” Mehaffie said. “I mean, the ideas that I have for bills and everything that I’ve done comes through the community, comes through the workers… I never had an agenda when I came in. I still don’t have an agenda today. What my agenda is whatever the people or the district need.”

The 106th District, he noted, contains a concentrated population of teachers, police officers, and nurses with Penn State Health, and his legislative record reflects that demographic makeup. Among his three initiatives, one had passed through both the state House and Senate: House Bill 911, which provided health benefits for life to widows of officers killed in the line of duty and passed unanimously. He also cited the Patient Safety Act, or House Bill 106, and House Bill 1919.

“It represents a district,” Mehaffie said. “We have a lot of teachers that live here. We have a lot of police officers that live here. And of course, when it comes down to our nurses with Penn State Health, it’s really been the main push. So, we have a nice concentrated area of those folks, and that’s really what we gravitated to, and try to make this a much better place for them.”

The Trolley Rings Past Volunteers at the Church

Across town at the Rosedale Church of the Nazarene, the atmosphere reflected a different political energy. Susan Madar, 64, of Lower Swatara, passed out campaign cards for state House candidate Anju Singh, saying she became truly invested in politics in 2016 because of Hillary Clinton.

“Our country is burning down and we need to stop it,” Madar said. “Starting a war for no reason, attacking all of our public institutions. I know that in places where there’s abortion bans, maternal mortality has gone up, and I don’t want that for Pennsylvania. Republicans are unwilling to do any common sense gun control. If not me, then who? Someone has to do it.”

Penn State Harrisburg students cast their midterm ballots at the church, arriving by car or on a large green-and-gold trolley hired by Project 26, an organization that works to get youth to organize, vote and participate in civic engagement. The trolley, owned by Expressions Limousine and driven by company owner Kevin Bippus, 67, of Ephrata, offered complimentary rides every ten to fifteen minutes between campus and the church, ringing its bell at campaign volunteers and poll workers as it passed by.

Bippus said this election was important and that he wanted to make sure people were getting out to vote and had the ability to do so. When the trolley parked in the lot at Penn State Harrisburg, volunteers manned a table to encourage students to vote and provide ballot information. Hunter Barno, 19, of Doylestown, drove to the polls with Trina Bacordo, and both said it was important for young people to vote, as many of their peers remain politically inactive despite the impact policies have on everyone.

“This election is important because it’s really going to set the tone for the next few years,” Barno said. “It’s really going to impact a lot of things that are happening in our country.”

Volunteers Share Campaign Motivations

Among the volunteers at the Penn State Harrisburg table was Danae Martin, 21, of New York City, who has volunteered in elections since 2024, when she worked on the Harris campaign. She said she wants to see the U.S. House of Representatives flipped and change to happen regarding reproductive rights, the cost of living, and less harsh immigration policy, especially as a young person about to graduate.

“It was the only glimpse of light I saw in a long time,” Martin said. “It was the first time I saw a woman, let alone a black woman, going up to the presidential campaign. That was a lot for me to be able to see representation.”

Martin said many young people have told her they were unaware of the election, did not want to vote, disliked the candidates, had parents advise against voting, or refused to register out of spite. She said this concerns her deeply.

“At the end of the day, if you want to see change in this world, we have to make the change because this is the world we have to live in,” Martin said. “We are going to be the ones who have to face the consequences that are coming up in a couple years after we graduate.”

Local Service Versus National Urgency

When voters in Lower Swatara went to the polls on Tuesday, they were greeted by poll workers, campaign volunteers and a state representative, with some saying the election would set the tone for the next few years.

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