Voters in Butler County can look forward to a long list of municipal candidates in the May 21 primary.

All 23 borough mayors, the Butler mayor, and 79 borough council positions will be on the ballot. Butler Township will have two commissioner positions, and Butler will have two city council positions up for election.

Additionally, 36 township supervisor positions and 36 school board positions will appear on ballots.

And, tax collectors for all municipalities, as well as many auditors and constables, are up for election.

However, Shari Brewer, director of the county bureau of elections, said this year's primary is expected to bring fewer voters to the polls than last year's primary, which featured candidates for president, Congress and U.S. Senate.

“History has shown that municipal elections normally have a lower turnout rate,” Brewer said.

She wishes people would take more interest in municipal elections.

“They are the ones that affect their everyday lives,” Brewer said.

Although turnout likely will be low, municipal elections usually mean more work for the bureau.

The main reason for this is because the bureau handles all of the municipal candidate petitions. In state and federal elections, the state Department of State handles petitions.

Potential candidates are allowed to start circulating petitions Feb. 19. Candidates have to get 10 signatures to be on the ballot, but Brewer said the bureau recommends getting more in case of a challenge.

Petitions have to be returned by March 12.

Brewer said the bureau handles petitions as they come in. Workers have to verify that they are filled out completely and then Brewer verifies the signatures and checks the information.

“It's a lot to remember here,” Brewer said.

In addition to all of the municipal candidates, poll workers at all 89 voting precincts in the county are up for election. Each precinct has one judge of elections and two inspectors, all with four-year terms.

People running for judge of elections have to get 10 signatures on their petition and those running for inspector have to get five.

Judges are paid $115 plus $20 for mileage and the inspectors are paid $110.

Brewer said that the bureau has trouble finding poll workers. She said anyone interested in running should call or come to the bureau to get a petition.

“We're always after poll workers,” she said.

Brewer said that school board elections can have their own special idiosyncrasies.

For example, the Freeport School District is in both Butler and Armstrong counties. Because the district office is in Butler County, the petitions have to be filed in Butler. However, signatures from Butler County and signatures from Armstrong County have to be filed in separate petitions.

Besides judges, school board members are the only candidates who can cross file, meaning they can appear on the primary ballot as both a Republican and a Democrat. A person may win as a candidate for both parties and have his name appear on the general election ballot as “Democrat/Republican,” but that's not always the case.

“You might have some that win as Republicans but lose as Democrats,” Brewer said.

In Center Township, the number of township supervisors has been reduced from five to three. That is because in November, residents voted to remove all five supervisors and select three new ones in 2013.

In December, the supervisors voted to challenge the constitutionality of the referendum. A hearing on that is scheduled for Wednesday.

Brewer said that, as of now, the bureau is going forward as if only three positions will be up for election in November. Township voters will choose three Democratic nominees and three Republican nominees in the primary.

The last day to register to vote in the primary is April 22.