Although they are likely to be overshadowed by the presidential race, all 10 state legislative seats in Butler County are up for election this year.

So far, there are two contested races in the April 26 primary, and only one race that apparently will be contested in November.

The county is covered by seven state House district seats and three seats in the state Senate.

In the state House, they are:

• The 8th District, represented by Rep. Tedd Nesbit of Grove City

• The 10th District, represented by Rep. Jaret Gibbons of Franklin Township, Beaver County

• The 11th District, represented by Rep. Brian Ellis of Butler Township

• The 12th District, represented by Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of Cranberry Township

• The 14th District, represented by Rep. Jim Marshall of Big Beaver

• The 60th District, represented by Rep. Jeff Pyle of Ford City

• The 64th District, represented by Rep. R. Lee James of Oil City

In the state Senate, the county is covered by:

• The 21st District, represented by Sen. Scott Hutchinson of Oil City

The 41st District, represented by Sen. Don White of Indiana

• The 47th District, represented by Sen. Elder Vogel of New Sewickley Township

All of those legislators are Republicans except for Gibbons.

In the 12th District, Gordon Marburger of Adams Township is running in the GOP primary and would face incumbent Metcalfe, who has yet to announce if he will run again.

Marburger ran against Metcalfe in 2014, but he was taken off the GOP ballot after he failed to turn in a statement of financial interest with the state Ethics Commission. He then ran a write-in campaign against Metcalfe, but lost.

In the 10th District, Aaron Bernstine of New Beaver and Dawnlyn Valli of North Sewickley Township, both of Beaver County, are running in the GOP primary.

Because Gibbons, who is seeking re-election, is a Democrat, the Republican winner would not run against him until the general election in November.

Republican Sen. White announced he will run again, but he has no party opposition and no one has filed to run as a Democrat.

Candidates, both incumbent and new, must circulate nominating petitions to be on the primary ballot.

Candidates for the state House have to collect 300 signatures in their district, and candidates for state Senate need to collect 500 signatures in their district.

The first day to begin circulating petitions was Tuesday, and they have to be turned in by Feb. 16.

People wanting to vote in the primary also have deadlines to meet.

The last day to register to vote for the primary is March 28.

People wanting to vote by absentee ballots may start applying for those ballots in March.

Shari Brewer, county director of elections, advises that everyone who thinks they may be gone on Election Day to apply for an absentee ballot and vote with it.

However, if it turns out, you are at home on Election Day, you can vote normally and tell the judge of elections at the polling place to invalidate your absentee ballot, Brewer said.

Despite heavy interest in the presidential race, Brewer said that turnout in the primary likely will depend on how the primaries in other states go. If the presidential candidates are nearly set based on other primaries, she said a lower turnout is likely.

In the 2012 primary, when President Barack Obama was the Democratic candidate and Mitt Romney was set as the Republican candidate, turnout here was only 23 percent. In the fall general election that year, turnout jumped to 73 percent.

In the 2008 primary, when the Democratic candidacy still was undecided in primary season, turnout in the county was 41.5 percent. That fall, turnout jumped to 75 percent.