Butler County is ready for the upcoming elections. Both of them.

County Commissioner Leslie Osche said the commissioners and the county's Bureau of Elections sent FAQ guides to all of the county's staff with information differentiating the two upcoming elections.

“We felt it was important to have the entire county staff to have all that information in front of them, so anyone here can answer questions and educate the public,” Osche said.

The special election on March 17 will elect a state representative for the 8th District to replace former Rep. Tedd Nesbit, who was elected to serve as a judge in Mercer County.

The two candidates on the ballot will be Democrat Phil Heasley of Center Township and Republican Tim Bonner of Grove City.

Butler County shares the 8th District with Mercer County.

The Butler County municipalities in the 8th District include Brady, Center, Cherry, Clay, Franklin, Marion, Mercer, Muddy Creek and Worth townships. Also included in the district are the boroughs of Harrisville, Portersville, West Liberty and West Sunbury.

Anyone who calls these municipalities home can vote in the special election, which will operate in the same manner as the last election.

“For the special election, the new election laws are not in effect yet,” Osche said.

In October, Gov. Tom Wolf signed Act 77 of 2019, which changed many features of Pennsylvania's elections.

The legislation takes effect for the April 2020 primary election, but would not affect the special election since it is in March.

Shari Brewer, director of the Bureau of Elections, said she expects the special election will run smoothly.

She said the online applications for absentee ballots is user-friendly, and her staff has been handling other questions on a case-by-case basis.

Brewer said her main goal is to get people ready for changes coming from Act 77, which will allow many residents to vote through the mail, among other deadline changes.

“A lot of work with all the changes of Act 77,” Brewer said. “There's a lot of work involved with it. We'll be ready.”

Osche said the three county commissioners have worked closely with the Bureau of Elections to alleviate concerns.

“We believe when you change anything, it does create some level of angst and confusion to the voter,” Osche said. “We want this to go as smoothly as possible.”

Brewer said her staff has done a good job preparing for both elections, even with two different sets of rules in play.

“We already have mail-in applications coming in for the primary,” Brewer said. “We're kind of simultaneously preparing for both of them now.”