Write-ins to impact November ballots
Write-in results are setting up some newly contested elections that could appear on the November ballot.
With very few candidates running solely on the Democratic ballot in the May 20 primary election, there are now numerous people — including some who initially ran as Republicans — who could be the Democratic Party’s local candidates for the general election.
One of the more noteworthy impacts of the write-in votes is that Slippery Rock’s mayor election will be contested in November. Incumbent Mayor Jondavid Longo, a Republican, will now face Douglas Cook, who won the most Democratic write-in votes.
Another noteworthy race impacted was the Winfield Township tax collector election, which now has a tie in Democratic write-in votes. The split is between Marla Klabnik and Maisie Miller. Miller already beat Klabnik in the Republican primary.
Chantell McCurdy, the Butler County Election Bureau’s director, said there will be a casting of lots on June 6 at noon. The candidates will pull numbers out of bag, and whoever gets the lower number will get the nomination. This is a unique quirk that is actually written in Butler County’s election code.
In total, the county saw 12,486 total write-in votes for candidates not already named on the ballot. McCurdy previously told the Butler Eagle these could still skew results in a handful of races or add names to the November ballot.
Write-in candidates, in addition to receiving the most votes, have to meet a minimum threshold. At the county level, candidates need 250 votes. One hundred are needed for city-level races, and municipal and school board elections require 10.
As of Thursday night, the main race that had been altered by write-in votes was the county coroner race. But by Friday morning, a number of additional school board and township candidates found their way to potentially the Democratic ticket through write-in votes.
Candidates still have to declare whether they accept the party nomination.
“Once they’re finished counting the votes, we’ll mail all of these people letters and they’d have to accept, turn in the appropriate paper work signed and say they accept the nomination. And they have to file with either the district or municipality depending on what the race is. And from there they’ll go on the fall ballot,” McCurdy said.
For Butler Area School District, Nina Teff would appear as the fourth candidate listed on the Democratic side. Teff had also won the most votes on the Republican side for Butler School board and would be listed as both a Democratic and Republican candidate.
Freeport’s school board election would see Steve Timko listed as the fourth candidate on the Democatic ticket.
The Mars school board election, which had no Democratic candidates listed, had 392 write-in votes on the Democratic ballot. The three names that would appear as Democratic candidates in November are Michael Bordt, Robert Vigue and Joseph Joswiak.
Slippery Rock Area school board school elections would see Katie Gearhardt in region one and Alyssa Hickson in region three.
In Penn Township, Republican Supervisor Sam Ward received the most Democratic write-in votes. Ward, who has served on the board of supervisors since 1989, was ousted in the Republican primary by Matthew Salina.
A number of candidates have the potential to be listed by both parties if they were to accept the write-in nominations. In Center Township, Republican Supervisor Mark Lauer, who received the most votes, could also be listed as the second Democratic candidate for supervisor.
Butler Township Commissioner Sam Zurzolo, reelected on the Republican ballot, could also be listed as the second Democratic candidate.
McCurdy said election bureau employees have been working constantly since Election Day on Tuesday to get everything counted.
McCurdy said the biggest race the elections bureau is still watching is Karns City school board, which has 422 write-ins on the Republican side. Because Karns City is made up of parts of three counties, the bureau will have to tally together write ins from Armstrong and Clarion counties some time next week.
Once counting is finalized, the bureau’s computation board will send results on Tuesday to the Pennsylvania Department of State. Candidates then have five days to file objections to the election results before they are certified. The department will issue a mandatory recount by May 28 if vote totals between candidates are within 2%. The county would then begin a recount by June 4.
The winners of the general election in November will begin their terms at the start of 2026.
