Butler County voters will go to the polls Tuesday to decide intraparty contests for governor, lieutenant governor, Congress and the Legislature.

Democrats have some choices to make, namely at the top of the ticket. For Republicans, not so much.

Further down on the ballot, GOP voters will find some contested races for state representative. But Democratic voters? Forget about it.

Like most primaries, uncontested races are a bipartisan tradition in the county. So is voter apathy.

“A lot of people don’t seem to think that primaries are important,” said Shari Brewer, director of the county Elections Bureau. “But they are. They determine who’s on the ballot in November.”

Brewer is afraid that history will again repeat itself Tuesday. She predicted a lackluster turnout of possibly 20 percent to 25 percent.

In the last gubernatorial primary, turnout was 32.5 percent in 2010. But more recently, turnout was just 23 percent in the 2012 primary, and 16 percent in last year’s primary.

Brewer is at a loss to explain the lack of interest. But, she said, there is no good reason for voter indifference.

“Everyone has an opinion,” she said, “and if you want your opinion to count for something, you should vote.”

There are 121,093 voters in the county, but only those registered as Republicans or Democrats can vote in the primary.

There are 62,142 Republicans and 42,475 Democrats, according to county voter registration records.

The governor’s race, not surprisingly, has been getting most of the pre-primary attention.

Republican Gov. Tom Corbett is running unopposed but four Democrats are battling for the nomination to take him on.

The Democratic candidates are state Treasurer Rob McCord of Montgomery County, former Clinton White House environmental adviser Katie McGinty of Chester County, U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz of Montgomery County and businessman Tom Wolf of York County.

On the GOP ticket, Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley is a fait accompli — he has no primary opponents.

But on the other side, there’s a near free-for-all.

Seeking the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor are former U.S. Rep. Mark Critz of Washington County, Harrisburg City Councilman Brad Koplinski, state Rep. Brandon Neuman of Washington County, Bradford County Commissioner Mark Smith and state Sen. Mike Stack of Philadelphia County.

In the 3rd Congressional District, neither Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Butler nor Democrat Dan Lavallee of Cranberry Township faces opposition.

Kelly is seeking his third two-year term. Lavallee, a former deputy director for America’s Health Insurance Plans, is a first-time candidate.

The district covers all of Butler, Armstrong and Mercer counties, all of Crawford County except Titusville, and parts of Clarion, Erie and Lawrence counties.

Also running unopposed are state Reps. Jaret Gibbons, D-10th; Brian Ellis, R-11th; R. Lee James, R-64th; Jim Marshall, R-14th; and Jeff Pyle, R-60th.

Those incumbents, whose districts include portions of Butler County, appear headed for a free ride in the November election, too.

Three candidates are seeking the Republican nomination to replace retiring state Rep. Dick Stevenson in the 8th District.

Those GOP hopefuls are Franklin Township Supervisor and company controller Herman Bauer, Grove City Councilman and consultant Jeffrey Black and Grove City Attorney Tedd Nesbit.

There are no Democratic candidates in the primary.

In Butler County, the district covers Brady, Center, Cherry, Clay, Franklin, Marion, Mercer, Muddy Creek and Worth townships and Harrisville, Portersville, West Liberty and West Sunbury.

It also covers southeastern Mercer County, including Grove City.

In the 12th District, state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of Cranberry Township is seeking re-election to a ninth two-year term.

While Metcalfe is the lone candidate on the Republican ballot, Gordon Marburger of Adams Township is waging an aggressive write-in campaign to capture the GOP nod.

Waiting in the wings to go up against the Republican nominee is Lisa Zucco of Cranberry Township. A technical writer for an architecture and engineering firm, Zucco has no opposition for the Democratic nomination.

The 12th District covers southern Butler County including Adams, Cranberry, Forward, Penn, Middlesex and Clinton townships and Callery, Mars, Seven Fields and Valencia.

Meanwhile regarding internal party races, GOP voters in the county have 12 candidates to choose from for six seats on the Republican State Committee. Democratic voters here will have four candidates to consider for three state committee seats.