You still have time to learn about candidates before you head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 7 for municipal elections in Pennsylvania. Counties have shared sample ballots and some nonpartisan voter guides have gathered responses from those seeking public office.
Double-check your polling place with Pa. Voter Services ahead of next week. For example, some locations have been moved in Lackawanna County to accommodate for accessibility. All county election offices are required to finalize those changes 20 days prior to elections and notify everyone affected, according to the Pa. Department of State.
Barbara Keiser of the Monroe County chapter of the League of Women Voters says in addition to checking county information, using a website like vote411.org can give you a preview of your ballot. Local LWV chapters in the Lewisburg Area (Union), Wilkes-Barre Area (Luzerne) and Pike County posed questions to candidates in their regions to draft voting guides. We’ve compiled them under county sections below.
“When voters enter their voting address, they get the races on their ballot as well as the responses from candidates who replied to our invitation to participate,” Keiser said in an email. A similar ballot lookup tool from Ballotpedia can also help determine if you’ll decide on school board seats, city or borough council and other positions.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 7. Bring an ID if it's your first time voting at a new location.
Unofficial election results will be available at electionreturns.pa.gov starting at 8 p.m., according to Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt.
Here’s how to get an early look at your ballot and see what races are contested/uncontested at the county level in Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Union, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming counties.
Statewide
Races affecting all Pennsylvania voters include justice of the Pa. Supreme Court, judge of Commonwealth Court and justice for Superior Court.
Voters will also be asked whether two judges should be retained for Superior Court: Vic Stabile and Jack Panella. You can learn more about their records here, with Spotlight PA’s voting guides.
Justice of the Pa. Supreme Court: Carolyn Carluccio (R) or Daniel McAffery (D)
Judge of Commonwealth Court: Matt Wolf (D) or Megan Martin (R)
Two justices for Superior Court: Maria Battista (R), Jill Beck (D), Tamika Lane (D), or Harry Smail Jr. (R)
Bradford County
On Bradford County’s website, find ‘2023 Sample Ballots’ under the ‘Documents & Forms’ section. Click ‘Open’ to choose your voting precinct by township or borough.
County-wide contested race(s): commissioner.
Not contested race(s): district attorney, auditor (three candidates, three seats), prothonotary/clerk of courts, coroner, treasurer, sheriff and register/recorder.
Commissioner candidates: Zachary Gates (D), Daryl Miller (R, incumbent), Doug McClinko (R, incumbent), Kim Pitcher (D)
Carbon County
Find your sample ballot by borough or township in Carbon County.
County-wide contested race(s): commissioner, coroner and controller.
Not contested race(s): district attorney, prothonotary, sheriff and recorder.
Commissioner candidates: Rocky Ahner (D, incumbent), Wayne Nothstein (R, incumbent), Jeff Schnaiter (D), Michael J. Sofranko (R)
Controller candidates: Sam Lux (D), Kayla Herman (R)
Coroner candidates: Robert W. Miller Jr. (D, incumbent), Mark Smith (R)
Columbia County
All sample ballots for Columbia County are compiled in one 86-page document. We recommend using ‘control + F’ or ‘command + F’ to search for your borough/township to locate the ballot for your precinct.
County-wide contested race(s): commissioner
Not contested race(s): coroner, auditor (three running, three seats), district attorney, prothonotary clerk, register and recorder.
Commissioner candidates: Dean A. Brewer (R) , David M. Kovach (D, incumbent), Ed Sanders III (D), Randy Karschner (R)
Lackawanna County
All sample ballots for Lackawanna County are compiled in one 326-page document. We recommend using ‘control + F’ or ‘command + F’ to search for your borough/township to locate the ballot for your precinct.
A judicial retention question in Lackawanna County will ask voters if James A. Gibbons should serve an additional 10-year term as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas (45th District).
County-wide contested race(s): commissioner
Not contested: treasurer, coroner, controller and clerk of judicial records.
Commissioner candidates: Diana Campbell (R), Chris Chermak (R, incumbent), Bill Gaughan (D), Matt McGloin (D)
Luzerne County
County Council candidate information can be found in this nonpartisan Nov. 7 voting guide from the Wilkes-Barre Area of the League of Women Voters.
All sample ballots for Luzerne County are compiled in one 376-page document. We recommend using ‘control + F’ or ‘command + F’ to search for your borough or township.
County-wide contested race(s): six out of 11 county council seats are up for grabs
Uncontested race(s): district attorney
County Council candidates: Thomas Dombroski (R), Harry Haas (R), Patricia Krushnowski (D), Lee Ann McDermott (R, incumbent), Matthew Mitchell (R, incumbent), Kimberly Platek (R), Michelle Rothenbecker (D), Jimmy Sabatino (D), Joanna Bryn Smith (D), Brittany Stephenson (D), Stephen J. Urban (R, incumbent), Maryann V. Velez (D)
Lycoming County
Find your sample ballot by borough or township in Lycoming County to see if you’ll vote on school board, supervisors or district judges.
County-wide contested race(s): commissioner and judge of court of common pleas
Uncontested race(s): county controller, district attorney, prothonotary, coroner, treasurer, register and recorder
Commissioner candidates: Scott Metzger (R, incumbent), Mark Mussina (D), Denitra Moffet (D), Marc Sortman (R)
Court of Common Pleas candidates: William P. Carlucci (R/D), Ryan C. Gardner (R), Andrea Pulizzi (D)
Monroe County
Find your voting precinct on Monroe County’s list, then click ‘View Your Ballot’ to see if you’ll vote on school directors, councilmembers or magisterial district judges.
If you enter a Monroe County address in vote411.org/ballot, you’ll be able to see commissioner candidate profiles and responses to the League of Women Voters’ questions.
County-wide contested race(s): commissioner, controller, prothonotary/clerk of courts, sheriff, district attorney, register and recorder
Uncontested race(s): n/a
Commissioner candidates: John Christy (D, incumbent), Sharon Laverdure (D, incumbent), David C. Parker (R), Christine A. Wilkins (R)
District Attorney candidates: Mike Mancuso (D), Alexander J. Marek (R)
Controller candidates: Erik A. Diemer (D), Marlo A Merhige (R)
Register and Recorder candidates: Kate Best (D), Josephine Ferro (R)
Sheriff candidates: Nick Cirranello (D), Ken Morris (R)
Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts candidates: John C. Huddleston (D), George Warden (R)
Montour County
Find your sample ballot by borough/township voting precinct in Montour County.
County-wide contested race(s): commissioner
Not contested race(s): judge of the 26th district Court of Common Pleas, sheriff, district attorney, coroner, register and recorder, prothonotary/clerk, auditor (two candidates, two seats)
Commissioner candidates: Rebecca Dressler (R), Trevor S. Finn (D, incumbent), Scott E. Lynn (R), Wesley Walters (D)
Northumberland County
All sample ballots for Northumberland County are compiled in one 296-page document. We recommend using ‘control + F’ or ‘command + F’ to search for your borough/township to locate the ballot for your precinct.
County-wide contested race(s): commissioner, district attorney
Not contested race(s): treasurer, sheriff, judge of 8th District Court of Common Pleas
Commissioner candidates: Meghan Beck (D), Craig Fetterman (D), Joseph Klebon (R, incumbent), Samuel Schiccatano (R, incumbent)
District Attorney candidates: Tony Matulewicz (D, incumbent), Michael C. O’Donnell (R)
Pike County
Find your sample ballot by borough/township precinct in Pike County.
The Pike County chapter of the League of Women Voters asked each commissioner candidate to record a video about their top goals and what they’d like to accomplish if elected. You can read their responses and watch the videos here.
County-wide contested race(s): commissioner
Not contested race(s): district attorney, auditor (three incumbents, three seats), treasurer, coroner, prothonotary/clerk of courts, and register and recorder.
Commissioner candidates: Christa Caceres (D), Matthew M. Osterberg (R, incumbent), Ronald R. Schmalzle (R, incumbent), Tony Waldron (D, incumbent)
Schuylkill County
Find lists of candidates broken down by judicial, county, municipal and school for Schuylkill County.
County-wide contested race(s): commissioner, judge of the 21st district Court of Common Pleas, treasurer, clerk of courts, and register of wills.
Not contested race(s): controller, prothonotary, recorder of deeds, coroner, magisterial district judges
Commissioner candidates: Rita Anczarski Baldino (D), Barron Boots Hetherington (R, incumbent), Gary Hess (D, incumbent), Larry Padora (R), Gregory Woll (Libertarian)
Court of Common Pleas 21st: Bill Burke (R), Michael A. O'Pake (D)
Treasurer: Joseph J. Post (D), Linda Yeich (R)
Clerk of Courts: Crista DiCasimirro (R), Jesseca Sickle (D)
Register of Wills: Thomas C. McCabe (D), Theresa Santai Gaffney (R)
Snyder County
All sample ballots for Snyder County are listed in one 50-page document. We recommend using ‘control + F’ or ‘command + F’ to search for your borough/township to locate the ballot for your precinct.
County-wide contested race(s): n/a
Not contested race(s): commissioner (three incumbents running unopposed), auditor (three incumbents running, three seats), magisterial district judges, sheriff, district attorney, prothonotary, recorder of deeds, coroner, magisterial district judges
Sullivan County
Find your sample ballot by township or borough in Sullivan County.
County-wide contested race(s): commissioner and school board director
Not contested race(s): sheriff, prothonotary/clerk of courts/register and recorder, treasurer, coroner and auditor.
Commissioner candidates: Brian L. Hoffman (R, incumbent), Darlene A. Fenton (R, incumbent), Scott Myers Jr. (D), Steve Tomlinson (D)
County school director candidates: Shelly A. Jordan, Anthony R. Durland, Mary Elise Nolan, Heather Hanna
Tioga County
All sample ballots for Tioga County are listed in one 82-page document. We recommend using ‘control + F’ or ‘command + F’ to search for your borough/township to locate the ballot for your precinct.
County-wide contested race(s): commissioner
Not contested race(s): district attorney, register and recorder, coroner, sheriff, auditors (votes permitted for two candidates).
Commissioner candidates: Joseph Druetto (D), Bob Goodrich (Constitution), Shane Nickerson (D), Marc Rice (R), Sam VanLoon (R)
County school director candidates: Shelly A. Jordan, Anthony R. Durland, Mary Elise Nolan, Heather Hanna
Union County
Find out the candidates for Union County and the borough township-level.
County-wide candidate information can be found in this nonpartisan Nov. 7 voting guide from the Lewisburg Area chapter of the League of Women Voters.
County-wide contested races: commissioner and district attorney
Not contested race(s): register and recorder, treasurer, auditor (three candidates with three open seats), judge for the 17th district Court of Common Pleas, and magisterial district judge.
Commissioner candidates: Presten Boop (R, incumbent), Sharon Koppel (D), Jeff Reber (R, incumbent), Stacy Richards (D, incumbent)
District Attorney candidates:
Brian Kersetter (D) - currently first assistant district attorney in Union County
Robyn Zenzinger (R) - currently first assistant district attorney in Northumberland County
Wayne County
Find your sample ballot by township or borough in Wayne County.
County-wide contested race(s): commissioner
Not contested race(s): district attorney, auditor (three incumbent candidates, three seats), prothonotary/clerk, register/recorder and sheriff.
Commissioner candidates: Jocelyn Cramer (D, incumbent), Michael Dougherty (D), James Shook (R, incumbent), Brian Smith (R, incumbent)
Wyoming County
Find your sample ballot by township or borough in Wyoming County.
County-wide contested race(s): n/a
Not contested race(s): commissioner (three incumbent candidates, three seats), auditor (three incumbent candidates, three seats) district attorney, prothonotary/clerk, register/recorder and sheriff.
