Erie County municipal election results: Live updates for Nov. 7

The Erie Times-News staff covered Tuesday's election live. Here's how it played out:

It's Election Day in Erie County, and voters can stay informed at GoErie.com with regular election updates.

The polls for the Nov. 7 Pennsylvania Municipal Election closed at 8 p.m., the same time when completed absentee and mail-in ballots were to be returned to the Erie County Board of Elections.

Looking for local election results?

Visit GoErie.com/elections/results/local/ for live election results as they are regularly updated.

Unofficial: Sala with 57.7% of vote

Final, unofficial numbers in the race for Erie County judge: Democrat Peter Sala wins with 34,898 votes to 25,621 for Republican Eric Mikovch for a margin of 57.7% to 42.3% out of 60,519 votes cast.

Erie County Controller Foust is projected winner

Erie County Controller Kyle Foust is projected to defeat Republican challenger Wade Root by a nearly 10,000-vote margin.

Unofficial results from all 149 precincts showed Foust with 34,420 votes and Root with 24,753 votes, as of 11 p.m. Tuesday.

The vote totals include 17,732 mail-in ballots received before 5 p.m. on Monday and opened and tallied on Tuesday.

Drexel upsets Shank, gives County Council 5-2 Dem majority

Democrat Chris Drexel is projected to unseat Republican incumbent Brian Shank in a major upset Tuesday night that gives Democrats a 5-2 majority on Erie County Council.

Unofficial results from all 149 precincts showed Drexel with 5,814 votes and Shank with 5,193 votes, a 621-vote margin.

In other races, incumbent Democrat Terry Scutella handily defeated Republican challenger Cody Foust, 6,043 to 4,184 votes, for the 1st District seat.

In the only race without an incumbent, Democrat Rock Copeland defeated Republican Kim Hunter for the 3rd district seat, 4,900 to 2,879 votes.

Incumbent Republican Ellen Schauerman defeated Democratic challenger Lorraine Dolan, 4,862 to 3,776 votes. Independent Rita Bishop trailed with 1,044 votes.

Sala wins race for Erie County judge

Democrat Peter Sala has defeated Republican Eric Mikovch in the race for Erie County judge. With 149 of 149 precincts reporting, and with the initial round of mail-in ballots tallied, Sala has 34,459 votes to Mikovch's 25,496 votes, with 59,955 votes cast. That's a margin of 57.5% to 42.5%. We understand the county still has several hundred mail-in ballots to count, but certainly not enough to swing the race.

Here's who's leading for 5 open Erie school seats

With 120 of 149 Erie County precincts reporting, John Harkins, Angie Amatangelo, Gwendolyn Cooley, Linda Graff and Sumner Nichols lead in balloting for five available four-year terms on the Erie School Board.

Harkins, an incumbent, has 8,047 votes. Amatangelo, a newcomer, has 7,467. Cooley, an incumbent, has 6,943. Graff, a newcomer, has 6,792. And Nichols, an incumbent, has 6,525.

Trailing so far are newcomer Troy Woodard with 3,179 votes and incumbent Zakaria Sharif with 3,093.

Sharif is the only candidate for a two-year board term.

Erie County Council: GOP Schauerman grabs lead; Shank tightens gap

Republican incumbent Ellen Schauerman is now leading her Democratic challenger Lorraine Dolan in the 7th district race, with 100 of 149 precincts reporting.

According to election results as of 10:25 p.m., Schauerman leads with 3,948 votes over Dolan’s 3,379 votes. Independent Rita Bishop trails with 848 votes.

In the 5th district, Democrat Chris Drexel’s lead over Republican incumbent Brian Shank has considerably shrunk to just 621 votes with Drexel at 5,814 and Shank with 5,193 votes.

In the 1st district, Democratic incumbent Terry Scutella leads Republican challenger Cody Foust, 5,260 to 3,280 votes.

In the 3rd district, Democrat Rock Copeland leads Republican Kim Hunter, 4,209 to 2,176 votes.

The vote totals include a first round of mail-in ballots that were received prior to 5 p.m. Monday.

Judge race tightens

The race for Erie County judge is tightening, a bit, with 120 out of 149 precincts reporting. Democrat Peter Sala has 29,942 votes to Republican Eric Mikovch's 20,605 votes, including the initial round of mail-in ballots. Sala is leading 59.2% to 40.8%, down from 62.4% when 100 of 149 precincts reported.

Millcreek supervisor race continues to tighten

With 100 of 149 Erie County precincts reporting, Democrat Sam Comfort leads Republican incumbent Jim Bock by fewer than 400 votes.

Comfort has 5,624 votes to 5,237 for Bock.

It's not clear how many of Millcreek's 25 precincts have so far reported.

City Council results: 100 of 149 precincts

According to updated unofficial Erie County Courthouse vote totals, former Erie City Councilwoman Kathy Schaaf had 8,673 votes for one of the three four-year City Council terms on the ballot, followed by incumbent Councilman Ed Brzezinski with 7,806 votes; fellow Democrat Tyler Titus, 7,330 votes; and Independent Roland Witherow garnered 3,451 votes.

There were a total of 643 write-ins in that race; a further breakdown was not available.

In the race for the two-year City Council seat, Brzezinski received 9,309 votes, according to unofficial county totals.  There were a total of 821 write-ins.

Sala ahead with 100 precincts reporting

We have hit the big 100, as in 100 of 149 voting precincts reporting. In the Erie County judge race, Democrat Peter Sala has kept his lead over Republican Eric Mikovch: 27,124 votes to 16,349 votes out of 43,473 votes cast in the race, including the initial round of mail-in ballots. Sala is ahead 62.4% to 37.6%, and Mikovch is running out of time.

Brzezinski says he’s likely to accept four-year City Council term

Incumbent Erie City Councilman Ed Brzezinski, cruising toward winning both a two-year and a four-year seat in Tuesday’s municipal election, told the Erie Times-News tonight that he will almost certainly accept the four-year term.

Brzezinski was on the ballot for both seats. The two-year term was on the ballot because of the January resignation of former City Council President Liz Allen.

Brzezinski on Tuesday night said he wants to talk with City Solicitor Ed Betza this week about the appointment process.

"I want what's best for the city," Brzezinski said. "I want to make sure we get someone in as an appointee who is qualified for council."

Current Councilwoman Susannah Faulkner, appointed to the former Allen seat in February, was among those who launched a write-in bid for the two-year seat. Faulkner will serve in that council seat until at least Jan. 1.

Betza previously told the Times-News that according to state law, if Brzezinski accepts the four-year term, City Council will be required to appoint someone to serve in the former Allen seat between Jan. 2, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2026.

Council could choose to reappoint Faulkner or open the process up to interested Erie residents, Betza said. Faulkner has told the newspaper she's interested in being reappointed.

The appointee would serve in that seat until Jan. 1, 2026.

Just over 800 votes separate Harbor Creek school contenders

With 80 of 149 Erie County precincts reporting and early mail-in ballots counted, just 826 votes separate the candidates for Harbor Creek School Board.

There are six candidates for five open seats.

Here are the vote totals so far: Newcomer Amy Parente, 1,880 votes; incumbent Terri Brink, 1,761; newcomer Keith Farrell, 1,708; incumbent Thomas Fortin, 1,623; newcomer Ryan Cowser, 1,622; and incumbent Jeffrey Willis, 1,054.

All 4 Democrats lead Republicans in Erie County Council races

Democratic candidates for Erie County Council continue to lead their Republican opponents, with 80 of 149 county precincts reporting, according to election results as of 9:57 p.m.

In the 1st district, Democratic incumbent Terry Scutella leads Republican challenger Cody Foust, 4,333 to 2,362 votes.

In the 3rd district, Democrat Rock Copeland leads Republican Kim Hunter, 3,689 to 1,568 votes.

In the 5th district, Democrat Chris Drexel leads Republican incumbent Brian Shank, 4,038 to 2,764 votes.

In the 7th district, Democrat Lorraine Dolan leads Republican incumbent Ellen Schauerman, 2,351 votes to 1,827 votes. Independent Rita Bishop has 443 votes.

The vote totals include a first round of mail-in ballots that were received prior to 5 p.m. Monday.

3 incumbents, 2 newcomers lead Fairview school race

Newcomer Emily Yochim continues to lead in Fairview School Board voting, with 80 of 149 Erie County precincts reporting and early mail-in votes counted.

Yochim has 1,685 votes, trailed so far by three incumbents, Lori Sobin with 1,494, James Lyons with 1,492, and Pamela Liccardi with 1,289.

Newcomer Geoffrey Grundy so far is fifth in the race for five open four-year terms, with 1,116 votes.

Two more newcomers also are contending: Carin Shollenberger with 1,115 votes and Michael Naber with 1,004.

City Council update

According to updated unofficial Erie County Courthouse vote totals — with 80 of the county's 149 precincts reporting — former Erie City Councilwoman Kathy Schaaf had 8,148 votes for one of the three four-year City Council terms on the ballot, followed by incumbent Councilman Ed Brzezinski with 7,323 votes; fellow Democrat Tyler Titus, 6,938 votes; and Independent Roland Witherow garnered 3,151 votes.

There were a total of 612 write-ins in that race; a further breakdown was not available.

In the race for the two-year City Council seat, Brzezinski received 8,701 votes, according to unofficial county totals.  There were a total of 779 write-ins.

Sala in judge lead with more than half of precincts reporting

Totals from more than half of the voting precincts in Erie County are in: 80 of 149 precincts. In the Erie County judge race, Democrat Peter Sala is maintaining his lead over Republican Eric Mikovch: 24,003 votes to 12,496 votes. The 36,499 votes cast in the race include the initial round of mail-in ballots.

Harkins, Amatangelo continue to lead Erie school race

With 60 of 149 precincts reporting and early mail-in votes counted, incumbent Erie School Director John Harkins and newcomer Angie Amatangelo continue to lead balloting for five open seats on the Erie School Board.

Harkins has 6,712 votes, Amatangelo 6,328.

Following are incumbent Gwendolyn Cooley with 5,896 votes; newcomer Linda Graff with 5,633; incumbent Sumner Nichols with 5,405; newcomer Troy Woodard with 2,420; and incumbent Zakaria Sharif with 2,393.

Sharif is unopposed for a single two-year term.

Erie City Council: Schaaf, Titus, Brzezinski lead

According to updated unofficial Erie County Courthouse vote totals — with 60 of the county's 149 precincts reporting — former Erie City Councilwoman Kathy Schaaf had 7,248 votes for one of the three four-year City Council terms on the ballot, followed by incumbent Councilman Ed Brzezinski with 6,515 votes; fellow Democrat Tyler Titus, 6,166 votes; and Independent Roland Witherow garnered 2,678 votes.

There were a total of 500 write-ins in that race; a further breakdown was not available.

In the race for the two-year City Council seat, Brzezinski received 7,719 votes, according to unofficial county totals. There were a total of 640 write-ins.

Erie County Controller Foust widens lead against Root

Erie County Controller Kyle Foust is holding a more than 11,000-vote lead over Republican challenger Wade Root, according to election results as of 9:38 p.m. Unofficial results from 60 out of 149 county precincts show Foust with 21,429 votes and Root with 9,963 votes. The vote totals include 13,660 Election Day votes and 17,732 mail-in ballots received before 5 p.m. on Monday and opened and tallied on Tuesday.

Bock narrowing gap in Millcreek Township supervisor race

Incumbent Jim Bock is narrowing the lead of challenger Sam Comfort with early mail-in votes counted and 60 of 149 Erie County precincts now reporting.

Bock, a Republican, has 3,858 votes. Democrat Sam Comfort continues to lead with 4,649 votes.

Democrats maintain leads in Erie County Council races

Democratic candidates for Erie County Council continue to hold sizable leads as Republicans slowly gain ground, according to election results as of 9:38 p.m.

In the 1st district, Democratic incumbent Terry Scutella leads Republican challenger Cody Foust, 4,333 to 2,362 votes.

In the 3rd district, Democrat Rock Copeland leads Republican Kim Hunter, 3,467 to 1,412 votes.

In the 5th district, Democrat Chris Drexel leads Republican incumbent Brian Shank, 3,683 to 2,267 votes.

In the 7th district, Democrat Lorraine Dolan leads Republican incumbent Ellen Schauerman, 1,898 votes to 1,093 votes. Independent Rita Bishop has 314 votes.

The vote totals include a first round of mail-in ballots that were received prior to 5 p.m. Monday.

Mikovch picks up votes in judge race

Republican Eric Mikovch has picked up votes in the race for Erie County judge, though he still trails Democrat Peter Sala. With 60 of 149 precincts reporting, and including the initial round of mail-in ballots, Sala has 21,683 votes to Mikovch's 10,055, out of 31,738 votes cast.

Sala still in command; vote totals coming quicker

The pace of the release of vote totals is quickening. In the race for Erie County judge, with 40 of 149 precincts reporting, and including the initial round of mail-in ballots, Democrat Peter Sala is leading Republican Eric Mikovch by 18,921 votes to 6,742 votes with 25,663 votes cast. Those are the results as of 9:22 p.m.

Millcreek Township supervisor race

With early mail-in votes and 1,012 Election Day votes counted so far in the race for Millcreek Township supervisor, Democratic challenger Sam Comfort leads Republican incumbent Jim Bock.

Comfort has 3,669 votes so far, to 2,320 for Bock, who is seeking a second six-year term.

Erie County Controller Foust maintains commanding lead

Erie County Controller Kyle Foust is maintaining a big lead over Republican challenger Wade Root. Unofficial results from 20 out of 149 county precincts show Foust with 16,212 votes and Root with 4,931 votes. The vote totals include mail-in ballots received before 5 p.m. on Monday and opened and tallied on Tuesday.

Early look at judge race numbers

Some numbers to consider in the Erie County judge race, where Democrat Peter Sala is leading Republican Eric Mikovch by 76.5% to 23.5% with 21,361 votes cast.

The total number of votes cast in the primary for judge was 40,832, made up 24,241 Democratic votes and 16,591 Republican votes. If the total number of votes for judge tonight is about the same as in the primary, Sala has built a sizeable lead. But the night is still young.

Erie School Board, with 20 of 149 precincts reporting

Incumbent Erie School Director John Harkins is holding his lead with mail-in ballots and 20 of 149 Erie County precincts reporting, with 4,684 votes.

Following are newcomer Angie Amatangelo with 4,591 votes; incumbent Gwendolyn Cooley with 4,216; newcomer Linda Graff with 3,955; incumbent Sumner Nichols with 3,793; another incumbent, Zakaria Sharif, with 1,395; and newcomer Troy Woodard with 1,335.

Five four-year board seats are up for election.

Sharif is unopposed for a single two-year term.

Democrats maintain leads in Erie County Council races

Democratic candidates running for Erie County Council are holding onto sizable leads, with 20 of 149 county precincts reporting, according to election results as of 9:09 p.m.

In the 1st district, Democrat Terry Scutella leads Republican challenger Cody Foust, 3,111 to 1,072 votes.

In the 3rd district, Democrat Rock Copeland leads with 2,733 votes over Republican Kim Hunter’s 933 votes.

In the 5th district, Democrat Chris Drexel is leading Republican incumbent Brian Shank, 2,936 to 916 votes.

In the 7th district, no Election Day votes have been counted yet. Democrat Lorraine Dolan continues to hold a lead of 1,622 votes over Republican incumbent Ellen Schauerman who has 575 votes. Independent Rita Bishop has 261 votes.

The vote totals include a first round of mail-in ballots that were received prior to 5 p.m. Monday.

Sala expands lead in judge race

Democrat Peter Sala has widened his lead over Republican Eric Mikovch in the race for Erie County judge. Sala has 16,348 votes to Mikovch's 5,013, with 20 of 149 voting precincts reporting, according to election results as of 9:09 p.m. The tally also includes the first batch of mail-in ballots.

North East School Board

Three newcomers led early mail-in voting for North East school director: Mackenzie Luke with 430 votes, Katie Phillips with 419 and Alene Rohde with 380.

Incumbent Charles Ferruggia had 379 votes. Newcomer Glenn Craig had 173.

Five four-year terms are available.

Harbor Creek School Board

Two newcomers led early mail-in voting for Harbor Creek school director. Amy Parente had 1,071 votes and Ryan Cowser had 1,031.

Next were a pair of incumbents, Terri Brink with 994 votes and Thomas Fortin with 914.

Newcomer Keith Farrell had 912 votes, incumbent Jeffrey Willis with 336.

Five four-year terms are available.

Girard School Board

In early mail-in ballots counted for Girard School Board, incumbent Melissa Ann Smith had 440 votes to 435 for newcomer Christopher Davis, 359 for incumbent Joseph Meka, 357 for newcomer Brady Sager, 207 for incumbent Sean Dunn and 191 for another incumbent, Richard Brown.

Five seats are up for election for four-year terms.

Waiting for next round of vote totals

After the first tally of mail-in votes came in around 8 p.m., we are waiting for Erie County election officials to release the next round of vote totals. Stay tuned.

General McLane School Board early mail-in results

Two incumbents led early mail-in voting for General McLane school director at-large. Carrie Crow had 807 votes, Kevin Webber 780.

Challengers Mark Pifer and Chris Kovski had 222 and 183 votes, respectively.

Two four-year seats are open.

In Region 2, Ashley Olson led with 395 votes, to 377 for Andrew Schulz and 108 for Mark Kernick. All three are newcomers.

Two Region 2 seats are up for election.

Fort LeBoeuf School Board

With 4,436 mail-in votes counted for Fort LeBoeuf School director, incumbent Robert Oberlander led with 793 votes.

Five newcomers followed: Benny Hunt with 780 votes; Paul Albrecht with 766; Scott Taylor, 725; James Dwyer, 666; and Renee Turi, 355.

Incumbent Michael Rose had 351 mail-in votes.

Five seats are up for election.

Washington Township Council

With mail-in ballots received by end of business Monday counted, Washington Township Council incumbent Mary Jo Campbell, a Democrat, has 311 votes; newcomer Dustin Snyder, a write-in winner in both parties in the spring primary, has 245 votes; incumbent Republican Stephen Renick has 178 votes; and newcomer William Leehan, a Republican, has 123.

There are three council seats available.

Mail ballots give Schaaf, Brzezinski, Titus early leads in City Council race

Democrats Kathy Schaaf, Ed Brzezinski and Tyler Titus lead the race for Erie City Council, according to unofficial early mail-in ballot vote totals from the Erie County Courthouse.

Three four-year terms and one two-year City Council term are on the ballot.

Unofficial totals for the three four-year seats, from mail ballots received by council elections official before Tuesday, show Schaaf with 3,877 votes; Brzezinski with 3,414 votes; Titus with 3,347 votes; and Independent Ronald Witherow with 1,022 votes.

There were 181 write-in votes for other candidates.

For the two-year term, Brzezinski leads with 3,936 votes, according to early mail-in ballot totals.  There were 280 write-in votes for other candidates in those early mail ballots.

Current City Council appointee Susannah Faulkner and Erie resident Scott Pfeifer, also known as “Scotty Freeman,” launched write-in campaigns for the two-year seat.  Further breakdown of the write-in votes was not available.

No Republicans are on the ballot in the City Council race.

Northwestern School Board early results

Early mail-in votes for Northwestern school director have been counted.

Of the 1,865 votes received by 5 p.m. Monday, 347 were for incumbent Kristy Bolte; 308 for newcomer Trisha Pratt; 298 for newcomer Amanda Kulyk; 292 for incumbent Melissa Thatcher; 274 for newcomer Beth Hough; 131 for incumbent Shelly Rice; 120 for incumbent Sam Ring; and 95 for newcomer Meghan Dalaba.

There are five four-year terms available.

Wertz steps down as county's Dem chair before election

Jim Wertz, 44, announced in a statement Tuesday that he is resigning as chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party, a post he's held since 2018, and taking the first step toward running for political office next year.

Sources within the Erie County Democratic Party say Wertz is preparing a run for Pennsylvania Senate against two-term Republican incumbent Dan Laughlin.

Fairview School Board early results

First tallies in the Fairview School Board race, from ballots mailed in and received at the Erie County Courthouse by the end of business Monday, show newcomer Emily Yochim leading with 748 votes.

Other early mail-in totals are: Incumbent Pamela Liccardi, 687 votes; incumbent Lori Sobin, 676; incumbent James Lyons, 639; newcomer Geoffrey Grundy, 619; and newcomers Carin Shollenberger, 261, and Michael Naber, 199.

There are five four-year terms up for election.

Erie County Controller Foust commands big lead with mail-in votes

A first batch of mail-in ballots have given Erie County Controller Kyle Foust a commanding lead over Republican challenger Wade Root.

Foust recorded 14,187 votes to Root’s 3,545 votes, according to Erie County election officials. The counted ballots are those mail-in ballots received before 5 p.m. on Monday and opened and tallied on Tuesday.

Erie School Board early results

Erie School Board votes from ballots mailed in and received by Monday at 5 p.m. show incumbent John Harkins leading with 3,538 votes to 3,521 for newcomer Angie Amatangelo, 3,203 for incumbent Gwendolyn Cooley, 2,965 for newcomer Linda Graff, 2,851 for incumbent Sumner Nichols, 838 for incumbent Zakaria Sharif and 762 for newcomer Troy Woodard.

There are five four-year seats available on the board. Sharif is unopposed for a single two-year term.

There were 65 write-in votes among the 17,678 mailed votes.

Mail-in votes give early leads to Erie County Council Democrats

Results from early mail-in ballots are giving solid leads to Democratic candidates for Erie County Council.

In the 1st district, Democrat Terry Scutella leads Republican challenger Cody Foust, 2,896 to 741 votes.

In the 3rd district, Democrat Rock Copeland leads with 2,001 votes over Republican Kim Hunter’s 512 votes.

In the 5th district, Democrat Chris Drexel is leading Republican incumbent Brian Shank, 2,675 to 661 votes.

In the 7th district, Democrat Lorraine Dolan holds a lead of 1,622 votes over Republican incumbent Ellen Schauerman who has 575 votes. Independent Rita Bishop has 261 votes.

The results are from mail-in ballots received before Monday at 5 p.m.

Sala has big lead in judge race with early mail-in votes

In the race for Erie County judge, Democrat Peter Sala has opened up a big lead over Republican Eric Mikovch, based only on the tally of the first batch of mail-in ballots.

Sala recorded 14,240 votes to Mikovch's 3,684, according to Erie County election officials. The counted ballots are those mail-in ballots received before 5 p.m. on Monday and opened and tallied on Tuesday. Mail-in ballots received on Tuesday will be counted later tonight. Mail-in ballots favor Democrats in Erie County.

The elections department said it received a total of 13,837 mail-in ballots that Democrats requested and 3,492 that Republicans requested, countywide.

Early mail-in votes reported

Early mail-in votes for Millcreek Township supervisor have been released by the Erie County department of elections.

Of the 4,977 mailed ballots received before Monday at 5 p.m., there were 3,326 votes for Democratic challenger Sam Comfort to 1,651 for incumbent Republican Jim Bock. There were seven write-in votes.

Results from mail-in ballots received prior to Election Day to be published first

Erie County Clerk Karen Chillcott said she’s implemented a plan to improve transparency during the election reporting process.

Chillcott said all the mail-in ballots received prior to Monday at 5 p.m. will be opened and tabulated throughout Election Day. The results from these mail-in ballots will be published shortly after polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday, but before the Elections Office receives the votes from the polling locations.

Chillcott said this allows the public to see the results of those mail-in ballots on the “front end of the reporting rather than on the backside.”

Chillcott said mail-in ballots received on Election Day will be held until after the results from all the polls are in. These results will be posted sometime after the results from the polls have been published.

Light voter turnout in one city polling place

As of 12:35 p.m. 57 ballots had been cast at Erie High School in the 6th Ward 4th District.

Awaiting word on voter turnout

As of shortly after 11 a.m., Chillcott said she hadn't received any feedback on voter turnout, but she did expect it to be lower than a typical election.

"We sent a text to poll workers (seeking information) at 11 and will send another 1 and another at 3," she said.

Chillcott said early voting seemed to be going smoothly.

"Thankfully, there are no issues to report," she said.

The polling site in Wesleyville's 1st District at Wesleyville Baptist Church, 3509 Buffalo Road, reported 62 people had voted as of 11:45 a.m.

Democrats lead way in voting by mail

Out of the 23,063 mail-in ballots that were sent to voters in Erie County, 18,372 have been returned.

"It was a really good return," Chillcott said.

The political makeup of those completing mail-in ballots seems likely to help shape election results.

Chillcott said in some states, Republicans and Democrats are voting by mail in relatively equal numbers.

That's not the case in Erie County, where 75% of those voting by mail were Democrats and just 19% were Republicans.

"It's a huge gap," Chillcott said.

Early Erie, Millcreek turnout

Early turnout ran slightly higher than normal for a municipal election at three polling places in Erie and Millcreek Township.

A small group of voters greeted election officials at 7 a.m. at First Alliance Church, 2939 Zimmerly Road. The church serves as the polling place for both Millcreek Township's 22nd and 23rd Districts.

"We had about five or six people waiting when we opened," said Patrice Berchtold, the judge of elections for Millcreek's 23rd District. "Other years, we've seen a huge line in the morning, if it's a presidential election."

As of 9:50 a.m., 99 people had voted in Berchtold's district. She expects between 400 and 500 by the end of the day.

There were also a few voters waiting at Grover Cleveland Elementary School, 1540 W. 38th St., when voting opened. The school serves as the polling place for Erie's Sixth Ward, 12th and 13th districts.

"So far, it has been very steady," said Michelle Jaggi, judge of elections for Erie's Sixth Ward, 12th precinct. "We're seeing numbers a little above normal so far, 74 voters (as of 10:15 a.m.). We saw 600 in the primary, so I'm expecting more than 600 today."

Election officials at Trinity Lutheran Church, 14 E. 38th St., also reported above-average turnout early Tuesday morning. The church serves as the polling place for Erie's Fifth Ward, 12th District.

Voting gets underway

Both Kelly Gheres and Sandy Webber had reason to be excited as they stood Tuesday morning outside the community building in Edinboro, 124 Meadville St., one of two polling places in the borough.

Gheres, a first-time candidate for borough council, was handing out cards in her name, while Webber was stumping for her son, who is running for General McClane School Board.

Both women described the stream of voters as slow. But Gheres said when it comes to voter participation, "I am always a little disappointed."

Inside, however, poll workers were pleased with what they were seeing. As of 9 a.m., 61 ballots had been cast and more voters were coming through the door.

"We think it's great," said Julia Slater, majority inspector of elections.

Erie County voters' guide

Learn about the key issues, races, candidates and more in our voters' guide.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie County election results: County council, city council results