Dean Horst on top in race for Franklin County commissioner: Live

Horst, Flannery, Ziobrowski on top in Franklin County commissioner race

With 100% of precincts reporting, Dean Horst is the top vote-getter in the race for Franklin County Board of Commissioners, according to unofficial results reported by the Franklin County Board of Elections.

The Republican ended the night with 34.75% of the vote, or 18,363 votes.

John Flannery, a Republican, took the second spot with 32.46% (17,149 votes).

Mail-in/absentee ballots, not yet counted, could make a difference in who wins the third seat. Bob Ziobrowski is currently leading for the final spot, with 9,505 votes. Fellow Democrat Cameron Schroy is trailing him by 1,884 votes.

More than 7,000 mail-in/absentee ballots were mailed out.

There were 198 write-ins.

Conner wins coroner race

Jordan Conner will follow in his dad's footsteps as Franklin County's next coroner, according to unofficial results reported by the Franklin County Board of Elections.

With 100% of precincts reporting, Conner led opponent Patrick Creighton, a Democrat, by 12,462 votes.

Conner is the son of longtime coroner, Jeff Conner, and has been working in the coroner's office for a decade. He currently serves as deputy coroner.

There were 36 write-ins.

Sponseller wins prothonotary race

Tim Sponseller has been re-elected to a third term as prothonotary.

With 100% of precincts reporting, he won almost 12,000 more votes than his Democratic opponent, Linda Raimo.

Sponseller ended the night with 70.48% of the vote.

There were 32 write-ins.

Heinbaugh elected register/recorder

Republican Joy Heinbaugh will officially become register/recorder, having won 71.78% of the vote against Democrat John J. Patterson.

She ended the night with a 12,752 vote over Patterson.

Heinbaugh has worked in the office for more than 18 years and has served as the interim register/recorder for over a year now, having been handpicked by the former officeholder Linda Miller.

There were 20 write-ins.

Greene Township precinct tests out new setup

While voters were casting their ballots for the 2023 election, poll workers at the Fayetteville Fire Department in Greene Township were preparing for 2024.

The precinct's judge of elections, Dwight Weidman, said the election staff was testing a new setup ahead of the presidential contest next year.

The goal is to improve the flow by eliminating bottlenecks and moving people through more efficiently, Weidman said.

As for turnout, about 25% of Greene Township precinct 4's 2,457 registered voters had cast their ballots by Tuesday just before the polls closed.

Weidman, who also writes a politics column every other week for the Public Opinion, said it was busiest for the first few hours when the polls opened at 7 a.m., then picked up again around noon. Since then, traffic had been slow but steady.

Poll workers serenaded at Chambersburg Recreation Center

There are roughly 3,000 registered voters for Chambersburg precinct 3-1, said Elinor Borrell, majority inspector.

But as of about 7 p.m., only 440 had shown up Tuesday to cast their ballots at the Chambersburg Recreation Center on South Third Street.

Too bad for those who didn't vote; they might have been treated to a tune while they filled in their ballots.

Voter Tom Fornerette was singing "Pretend" by Nat King Cole around 7 p.m.

Fornerette said he sings to the poll workers because, "They're kind enough to indulge me. It's my gift to them for their hard work on behalf of our community."

Those missing voters also would have had the chance to use the precinct's new voting booths.

Rather than the traditional setup of a table and three-sided enclosure, the new booth has two and four stalls that were combined to create one table, separated by two or four panels.

Good turnout reported at Chambersburg precincts

A race for Chambersburg Borough Council and Chambersburg school board brought some voters out Tuesday evening to the Chambersburg Area School District Administration Building on Stanley Avenue, home of precincts 2-1 and 2-2.

Susan Shuff, a Democrat, is challenging incumbent Republican John Huber to represent the Second Ward on borough council.

In the race for school board, Democrat Mike Hayduk is challenging Republican Lorile Greenblatt. The board had appointed former member Michael Finucane to complete the term of Joan Smith, who had resigned earlier in the year.

Precinct 2-2 Election Judge Linda Goodman said turnout was running about 30%, referring to them as the "faithful electorate."

"That's really good," she said. "We expected 20 (percent)."

Precinct 2-1 Election Judge Mike Cashdollar said things were running smoothly, with a normal turnout for an off-year election.

"Good, quiet day," he said. "No problems."

Correction: This story was updated at 3:27 p.m. Nov. 7, 2023. The first name of McConnellsburg High School music, band and chorus teacher Greg Strine was incorrect in earlier versions of this story.

Franklin County votes 2023: By the numbers

Registered voters

Democrats: 23,241

Republicans: 60,936

Libertarian: 499

Other: 14,041

Total: 98,717

Precincts

Total: 73

Biggest

Antrim 5: 3,549

Smallest

Orrstown: 105

Absentee/mail-in ballots sent out

7,735

‘Not very many’ voters seen early at Greencastle Church of the Brethren

The election workers at Greencastle Church of the Brethren heard there was a line of people waiting across town at Grace United Church of Christ for the poll to open at 7 a.m.

That wasn’t the case on South Carlisle Street, where Linda Burkholder, judge of elections, said, “It’s slow today.”

By 8:30 a.m. 20 ballots had been cast. Asked about the number of voters, Burkholder said, “Not very many … I guess they’re waiting until later.”

Early voter turnout called ‘low and slow’ in Hamilton Township

There were two signs on a bright orange pylon in the lobby of Cornerstone Church of Christ on election day. One said ‘A-K KEEP RIGHT’ the other ‘L-Z KEEP LEFT.’

Patti Lutsbaugh sat near the door, ready to help voters get to the right place, but hers was a lonely spot the morning of Nov. 7.

Lutsbaugh recalled a previous election when the line of voters for Hamilton Township 2 serpentined through the sanctuary of the church at the corner of Warm Spring and Tallow Hill roads outside Chambersburg. That’s what prompted the alphabetical separation.

With more than 3,100 registered voters, the Hamilton Township polling place is among the largest in Franklin County. In the first hour of voting, turnout was less than 2 percent.

“It’s low and slow for what we are typically,” said Caroyln Allison, judge of elections. “We don’t have that many challenges on the ballot.”

McConnellsburg High School teacher’s ‘I voted’ sticker is a lesson for his students

After he voted at the Peters Township municipal building in Lemasters, Greg Strine was “going to school.”

It was 7:15 a.m. when he placed his completed ballot in the machine and he said he was voting because “it is what you do.”

Strine, the sixth person to vote in Lemasters, teaches music, band and chorus over the mountain at McConnellsburg High School in Fulton County.

“I will wear my ‘I voted’ sticker proudly so the kids know we need to vote,” he said.

Mercersburg residents get out early to vote

“I’m an early person,” said Jean Pine of Mercersburg. She was one of the first voters at the borough’s poll in the MMP&W Activity Center for the Nov. 7 election. “Ever since I worked, I had to go early.”

The 84-year-old retired from Letterkenny Army Depot in 1990, but she continues to be an early riser more than 30 years later.

Pine was just behind Shirley Stouffer, who was eager to mark her ballot and get to her job as an administrative assistant at IGM Commercial Fire and Electrical in Hagerstown.

“I need to get to work and I want to do this this morning,” Stouffer said at 7 a.m. “If you don’t let yourself be part of it and be heard, you have no right to complain about anything.”

It's Election Day in Franklin County, PA

Tuesday is Election Day in Pennsylvania, and several races are happening across Franklin County government, municipalities and school boards.

The polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

To make sure you're registered to vote, click here. If you are registered, filling out the form from the Pennsylvania Department of State will also tell you where your polling place is.

This year's races include countywide contests, including county commissioner, coroner, register & recorder and prothonotary. Also, borough councils and township boards of supervisors are up for election. And several school boards have contests this year, too.

For a closer look at what elected positions are on the ballot, click here.

Check back here frequently throughout the day for more information.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Voters head to the polls in Franklin County PA