Somerset County gets ready to vote in the 2024 primary
SOMERSET — Tuesday's primary will have no contest between local candidates for any position, but the state and national choices are a good reason to go to the polls.
In the county, the only position up for vote is chairman of the Somerset County Republican Committee and Guy Berkebile is running unopposed. There are several state positions on the ballot, however, including state representatives, attorney general, auditor general and treasurer. The federal races are for the Senate, House, and of course, president. Check out the link that lists the candidates, https://www.dailyamerican.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/03/28/somerset-county-primary-should-be-a-quiet-one/73016603007/.
What: Somerset County primary should be a quiet one
In Somerset County, from the number of registered voters and mail-in ballots, it appears as if there will be a slow turnout starting when the polls open at 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. for Tuesday's primary elections, according to Somerset County Elections Director Tina Pritts.
There are 48,153 registered voters in the county for Tuesday's primary election, up slightly from last year by 175 voters, 31,748 Republicans and 11,525 Democrats, she said.
Mail-in ballots
The last day to mail in a ballot has passed.
So far, mail-in ballots are down slightly from the 2023 primary, where there were about 3,300 mail-ins, Pritts said. To date, she has recorded 3,253 mail-in votes for 2024.
According to state law, if voters receive mail-in ballots and decide to go to the polling place, they are required to take the ballot with them and surrender it to the election board.
More: PA Secretary of State travels to Somerset to learn of the election office's challenges
On Tuesday, ballots cannot be dropped off at a polling place, Pritts said.
Voting in person
Most voters in Somerset County will vote using a hand-marked paper ballot. Some voters will use the ES&S ExpressVote 2.1to mark their ballot. All voters will use the DS 200 Precinct Scanner to cast their completed ballot.
If there are any questions at the polling place on election day, poll workers are there to help. Poll workers are trained to maintain the secrecy of ballots.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Somerset County gets ready to vote in the 2024 primary
