Primary Election

The following were among those who filed papers by Tuesday's 4:30 p.m. deadline to run for office in Franklin County, Pa. Names are listed by party in the order in which they registered. Pennsylvania's primary election will be May 21. The municipal election is Nov. 5. County Treasurer David M. Secor, R, incumbent, 1205 Ragged Edge Road, Chambersburg Antrim Township Supervisor Richard Baer, R, incumbent, 14175 Rocking M. Lane, Greencastle Chambersburg Area School Board Region 1 Dana R. Baker, cross-filed, 9533 Cumberland Highway, Orrstown Dean A. Horst, cross-filed, 724 Tristan Trail, Chambersburg Region 3 Robert A. Floyd Jr., cross-filed, 6852 St. Annes Drive, Fayetteville Kris Scritchfield, cross-filed, 1640 Anthony Highway, Chambersburg Region 4 Carl Barton, cross-filed, incumbent, 1505 Springview Circle, Chambersburg Region 6 Edward S. Norcross, cross-filed, 2568 Echo Springs Road, Chambersburg Chambersburg Borough Council First Ward Allen B. Coffman, R, incumbent, 112 Pennsylvania Ave., Chambersburg Second Ward John Huber, R, incumbent, 234 S. Coldbrook Ave., Chambersburg John (Sean)

Polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday for a Pennsylvania primary election that is largely focused on statewide races, including a five-way race between Republican candidates seeking the nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. Other statewide ballot choices include attorney general and auditor general candidates. Polls for Franklin County's 75 voting precincts are open until 8 p.m. In Franklin County, races for state officeholders representing the county feature mostly unopposed incumbent candidates.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- City of Martinsburg offices will be closed Tuesday in observance of West Virginia's primary election, according to a news release from the city. Normal business hours will resume May 12. Garbage usually picked up Tuesday will be picked up Wednesday and service will return to normal May 13. Recycling collection will not be affected, according to the release.

Voter turnout is expected to be high, but choices in local races few, when polls open for Pennsylvania's primary election on Tuesday, April 24. Franklin County, Pa., election officials anticipate the presidential race could drive voters to the polls from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. However, races for state office-holders representing the county feature mostly unopposed incumbent candidates. State lawmakers who filed for re-election include Todd Rock, a Republican who represents the 90th House District; Richard Alloway, a Republican who represents the 33rd Senate District; and Rob Kauffman, a Republican who represents the 89th House District.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Maryland's primary election is today. In Washington County, 50 precincts in 49 locations will be open to voters from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. About 79,000 Washington County residents are "active registered voters," meaning the Board of Elections has verified that the voter's correct address is on file, according to Dorothy Kaetzel, the Board of Election's election director. Kaetzel said that about 75 percent of Washington County's eligible voters are registered.

President Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney won their respective Democratic and Republican primaries in Maryland last week. No surprises there. What was surprising, very surprising in fact, were the results in the 6th Congressional District. Republican Roscoe Bartlett and Democrat John Delaney won their races by 22 percent and 25 percent, respectively. It was expected that both races would be closer. The biggest losers from last week had to be Gov. Martin O'Malley and state Sen. Rob Garagiola.

Photos from Church of the Apostles during the Pa. primary election.

Washington County Public School students will have a broken two-day school week the first week of April 2012 because the state changed the primary election day from February to April 3. The Washington County Board of Education approved an adjustment to the 2011-12 school calendar by a 6-1 vote Tuesday afternoon. In addition to school being out on Tuesday for the election, no school is scheduled that Thursday and Friday because of spring break. There also is no school the following Monday, due to spring break, and Tuesday, because of a professional learning day for teachers.

When the power went off Tuesday morning at Maranatha Brethren Church - the 18th precinct polling place with 11 Deibold machines - voters never suffered. Election judge Herman Long, who lives next to the church, simply lugged over his generator, which kept the machines operating until around 2:15 p.m. when crews repaired a damaged power line nearby. The machines' battery backups supported them until Long got the generator running. Not that a four-hour power outage would have affected the turnout much anyway, Long said.

Few contested races are anticipated in Franklin County, Pa., for the May 21 municipal primary election. Voters will be choosing nominees for judge positions, school boards, boards of township supervisors and borough councils. However, they do not have too many choices for those spots. In some school board races that have featured as many as 14 candidates in the past, there are four candidates for four open positions. The Waynesboro Area School Board, which often has featured aggressive campaigns, only has three candidates for four spots now that borough resident Erin Darrough has withdrawn.

The following were among those who filed papers by Tuesday's 4:30 p.m. deadline to run for office in Franklin County, Pa. Names are listed by party in the order in which they registered. Pennsylvania's primary election will be May 21. The municipal election is Nov. 5. County Treasurer David M. Secor, R, incumbent, 1205 Ragged Edge Road, Chambersburg Antrim Township Supervisor Richard Baer, R, incumbent, 14175 Rocking M. Lane, Greencastle Chambersburg Area School Board Region 1 Dana R. Baker, cross-filed, 9533 Cumberland Highway, Orrstown Dean A. Horst, cross-filed, 724 Tristan Trail, Chambersburg Region 3 Robert A. Floyd Jr., cross-filed, 6852 St. Annes Drive, Fayetteville Kris Scritchfield, cross-filed, 1640 Anthony Highway, Chambersburg Region 4 Carl Barton, cross-filed, incumbent, 1505 Springview Circle, Chambersburg Region 6 Edward S. Norcross, cross-filed, 2568 Echo Springs Road, Chambersburg Chambersburg Borough Council First Ward Allen B. Coffman, R, incumbent, 112 Pennsylvania Ave., Chambersburg Second Ward John Huber, R, incumbent, 234 S. Coldbrook Ave., Chambersburg John (Sean)

Congratulations to all of the general election winners, and my condolences to those who came up short. I promised a “scorecard” on my votes and the predictions I made concerning this past election cycle. I'll probably add a little commentary along the way. What else would you expect? Not sure that I have “Hall of Fame” numbers, but it is what it is. Starting at the top of the ballot, I choose Mitt Romney during the primary election season as the Republican Party's nominee; however, I predicted Gov. Rick Perry as Romney's running mate, so I'm .500 in the Republican presidential primary season.

When Hagerstown residents voted Nov. 6, roughly 70 percent favored amending the city's charter to remove party affiliations from future city primary elections. In light of the public's support, the Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday discussed a draft resolution to amend the charter with city attorney William Nairn. During the meeting, city council members voiced concerns about the manner in which appointments would be handled in the event an incoming council member leaves his or her post over the next four years, something that was not addressed in Nairn's original draft.

An official write-in candidate in the 2012 election for Berkeley County sheriff has easily outspent his opponents, as well as candidates vying for other county offices on this year's ballot, according to campaign financial statements filed last month. From the beginning of the year through Sept. 28, John Orem reported spending $26,982, according to his first campaign financial statement for the Nov. 6 general election. Orem, who was narrowly defeated in the primary election by James W. Barbour III for the Republican Party's nomination for sheriff, reported spending about $22,000 on his campaign after the May vote, according to his financial statements.

John Orem spent more than $22,000 in his campaign to be Berkeley County's next sheriff, but was defeated in the May primary election by James W. Barbour III, who spent less than $1,500, according to campaign finance statements. Barbour received 2,777 votes in his race against Orem who received 2,751, according to Berkeley County Clerk John W. Small's office. Orem has filed to run in the general election as a write-in candidate. A review of post-primary campaign financial statements, which were due June 19, indicates Orem spent more money this year than any other candidate in vying for elected office in Berkeley and Jefferson counties.

Two weeks after his narrow defeat in the primary election, John Orem re-entered the race Tuesday for Berkeley County sheriff as an official write-in candidate. Orem, 43, of Inwood, W.Va., was defeated on May 8 by fellow Republican James W. Barbour of Martinsburg. Barbour finished with 2,777 votes, ahead of Orem's 2,751, according to official results released by Berkeley County Clerk John W. Small's office. “Many ask how do I think I can win as a write in, and I know being a write in is a challenge.

Voters in Berkeley and Jefferson counties have no shortage of contested races to decide in Tuesday's primary election. In addition to voting in presidential, U.S. House and U.S. Senate races, there also are primary contests for governor, secretary of agriculture, state treasurer and Supreme Court.   There are four contested races for seats in the state House of Delegates, two each in Berkeley County and one in Jefferson County. Del. Tiffany Lawrence, D-Jefferson, of Charles Town, W.Va., is opposed by Richard “Rick” Shuman II, also of Charles Town, in her bid for a third, two-year term.

A retired U.S. intelligence officer is among five Republican candidates seeking two seats on the Berkeley County Council in Tuesday's primary election. Edward “Ed” Wilson, 67, of Falling Waters, W.Va., is running unopposed in the Potomac District, but still must receive more votes than the winner of at least one of two contested district races to advance to the general election on Nov. 6. “While I am - and always have been - a conservative, I will seek to represent all citizens of Berkeley County, regardless of party affiliation,” Wilson said in a news release.

State Sen. Richard Alloway, R-Franklin/Adams/York, will have a Democratic challenger in his bid for re-election this fall. A Gettysburg, Pa., man who announced a last-minute write-in campaign prior to the April 24 primary election appears to have secured enough votes to run in the Nov. 6 general election. Unofficial election results indicate Bruce Neylon had approximately 1,021 votes and will appear on ballots for Pennsylvania's 33rd Senate District. Alloway, who was first elected in 2008, appeared unopposed on Republican primary ballots.