Primary Election

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - Debra Kesecker, Morgan County Clerk, said there are rules governing the primary election: Registered Independent party members can vote only for the Board of Education candidates, which is a nonpartisan election. Registered voters not affiliated with any party must request a Republican ballot from a poll worker. Otherwise, they will receive a Board of Education nonpartisan ballot only, Kesecker said. In West Virginia, the Democratic Party does not allow no-party affiliated registered voters to vote for Democrats in the primary election, she said.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Berkeley County voters who reside in precincts 106 and 110 will have a new place to cast their ballots in the upcoming May 13 primary election, County Clerk John W. Small Jr. told the county commission Thursday. Small said voters in the precincts that include the communities of Tablers Station, Darkesville and Inwood, W.Va., along U.S. 11 will vote at the Inwood Assembly of God Church, which agreed to provide space. Small said his office received complaints from poll workers, voters and other election officials that the former polling location, the South Berkeley Volunteer Fire Department's substation, had poor lighting and inadequate space for two precincts, among other concerns.

HAGERSTOWN -- About 11 percent of Hagerstown's registered voters turned out to cast a ballot Tuesday during the city's primary election, according to the Washington County Board of Elections. Only 879 of the city's 7,065 registered Republicans and 1,001 of the city's 9,749 registered Democrats turned out to vote, the Elections Board said. About 15 percent voted during the city's last primary election in 2005. A low voter turnout wasn't the only problem Washington County election officials reported during Tuesday's primary.

For those candidates who weren't successful in Tuesday's primary election, today is a day of reflection, and in some cases, of sorrow and disbelief. As those who didn't prevail wonder whether it was their message that didn't connect with voters, or whether something as simple as the color of their yard signs turned people off, we have a few words on the subject. Everyone who ran in Tuesday's primary, win or lose, did their fellow citizens the great service of giving them a choice.

The following people were elected to either the Republican or Democratic central committees in Washington County during Tuesday's primary election. Republican Central Committee Philip Baker-Shenk, 4,410 John B. Dunlap, 4,410 Ray Edward Foltz Sr., 4,442 Marilee Esthe Kerns, 4,435 Richard Kramer, 4,557 Paula A. Lampton, 4,679 Mildred L. Myers, 5,030 Penny S. Pittman, 4,398 Robert Sweeney, 4,914 Democratic Central Committee Larry N. Barron, 2,844 Patricia R. Heck, 3,127 N. Linn Hendershot, 4,325 Jason A. Malott, 3,114 Claudia G. Martin, 3,176 Barbara A. Neiman, 3,164 Donald Lee Souders, 2,795 Samuel Tubaugh, 2,542

ANNAPOLIS - Maryland voters have until Tuesday to apply for an absentee ballot for the Sept. 12 primary election. Applications must be received by the local board of elections by Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. if sent by mail, or by midnight if sent by fax. Applications must be made in writing to the voter's local board of elections. Voters may use the application found at the Maryland Board of Elections Web site (www.elections.state.md.us) or make an informal request including the voter's name, registration address, reason for requesting an absentee ballot, address where the ballot should be mailed and the voter's signature.

If you go What: Home rule charter debate When: Wednesday, Jan. 30, 7:30 to 9 p.m. Where: Hagerstown Community College's Kepler Theater More: The public is invited to attend the debate on Washington County's proposed home rule charter, which will be voted on in the Feb. 12 primary election. Those participating in the debate in favor of the proposed charter will be Jeanne Singer, who served as chairwoman of the charter board for Washington County; Washington County Commissioner James F. Kercheval; and Brien Poffenberger, president of the Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - Two mail-in candidacy filings for the 2008 election were rejected by the Morgan County Clerk's office because they were not notarized. Kevin Boles filed as a Democratic candidate for the Morgan County Commission seat in Magisterial District 2, and Frank Strader filed as a candidate for a seat on the Morgan County Board of Education, which is a nonpartisan election. Debra Kesecker, Morgan County Clerk, said she called the Secretary of State's office and was told the forms were incomplete without notarization and could not be accepted.

Eleven candidates for office in the Eastern Panhandle were unopposed in Tuesday's West Virginia primary election. The candidates now advance to the Nov. 5 general election. The unofficial results are: 53rd House of Delegates seat: Larry V. Faircloth, Republican, 645 votes 55th House of Delegates seat: John Overington, Republican, 641 votes 57th House of Delegates seat: John Doyle, Republican, 1,200 votes David Ebbitt, Democrat, 590 votes 58th House of Delegates seat: Fred Blackmer, Republican, 430 votes Dale Manuel, Democrat, 907 votes Berkeley County Magistrate Court: Gene Darlington, Democrat, 3,214 votes Harry Snow, Republican, 2,588 votes 16th District State Senate seat: John Unger, Democrat, 3,465 votes 24th District Family Law Judge, Division 1: William Wertman, Democrat, 5074 votes 24th District Family Law Judge, Division 2: Sally G. Jackson, Democrat, 5231 votes

The filing deadline for Washington County Board of Education candidates is Monday. Candidates can file at the Election Board office, 33 W. Washington St., Room 200. The Election Board office will be open until 9 p.m. Monday to accept last-minute school board filings. There will be four seats on the November ballot: Edwin Hayes, Doris Nipps, B. Marie Byers and Andrew Humphreys. Byers has announced she is not seeking re-election. If nine or more candidates file, the race will be part of the primary election on the March 7 ballot, Election Supervisor Dorothy Kaetzel said.