Elections. (Credit: Montgomery County)
Montgomery County officials continued preparations for the upcoming 2025 general election just days before Election Day.
Montgomery County Election Board Chairman Neil Makhija emphasized the importance of voter engagement and turnout for the off-year election featuring municipal positions, school boards and judgeships.
“I’m always looking to see more people vote,” Makhija said ahead of Election Day on Tuesday.
Local races to watch in Horsham, Hatboro
HATBORO-HORSHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT
Voters in the Hatboro-Horsham School District will decide several seats on the Board of School Directors in the upcoming election.
Ten candidates are running for four-year terms on the board. On the Democratic ticket are Madison Pease, Ashley R. Pierson, Jennifer Wilson, Katherine Kahn, and Robert Jarvis.
They are joined on the ballot by Republican candidates Anthony Spangler, Eric Grier, Eric Tilghman, Jimmy Zuniga, and Bernie Sousa, who are also seeking four-year terms.
MUNICPALITY
Hatboro
Voters in Hatboro Borough will choose candidates for several local offices this Election Day.
In the race for mayor, Timothy Schultz is running as the Democratic candidate, while Tom Rafferty is seeking the office on the Republican ticket. Both are running for four-year terms.
For tax collector, April Mount is the Democratic candidate, and John J. Zygmont Jr. is running as a Republican, also for a four-year term.
Several seats on Hatboro Borough Council will appear on the ballot. For a two-year term, Amanda Jacobus is running on the Democratic ticket, and Alec Shaffer is running as a Republican.
Candidates seeking four-year council terms include Democrats Jennifer Hendrickson, Donald Hoover, Alex Myers, and George Bollendorf, along with Republicans Gary Blickley, Dolores A. Roberto, Abigail Laurich, and Diane Saraceni.
Horsham
Voters in Horsham Township will elect members to the Township Council this Election Day.
Six candidates are running for four-year terms on the council. On the Democratic ticket are Ruth Patterson, Elizabeth Thomson, and John McCarty. They are joined on the ballot by Republican candidates W. William Whiteside, Eric Glemser, and Erin Whalen, who are also seeking four-year terms.
Where to Vote
District 1
1-1: Keith Valley Middle School, 227 Meetinghouse Road
1-2: Bux-Mont Baptist Church, 309 W. County Line Road
1-3: Horsham Battalion #1, 315 Meetinghouse Road
1-4: Hallowell Elementary School, 501 West Moreland Ave
1-5: Keith Valley Middle School, 227 Meetinghouse Road
District 2
2-1: Horsham Township Community Center, 1025 Horsham Road
2-2: Simmons Elementary School, 411 Babylon Road
2-3: Horsham Township Community Center, 1025 Horsham Road
2-4: Horsham Township Public Library, 435 Babylon Road
District 3
3-1: Horsham VFW Post 9788, 324 Sawmill Lane
3-2: Young Sang Presbyterian Church, 706 Witmer Road
3-3: Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, 620 Welsh Road
3-4: Hatboro-Horsham High School, 899 Horsham Road
3-5: Hatboro-Horsham High School, 899 Horsham Road
District 4
4-1: St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, 919 Tennis Avenue
4-2: Horsham Township Community Center, 1025 Horsham Road
4-3: Simmons Elementary School, 411 Babylon Road
4-4: Ukrainian American Sports Center, 1 Lower State Road (at County Line Rd.)
Hatboro
North 1
St. John Lutheran Church | 505 N. York Road
North 2
Crooked Billet Elementary School | 101 Meadowbrook Avenue
South 1
Pennypack Facility | 130 Spring Avenue
South 2
Pennypack Facility| 130 Spring Avenue
Montgomery County Voters
Around 618,000 registered voters were recorded in Montgomery County, according to a Montgomery County spokesperson. There were roughly 105,000 mail-in ballot requests, of which 60,500 were submitted as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, which reflected a roughly 58 percent return rate.
Four Montgomery County voters were mailed two mail-in ballots earlier this month ahead of the general election, according to Montgomery County Communications Director Megan Alt. They were among 68 ballots, which were possibly duplicated across seven counties, including Carbon, Dauphin, Luzerne, and Montgomery counties, according to reporting from the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
While the circumstances leading up to the incident were unclear, Alt stressed “our elections have many safeguards to ensure that only one ballot can be voted and counted per individual qualified electors.”
Election information
All ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, when the polls close on Election Day. Along with voting by mail or absentee ballots, voters can also cast their ballot in-person.
Eighteen drop boxes are available across Montgomery County. Locations included Abington, Ambler, Bryn Mawr, Collegeville, Elkins Park, Fort Washington, Green Lane, Harleysville, King of Prussia, Lafayette Hill, Lansdale, Narberth, Norristown, Pottstown, Royersford, and Willow Grove. The Montgomery County office of Voter Services has listed a full schedule and locations at montcovotes.com. Anyone with questions can also call 610-278-3280.
As for the election’s in-person component, around 1,500 poll workers and 390 judges of election will be working at 426 precincts across the county. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, and Makhija stressed registered voters “make a plan to vote on Election Day.”
State Supreme Court judges up for retention
In addition to the local races, decisions whether or not to retain three state Supreme Court justices have become a hot topic.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht, all Democrats, are up for retention and voters will be tasked with choosing whether or not they’re on the bench another decade. Reporting from the Associated Press revealed if the trio loses in the upcoming election, there’d be vacancies and the 5-2 Democratic majority would become an even 2-2 split until 2027. There was a caveat identified for a shorter time if Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, and the majority Republican state Senate can reach an agreement on interim appointments.
“There’s also the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which is on the back of the ballot. It’s a retention race that doesn’t come up very often because they have 10-year terms, but these are really important elections that affect people’s lives in really important ways,” Makhija said, spotlighting the constitution, gerrymandering, as well as environmental and reproductive rights as critical issues.
Election safety, security remain top of mind
Stressing the importance of free and fair elections, Makhija underscored “there’s so many safeguards that make it certain that our elections have integrity. We also do two audits after every election.”
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office also monitors a tip line at 610-292-2024 where people can report tips or concerns of suspicious activity related to the election.
Additional candidate information questionnaires can be found in election guides on The Reporter and Times Herald websites.
