Schuylkill County Voters Head to the Polls for 2019 Municipal Primary Election

Polls open at 7 a.m. for the 2019 Municipal Primary election in Schuylkill County.

Don’t know where to vote? Check out our complete list of Schuylkill County Polling Locations:

•  Where to Vote in Schuylkill County

Even though it’s just a primary election, there are plenty of contested races to keep your eyes on after the results come in tonight.

School Board Elections

Several hot button issues touched off a few contested school board battles across Schuylkill County.

Among the hottest races we’ll be watching closely today include the races in the Tamaqua Area and Blue Mountain school districts.

Each school gained more widespread attention for controversial approaches to student safety since the last election.

In Tamaqua, in particular, the primary race features some intense campaigning, mostly through the mail and on social media.

Voters in the Pottsville Area School District also look to fill some school board seats this year. This decision follows the recent controversial handling of the alleged “hazing” event on campus in 2018. The school board in Pottsville also tentatively voted to approve a property tax hike, so voters likely will want their voices heard. However, we don’t know if there’s much of a change vote on the ballot right now.

County Government

In addition to the high-profile County Commissioners race, several other Schuylkill County row offices have contested primaries.

The ones we’re focused on are in the Prothonotary’s office and the Clerk of Courts office.

Voters are looking to replace the departed David Dutcavich as Prothonotary and there are several candidates on the Republican side running for the office.

In the Clerk of Courts office, incumbent Maria Casey looks to fend off a challenge from Melissa Santai-Clarke in the GOP primary.

Municipal Primaries

The biggest municipal primary election is a unique one in Mahanoy City. There, voters are choosing whether to abandon the current form of government and adopt a home-rule charter in Mahanoy City.

We’ll be following that big decision for Mahanoy City and all the other local races on this very busy Election Day.

Be sure to check back for any Election Day updates.

And when the polls close at 8 p.m., come back to The Canary for our full election results and recaps:

•  2019 Schuylkill County School Board Primary Election Results
•  County Government Election Results