It’s Election Day across America as voters head to the polls to determine a number of hotly contested races.
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Locally, voters will see just a handful of races on the ballot.
The race for Senate has garnered the most attention, even on a national level. Polling shows a razor tight margin between Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz and Democrat John Fetterman. Voters will also find Libertarian candidate Erik Gebhardt, Green party candidate Richard Weiss, and Keystone party candidate Daniel Wassmer.
There are also five candidates on the ballot to replace Governor Tom Wolf. Current Attorney General and Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro has been leading Republican State Senator Doug Mastriano in the latest polling. There are also a total of five candidates in this race, including Libertarian Matt Hackenburg, the Green party’s Christina Digiulio, and the Keystone party’s Joe Soloski.
There is also a race for the 16th Congressional District that now includes all of Butler County. Republican Mike Kelly is seeking re-election in what would be his seventh term.
“I’m very concerned about a government that has grown so powerful that they impact our lives in every single way,” Kelly said. “And we sit back sometimes and think ‘I can’t believe this is happening, someone better do something about it.'”
His challenger is Democrat Dan Pastore of Erie, who is a business owner and attorney. He says he ran for Congress because of Kelly’s political rhetoric.
“I think there’s a real groundswell of opposition to where we are currently,” Pastore said. “When we talk about polarization, Mike Kelly is one of the most polarizing members of Congress. He’s constantly stoking division.”
Voters will also see races for state house. However, the only race that features two opponents in Butler County is the 12th District between Republican Stephanie Scialabba and Democrat Robert Vigue.
Volunteers are serving 300 pounds of pancake mix and 300 pounds of sausage links at the Lifesteps Pancake Festival at the Tanglewood Center.
