Voters may need to take an umbrella when they head to the polls for the primary election today.
There is an 80 percent chance of showers, and possibly a thunderstorm, according to the forecast from the National Weather Service at State College on Monday.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. today in the 125 precincts throughout Schuylkill County.
Democrats and Republicans will be voting for whom they want to represent their parties in the race for president and several state offices in the November General Election. Voters statewide will vote for candidates for attorney general, treasurer and U.S. senate.
Schuylkill County voters will decide who will be the Republican candidate to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-17. The district includes all of Schuylkill County and parts of Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe and Northampton counties. County Republicans and Democrats will also vote for delegates to represent the 17th Congressional District at their party’s national convention.
Two questions will appear on ballots for all statewide voters. However, one will not count.
The one that matters asks whether the Pennsylvania Constitution should be amended to officially abolish the traffic court in Philadelphia.
The only court of its kind in Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Traffic Court was shut down in 2013 after a series of scandals. The General Assembly has already approved the amendment, as required, in two consecutive legislative sessions. Voters are essentially being asked to make it official.
The question that won’t count would have asked voters if they wanted to change the mandatory retirement age for Pennsylvania judges from 70 to 75. That referendum was recently delayed until the Nov. 8 election to tweak the wording, however, the ballots had already been made up.
For information about getting a ride to the polls on Election Day or about either party, contact the respective Schuylkill County political committees. The Schuylkill County Democratic Party headquarters can be reached at 570-622-3155 and the Schuylkill County Republican Party headquarters can be reached at 570-622-1540.