HONESDALE, Pa. — Wayne County Director of Elections Cindy Furman had a busy week. She says in the days leading up to the filing deadline, she had a parade of possible candidates submitting their petitions.
In total, 176 petitions were filed for open positions within municipalities, boroughs, and the county—the most she has ever seen, including seven candidates for one magistrate vacancy.
"I have like seven people running, and there's seven different backgrounds. Some of them are attorneys, some of them are law enforcement, some are just somebody who wants to change their profession, so it is unusual for that many to run for a position," Furman said.
Representatives of both parties say it's exciting to hear so many people want to be involved in local races. Those are the opportunities to make the biggest changes, despite local races typically not having high voter turnout.
"With this many people interested in serving, it's always better for the voter to have more choices, so we're really, really excited about that," said Wayne County Commissioner Jocelyn Cramer.
"A lot of people, you know, typically only vote when the presidential election. Well, that's good, but it's not what affects us the most every day," said Steve Adams, the GOP committee chair in Wayne County.
Regardless of your party affiliation, both sides agree that it is best to be informed before going to the polls on May 18.
"I think it's extremely important for people to at least have a clue as to who they have the opportunity to vote for. They all affect our lives dramatically, and you can't complain about things unless you do something about it," Adams said.
"Going out and sharing with voters details about the offices, why they want it, and what makes them really good at it, more choices, just better candidates," Cramer added.
The last day to register to vote in the primary election is May 3.