The primary election: live updates

11:20 p.m.

Just one incumbent Exeter School Board member survived Tuesday’s primary, according to unofficial results.

Incumbent Carole A. Kutscher will move on as one of four Democratic candidates, along with challengers Michele Stratton, Sharon M. McLendon and Jasmine Hacker.

Stratton and McLendon also will appear on the ballot as two of the four Republican candidates, as well as challengers Hunter L. Ahrens and Simon Kassas.

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11:00 p.m.

Butler beats Bryant for Reading district judge seat

Tonya Butler, an assistant city solicitor, defeated Sam Bryant, a state constable, for the district judge position in District 23-3-9. The district serves Reading’s 13th, 14th and 17th wards.

Butler won on both the Democratic and Republican tickets, meaning that barring a write-in campaign or independent canddiate, she’ll run unopposed in the November general election.

But tonight’s election proved how important every vote is. Butler won by several hundred votes on the Democratic side, but she only beat Bryant by two votes on the Republican side. Had just two votes gone Bryant’s way, he would have faced her again in November.

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10:49 p.m.

Three incumbents knocked out in Wilson School Board race

One incumbent and four challengers won party nominations Tuesday for four seats on the school board in the Wilson School District, according to unofficial results. On the Republican ballot, incumbent Jason Hopp, and challengers Amy Kennedy, Steph Kocher and Ed Case took the top four spots. On the Democratic ballot, Kennedy, Kocher and Case remained in the top four along with fellow challenger Becky Ellis.

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9:49 p.m.

Donna Reed fends off challengers in Democratic primary

Reading City Councilwoman Donna Reed won the Democratic primary in the city’s Fifth City Council District, beating challenger Rafael Nunez by 45 votes. Bradford Waples received 70 votes and Ernie Schlegel 60, according to complete but unofficial results.

Reed had no challenger on the Republican side but write-in candidates received 23 votes.

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9:35 p.m.

City Council update

With four of seven precincts reporting, Rafael Nunez leads the Democratic field in the Reading City Council District 5 race, ahead of incumbent Donna Reed. In District 1, Manuel Guzman Jr. leads Matthew Gentile in the race for that open seat.

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9:28 p.m.

Common Pleas Judge

It’s still early but in the race for Court of Common Pleas judge, Tina Boyd leads all Democratic candidates. Kelly Kline is in second place. Ben Nevius leads the Republican field, ahead of Boyd. All judicial candidates in this race cross-filed. As of 9:28 p.m., 89 out of 202 precincts had reported.

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5 p.m.

Walter and Erma Kazmierczak, both 82, walked into 13th and Union Elementary School in Reading this afternoon holding hands.

Each went into a voting booth, pulling the strings shut. Walter said he is registered Democrat. Erma said said she registered Republican.

They chuckled when sharing they both registered when they were 18, following the party line of their parents.

“People don’t realize it, but this is the most important election for the locals,” Walter said. “It’s extremely important to vote.”

The two said they are are especially interested in the school board race, which has five candidates, two incumbents and three hopefuls.

“We think the incumbents are doing a great job,” Walter said. “We are trying to make sure they get re-elected.

The incumbents are Robin Costenbader-Jacobson and Eddie Moran. The hopefuls are Ann Sheehan, Noahleen Betts and Patricia Wright.

Erma said she would never miss a chance to exercise her right to vote.

“I vote for whoever I like,” she said. “It’s a beautiful day.”

The two were among the 91 of 1,238 registered voters in the precinct in Reading District 5 who cast their ballots by 3:30 p.m.

Barry Boone, judge of elections said, that the turnout was low.

“We are very slow,” he said. “It’s sad. We hope more people will vote.”

Bobbie Farr-St. Pierre, majority inspector, said that it’s very sad that more people are not coming out to vote.

“It seems like people don’t think this election is important,” she said.

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2:20 p.m.

Studying the candidates

Jim and Jane O’Malley were reading over campaign literature from school board candidates in the Exeter Township Community Library hallway this afternoon before they went into vote.

The O’Malleys said they are concerned about education because their grandchildren may go to school in Exeter.

“The schools are getting very crowded,” Jane O’Malley, 68, said at the polls. “There are a lot of people running for school board who gave us information.”

Jim O’Malley said he was also researching, adding that the two never miss an election.

“We are concerned about the people who are running,” Jim O’Malley said.

There are nine candidates running for four spots on the ballot.

Josiah Roop, 20, of Exeter, said he came to the polls to vote for his friend and classmate Hunter L. Ehrens.

“I am very interested in the school board,” Roop said. “My friend is running. He has always gone to a lot of school board meetings.”

— Holly Herman

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Noon

Amity Township

Matt Leer, 45, of Amity Township was greeted at the polls this morning by supporters for many of the candidates for district judge and judge.

“The judicial race is very important,” Leer said after voting at the township municipal building. “There is so much apathy. No one comes out to vote.”

Tom Sweet, the judge of elections, said that by 11:30 a total of 80 people had cast votes out of the precinct’s 1,405 registered voters.

Sweet said that the majority of the voters were older people, noting that many of the younger people are registering as independents.

Sweet said he expects to hit about 300 voters by the end of the day.

“I just don’t foresee a big turnout,” he said.

Judith Merkel, 80, a retired legal secretary, said she would never miss an election.

“This is important,” she said. “The judges have an important job. I see so many women on the ballot.”

The race for district judge has four candidates for one seat: Matthew James, David G. Krott, Steven Chieffo, and Daniel VanBillard. The race for county judge also has four candidates for one seat: Michael J. Cammarano Sr., Kelly Kline, Tina Boyd and Ben Nevius.

Many of the candidates had a supporter outside the polls giving out literature.

By late morning, the supporters were joking about how they made new friends at the polls.

“We are a jolly bunch,” Abby L. Rigdon, who was supporting one of the candidates.

Leer said he wishes that everyone would get to know the candidates and come out to vote.

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11 a.m.

Spring Township

Poll workers in Spring Township haven’t seen too many voters for the primary election.

Bill Errich, the judge of elections at Penn State Berks in the 7th Precinct, said that only a smattering of voters have come out. He noted that only 60 people have shown up to vote in the first three and a half hours since the polls opened.

“We anticipate that it’ll be light all day today,” he said.

At the Spring Township Fire Company, Maryann Petrosky, the judge of elections for the 1st Precinct, said that there have been a decent amount of voters so far, but that there also have been times when no one was there.

“You never know,” she said when asked if more voters will come out later in the day.

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10:15 a.m.

Pottstown

Mary Pop, 79, of Pottstown said she never misses an election.

“I always come out to vote,” Pop said after casting her vote this morning at the First Presbyterian Church, 750 N. Evans St. “I have a neighbor who is running this year. I love voting.”

Pop was one of the 45 voters to hit the polls this morning, many walking to the church.

The race in Ward 5 of the borough is the only that is contested. Ward 5 has three candidates running for one spot on borough council.

Judge of Elections Mark Lawler said that it has been a relatively quiet morning in the ward, which has 1,700 registered voters.

“If we are lucky, we may get 300,” he said. “Maybe we’ll be surprised and get more. The ward used to be predominately Republican, and then several years ago, it changed to be predominately Democrat.”

All three candidates were at the polls, shaking hands and meeting voters.

Jennifer Greene, a Republican, said she is a single mother with three children in the Pottstown School District. She said she has been going door-to-door to meet voters.

Dan Weand, a Democrat and council president, was giving out brochures about all of the tourist attractions in the borough.

“It’s been slow this morning,” he said. “I was here from 6 in the morning, and I will be here until 9 tonight.”

Jeff Smith, a Democrat, said he will be at the polls all day meeting people.

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9:45 a.m.

Wyomissing

There has been a consistent stream of voters turning out for today’s primary election at Wyomssing’s 1st and 5th precincts.

The booths at the polling place for the 1st precinct at Wyomissing Library have been put to good use, as seats on the school board are up for grabs.

“The school board is always of interest,” said Vince Bolek, judge of elections.

Residents care about their property values and having a good school system, he added.

At the Yashek Social Hall in Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom, the polling place for Wyomissing’s 5th precinct, there has also been a consistent amount of voters.

“It’s light, but we expected that,” said Judy Ellsworth, judge of elections. “There’s been almost no time when there’s no one in the booths.”

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8:15 a.m.

East Coventry Township

As soon as the doors opened, a steady flow of voters trickled into the Ridge Fire Company on Route 23 in East Coventry Township, Chester County.

By 8 a.m., a total of 34 voters had cast their ballots.

Missy King, a Republican chairwoman, said the race for Owen J. Roberts School Board is highly contested, with eight candidates running for four seats.

Despite the contentious race, King said, she still expects voter turnout to be low.

“It’s really sad,” King said. “We expect only a 12 percent turnout.”

John Cooney, an election volunteer who is campaigning for district judge candidate John Hipple, said he also expects low turnout.

The Ridge Fire Company polling site has a total of 2,961 registered voters. By comparison, King said, 10 years ago there were 1,700 registered voters.

James B. Frees II, an incumbent school board candidate who is a cross-file Republican, said the school board position is nonpartisan.

“We have a lot of work to do on the board,” he said as he greeted voters outside the firehouse.