One certain outcome of Tuesday's general election in Northeast Pennsylvania is change.
While the nation's attention is riveted on what the polls suggest is an extremely tight race for the White House between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, contests farther down the ballot will inevitably alter the political landscape closer to home.
Consider:
-âAmong the candidates for three state-level offices up for grabs, there is but one incumbent - Democrat Rob McCord, who is seeking a second term as treasurer. The newcomers include Waverly resident and attorney Kathleen Granahan Kane, Democratic candidate for attorney general.
-âIn the reconfigured 17th Congressional District, which for the first time includes the cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Pittston, voters will choose between Democrat Matt Cartwright of Moosic and
Republican Laureen Cummings of Old Forge. The winner will replace long-time U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, who was defeated by Mr. Cartwright in the primary.
- There is no incumbent on the ballot in three of the four state House districts located in whole or part in Lackawanna County. The 112th, 113th and 115th districts will all be represented by newcomers when the Legislature reconvenes in 2013.
Polls in Pennsylvania will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
In its preliminary forecast for the Scranton area, the National Weather Service calls for mostly sunny skies and a high around 43.
In Lackawanna County, there are 149,471 people eligible to cast ballots Tuesday, including 96,957 registered Democrats and 39,359 registered Republicans.
That is almost 8,000 fewer than 2008, when the county went into the fall election with a record 157,314 registered voters, director of elections Marion Medalis said.
Mrs. Medalis said voter rolls swelled four years ago in part because of the contentious primary battle for the Democratic presidential nomination between Mr. Obama and former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. The primary produced a slew of new registrations, particularly on the Democratic side, and that momentum carried over into the fall.
At the same time, the county in both late 2008 and 2010 purged from the rolls inactive voters who had not cast ballots in the two previous general federal elections, which sliced into the registration numbers, she said.
With Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney's campaigns largely ignoring Pennsylvania during this election cycle, most observers sense far less excitement and enthusiasm among the electorate than in 2008.
"Four years ago, we were electing a new president. There were two new candidates - no incumbent," Mrs. Medalis said. "It just seems like there was more of an interest."
The lack of engagement is evident in relatively small number of absentee ballot requests Mrs. Medalis' office processed for the election. In 2008, the county distributed nearly 7,800 absentee ballots and received 6,680 voted ballots back.
Through Wednesday's deadline, the county received only 6,274 absentee ballot applications for the election Tuesday. As a result of a deadline extension granted to counties affected by Hurricane Sandy, absentee voters have until Monday at 5 p.m. to return their completed ballots to the Department of Elections office at 2400 Stafford Ave.
It was a similar story in Wayne County, where director of elections Cindy Furman said her office got just more than 1,700 applications for absentee ballots, compared to 2,100 in 2008.
"We didn't receive as many as I anticipated. I'm not sure if there are fewer people gone (from the county on Election Day) or the excitement is not there," Ms. Furman said. "I don't know the reason for it."
With a Commonwealth Court judge delaying implementation of Pennsylvania's controversial voter identification law, people headed to the polls Tuesday will not have to produce photo IDs.
Mrs. Medalis said all voters will be asked to show an acceptable ID but will not be required to do so.
"If the voters do not show a photo ID, the judge of elections is required to give them a handout that was given to us by the Department of State," she said.
In other races of local interest Tuesday:
- U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat who lives in the Hill Section, faces Republican Tom Smith, a farmer and former coal mine operator from western Pennsylvania. Libertarian candidate Rayburn Smith is also on the ballot.
- In the contest for state attorney general, Ms. Kane is opposed by Republican David Freed, the Cumberland County district attorney, and Libertarian Marakay Rogers. Ms. Kane is seeking to become the first Democrat and the first woman elected as attorney general in the commonwealth.
- Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Marino is being challenged by Democrat Phil Scollo, an insurance management consultant, in 10th Congressional District. In the 11th District, Republican U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta faces Democrat Gene Stilp, a Harrisburg activist and business consultant.
- Democratic state Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich is unopposed in the 114th Legislative District, as are newcomer Democrat Marty Flynn in the 113th and incumbent Democrat Karen Boback in the 117th. In contested House races, it is Democrat Kevin Haggerty v. Republican Ray Nearhood in the 112th, Democrat Frank Farina v. Republican Theresa Kane in the 114th, and incumbent Democrat Mike Carroll v. Republican Terrence O'Connor in the 118th.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com
Here is a breakdown of local congressional district by town and county.
10th Congressional District
BRADFORD: All
JUNIATA: All
LACKAWANNA:
Townships: Benton, Carbondale northeast and south districts, Clifton, Covington, Elmhurst, Fell, Glenburn, Greenfield, Jefferson, LaPlume, Madison, Newton, North Abington, Ransom, Roaring Brook, Scott, South Abington, Waverly and West Abington.
Boroughs: Archbald Wards 2 and 3, Clarks Green, Clarks Summit, Dalton, Moscow, part of Olyphant Ward 3-2 and Ward 4, Throop Ward 4 and Vandling.
LYCOMING: All
MIFFLIN: All
MONROE: Part
NORTHUMBERLAND: Part
PERRY: Part
PIKE: All
SNYDER: All
SULLIVAN: All
SUSQUEHANNA: All
TIOGA: Part
UNION: All
WAYNE: All
11th Congressional District
CARBON: Part
COLUMBIA: All
CUMBERLAND: Part
DAUPHIN: Part
LUZERNE:
Cities: Hazleton, Nanticoke
Townships: Bear Creek, Black Creek, Buck, Butler, Conyngham, Dallas, Dennison, Dorrance, Exeter, Fairmount, Fairview, Foster, Franklin, Hanover, Hazle, Hollenback, Hunlock, Huntington, Jackson, Kingston, Lake, Lehman, Nescopeck, Newport, Plymouth, Rice, Ross, Salem, Slocum, Sugarloaf, Union, Wright.
Boroughs: Ashley, Bear Creek Village, Conyngham, Courtdale, Dallas, Edwardsville, Forty Fort, Freeland, Harveys Lake, Jeddo, Kingston, Larksville, Laurel Run, Luzerne, Nescopeck, New Columbus, Nuangola, Penn Lake Park, Plymouth, Pringle, Shickshinny, Sugar Notch, Swoyersville, Warrior Run, West Hazleton and White Haven.
MONTOUR: All
NORTHUMBERLAND: Part
PERRY: Part
WYOMING: All
17th Congressional District
CARBON: Part
LACKAWANNA:
Cities: Carbondale, Scranton.
Township: Carbondale northwest, Spring Brook and Thornhurst
Boroughs: Archbald Wards 1 and 4, Blakely, Dickson City, Dunmore, Jermyn, Jessup, Mayfield, Moosic, Old Forge, Olyphant Wards 1, 2 and 3-1 and part of 3-2, Taylor and Throop Wards 1, 2 and 3
LUZERNE:
Cities: Pittston and Wilkes-Barre
Townships: Jenkins, Pittston, Plains and Wilkes-Barre
Boroughs: Avoca, Dupont, Duryea, Exeter, Hughestown, Laflin, West Pittston, West Wyoming, Wyoming and Yatesville.
MONROE: Part
NORTHAMPTON: Part
SCHUYLKILL: All