Candidates tied in 10 Westmoreland elections

Westmoreland County elections officials will meet Friday at noon to break ties in 10 local municipal elections.

Elections Bureau Director Beth Lechman said multiple candidates in the Nov. 6 election finished with identical vote totals for council seats in Arona, Hyde Park, Laurel Mountain, North Irwin, Penn and Sutersville along with auditor races in North Irwin, Bell and St. Clair townships.

Ties will be broken through a random drawing.

“We use the numbered pills and place as many numbers in for the candidates that have ties,” Lechman said. “The person that gets the No. 1 pill wins unless we need more than one winner. Then we pull as many numbers as we need.”

County elections board members on Wednesday voted to pre-certify the results in the state, county and local school board races and formally accepted write-in votes in those races.

None of the results previously announced were changed through the certification process, Lechman said.

No candidates have challenged the results or asked for a recount, she said.

Barring challenges and recounts, county winners will include Republicans Sean Kertes and Doug Chew, along with Democrat Gina Cerilli for county commissioner; Republicans Jeffrey Balzer for controller, Jared Squires for treasurer, Sherry Magretti Hamilton for register of wills and Frank Schiefer for recorder of deeds; Democrat James Albert for sheriff; and Democrat Mike Stewart II and Republican Justin Walsh for Common Pleas Court judge.

Challenges and recount requests must be filed before 3 p.m. on Nov. 27, when the results will receive final certification.

The certification process for local municipal races — such as borough and city councils, township supervisor and auditors — will be delayed a week to allow for ties to be broken. The election board is scheduled to give final certification to those races on Dec. 4.