BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Here we go.
Voters will cast ballots for several federal and state races in Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary election.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Not sure where to go? You can find your local polling place here.
For those who requested a mail-in ballot but haven't deposited yet, a word of advice: Don't mail it.
Mail-in drop box locations
In order for your vote to count, it has to be received by the county election office by 8 p.m. Tuesday.
You can deliver your completed ballot in person, or deposit it in a designated drop box. For a rundown of ballot drop boxes in Lehigh and Northampton counties — or anywhere in Pennsylvania, for that matter, check out this link.
You also can check the status of your mail-in ballot here.
Generally speaking, only registered Republicans and Democrats can vote Tuesday — unless your local municipality has a referendum on the ballot. Not sure if you’re registered to vote? You can check that, too.
Because this is a primary election, several races are uncontested. That will change in November for the general election.
Key races
In our region, one of the marquee races is on the Republican ticket, where three candidates are competing for the party's nomination in the 7th Congressional District.
The winner of that race will take on U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, in the fall. Wild, who is in her third term, is uncontested on the Democratic side of the ticket.
Republicans in the race are Kevin Dellicker, state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and Maria Montero. You can find more about the candidates and their policy positions in a five-part series published on LehighValleyNews.com:
Part I: Reproductive rights
Part II: Foreign affairs
Part III: The economy
Part IV: The budget
Part V: The border and immigration
You can also watch one-on-one interviews with each of the candidates by our own Tom Shortell in the PBS39 show, "PA-7 Primary."
Democratic Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley is running for state auditor general. He's facing state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, and a former U.S. Senate candidate. Republican incumbent Tim DeFoor is not contested.
State House races
Just three of the state House seats in the Lehigh Valley have a contested race in this primary. They are in the:
131st District, where Democrats Jay Santos and Meriam Sabih are competing for the right to go up against incumbent Republican state Rep. Milou Mackenzie in the fall;
136th District, where longtime state Rep. Robert Freeman of Easton is facing the first primary election challenge of his career against Easton Councilwoman Taiba Sultana; and
183rd District, where incumbent Republican state Rep. Zach Mako faces a challenge from Slatington Councilman Zachari Halkias.
State row offices
For statewide races, Spotlight PA has some excellent breakdowns
- Find out more about the candidates for Pennsylvania auditor general
- A breakdown of the candidates for Pennsylvania attorney general
- A look at the race for Pennsylvania treasurer
Of course at the top of each ballot Tuesday will be the presidential candidates.
But victories for Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican challenger Donald Trump, the former president, are all but guaranteed. They will be formally nominated by their respective political party conventions this summer.
Then they'll head the general election ballot in November, when many of the state offices that aren't contested now are up for grabs.
Check back with LehighValleyNews.com Tuesday night for updates from all the contested races and results as we get them.
