The 2025 municipal election season in Pennsylvania is officially underway.
Candidates can now begin circulating nomination petitions for the Republican and Democratic primaries, scheduled for May 20.
This election will determine who represents communities at the local level, including township supervisors, borough council members, school board officials, and county-level officers.
Pennsylvania operates under a closed-primary system, meaning only registered Republicans and Democrats can vote for their party’s candidates in May.
Independent and minor-party candidates have a separate process for getting on the November ballot, and all voters can choose write-in candidates.
The 2025 PA primary will be crucial in shaping the political landscape ahead of the general election.
Important dates for the 2025 Pennsylvania primary include March 11, the last day to circulate nomination petitions, and May 5, the last day to register to vote.
The primary election will take place on May 20, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Every municipality in Bucks County has at least one seat up for election.
Many boroughs will vote for mayors, while Quakertown, which follows a council-manager form of government, will not.
Countywide races include elections for the controller, district attorney, prothonotary, recorder of deeds, and sheriff.
School board elections will also take place across all 13 school districts in Bucks County, with at least four seats up for election in each district.
Additionally, voters will decide on judicial vacancies and retention elections at multiple levels, including the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, Superior Court, and Supreme Court.
Tax collectors and auditors will also be on the ballot in nearly all municipalities, making this one of the most comprehensive elections in Bucks County.
Pennsylvania’s primary elections serve to determine which Republican and Democratic candidates will appear on the general election ballot in November.
In certain races, candidates may cross-file on both party ballots, particularly for judicial and school board positions.
In some cases, a single candidate may win both party nominations, making them the presumptive general election winner unless challenged by a third-party or write-in candidate.
Pennsylvania does not offer traditional early in-person voting. Instead, voters can cast ballots through an on-demand mail voting process.
This system allows voters to request, complete, and submit their mail-in ballots in a single visit to a county election office.
Voters can apply for an on-demand mail-in ballot at the Bucks County Administration Building in Doylestown, the Lower Bucks Government Services Building in Levittown, and the Upper Bucks Government Services Building in Quakertown.
Mail-in ballots must be requested by May 13 and returned by 8 p.m. on May 20. Drop boxes will be available at county government offices and select libraries across Bucks County to facilitate the Bucks County vote.
Three Democratic justices—Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht—face retention votes this year.
Retention elections allow voters to decide whether a judge continues to serve another term. If a justice is removed, the governor appoints a temporary replacement until a new election is held.
Republicans view the 2025 retention elections as an opportunity to reshape the court’s balance of power ahead of future redistricting battles.
The Republican State Leadership Committee has pledged a seven-figure investment in the races, emphasizing their potential long-term impact.
On the Democratic side, state party leaders and trial lawyers’ groups have mobilized support to maintain the current court majority.
Historically, Pennsylvania voters have rarely removed justices in retention elections. The only instance occurred in 2005 when Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro was voted out following public backlash over legislative and judicial pay raises.
However, with increased national political attention and funding, retention elections in 2025 could become highly contested.
