Fayette vote totals released
State Rep. Timothy Mahoney, D-South Union, who received 2,797 Democratic votes to secure his party’s nomination, also picked up about 800 additional write-in votes in the April 24 primary.
Mahoney was the only Democrat seeking his party’s nomination, although he also sought Republican votes by sending out a letter to registered Republicans in his district.
On the Republican ticket, the lone candidate, Uniontown Councilman Gary Gearing, received 1,019 votes and the party nomination. However, Mahoney received slightly more than 800 write-in Republican votes, when considering all the variations of his name. Gearing, who was elected to city council as a Democrat, received about 35 write-in votes on the Democratic ticket.
With votes from both tickets counted, Mahoney received approximately 3,600 votes, while Gearing received approximately 1,050 votes.
Larry Blosser, director of the Fayette County Election Bureau, said he received signatures Tuesday from Commissioners Al Ambrosini and Angela Zimmerlink, the first step in the vote finalization process. After five days, the vote totals become official pending any objections.
A total of 13,570 voters turned out to cast ballots out of 83,767 registered voters, for a turnout of 16.2 percent.
Throughout the county, hundreds of write-in votes were cast. While President Barack Obama, the only Democrat on the ballot, received 5,560 votes in the county, Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state who also sought the nomination four years ago and made a campaign stop at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, received 58 write-in tallies.
On the Republican ticket, where Mitt Romney has all but sewn up the nomination, Romney received 2,533 votes. Other candidates, who have dropped out of the race, also garnered votes. Rick Santorum, who formerly held office in Pennsylvania, received 1,056 votes, while Ron Paul received 551 votes and Newt Gingrich received 541 votes.
On the Democratic ticket, Paul received 69 write-in votes and Romney received about 175 write-ins.
In the 9th Congressional District, in which Republican incumbent Bill Shuster was the only person from either party on the ballot, Shuster received 3,796 Fayette County votes. On the Democratic ticket, in which registered independent Karen Ramsburg waged a write-in campaign, Ramsburg received 200 Fayette County votes, when all variations of her name were counted. However, Shuster received 226 when all variations of his name was counted. If Ramsburg receives at least 1,000 write-in votes, and is the top vote-getter in all nine counties in the district, she will earn a spot on the November 6 ballot.
In other local races, Mark Fischer received 140 votes, while George Toothman received 92 votes on the Republican ticket for the 50th Legislative District. The district, which includes all of Greene County and small portions of Fayette and Washington counties, has been represented by Bill DeWeese for more than three decades. DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, who resigned prior to sentencing on felony theft convictions for using state employees to campaign during work hours, was on the ballot for the Democratic nomination.
He received 710 Democratic votes in Fayette County, while Fischer received 37 write-in votes.