Lehigh Valley Politics and Election News

Philip Ginder, 74, who served on the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners for 24 years, was appointed on Wednesday to fill the vacancy created when Commissioner Robert Piligian resigned in February.

Candidates for Northampton County Council, Allentown City Council, Allentown mayor and Parkland School Board are being challenged in court for allegedly failing to meet legal requirements to appear on the May ballot.

A Lehigh County judge ruled in favor of LoriAnn Fehnel, a Republican candidate for Whitehall Township Commissioner, who challenged that candidate Betsey H. Charles's nominating petition is invalid and should be set aside.

City officials voted in favor of raising the next council president’s salary from $7,600 to $11,400 a year and council members’ annual pay from $7,100 to $10,650. However, City Council decided against salary increases for the next mayor and controller.

This week on Political Pulse, host Tom Shortell speaks with Celeste Dee, owner of Lehigh Valley-based Advantage Political Strategies. The two talk about judicial campaigns.

The vacancy on the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners will be filled at a meeting on Wednesday night. The board interviewed three candidates on Monday night.

Whitehall Township treasurer/tax collector Tina Koren is asking the Lehigh County Court to reject Commissioner Thomas Slonaker's nominating petition for her job.

Whitehall Township commissioner Republican candidate LoriAnn Fehnel filed a challenge March 14 against fellow Republican candidate Betsey H. Charles, 3212 Chestnut St., based on deficiencies on the latter’s petition.

Gerald C. Yob has been mayor of Freemansburg for 44 years. He served on borough council 12 years before that. Yob turns 96 in August, and plans on running for a 12th term as mayor.

Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners have until March 29 to fill the vacancy and will conduct public interviews with candidates on Monday starting at 6 p.m.

Lower Saucon Township Council voted 4-1 on Wednesday, approving a reporting system on the township website and a letter of concern to be sent to Northampton County officials.

LehighValleyNews.com tonight will livestream a special program from the Univest Public Media Studio in Bethlehem. 'Beyond the Ballot' will analyze the Nov. 7 general election and look ahead to the 2024 presidential and congressional elections.

WLVR's Megan Frank talks with reporters Phil Gianficaro and Tom Shortell.

Democrat Thomas Johns won a seat on the South Whitehall Board of Commissioners over the incumbents' preferred candidate, Republican Chris Peischl.

Most unofficial election results remain the same in Northampton County, but one school board race has shifted after nearly all emergency ballots were counted Thursday.

A state representative is demanding Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure resign over the voting machine issues discovered on Election Day. Said McClure: 'I have absolutely no plan to resign.'

An error with the Northampton County voting machines led to thousands of voters across the region casting their ballot with emergency paper ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.

The Lehigh Valley saw voter turnout top 30% in Tuesday's municipal election, more than 10 points higher than local races saw a decade ago.

While moderate Republicans and Democrats prevailed in most races, two Moms for Liberty candidates won seats on the Nazareth Area school board in Northampton County.

The township appears to have voted all Democrats into three open seats on its council. Come 2026, the board will likely start adhering to term limits following unofficial results from a ballot question.

With a contentious presidential election on the horizon, Northampton County officials are working with their voting machine contractor to prevent errors like those in Tuesday's general election.

Check out this roundup of Lehigh Valley election races, where voters cast ballots for candidates at the county and local levels on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.