Bensalem Voter Guide 2022: Who's Running, Where To Vote

BENSALEM, PA — The primary election is Tuesday, May 17, and Bensalem area residents will soon be able to cast their votes on town, county, and other races. Winners of the Tuesday primary will advance to the general election this November.

The election technically has already begun, as mail-in votes have started to trickle in across Bucks county. As of Monday, officials said that voters had returned 38,564 of 60,272 ballots sent out.

Who is on the ballot?

The 2022 election includes a spread of races for state house, state senate, and higher state office. There are also races for U.S Congress at play.

Many races in the primary are uncontested, either because only one candidate from that party is still in the running, or because an incumbent is running unchallenged.

In the Bensalem area, some of the local primary races on the ballot include:

• Bensalem Twp. Upper 2 Republican Committeewoman, Mary A. Barbee vs. Jennifer Lauren Boninfante
• Bensalem Twp. Upper 11 Republican Committeewoman, Kim J. Rivera vs. Christine I. Heitman

At the state level, there are a pair of huge races that have gained national attention, with open seats for U.S. Senator and governor.

Republican governor

• Doug Mastriano
• Lou Barletta
• Bill McSwain
• Dave White
• Joe Gale
• Charlie Gerow
• Melissa Hart
• Nche Zama

Democratic governor

• Josh Shapiro

Republican U.S. Senate

• Kathy Barnette
• Mehmet Oz
• Jeff Bartos
• George Bochetto
• Sean Gale
• David McCormick
• Carla Sands

Democratic U.S. Senate

• John Fetterman
• Malcolm Kenyatta
• Conor Lamb
• Alexandria Khalil

Numerous other state offices, including lieutenant governor, are also up for grabs.

When To Vote

Polls will be open for in-person voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Where To Vote

If you're planning on voting in-person and are not sure where to go to vote, you can find your polling place here.

Bucks County has several drop boxes for voters to leave their ballots at instead of voting at the polls.

Drop boxes close at 8 p.m. on Election Day and can be found in the following locations:

• Upper Bucks GSC, 261 California Road, Quakertown
• Lower Bucks GSC, 7321 New Falls Road, Levittown
• County Admin Building, 55 E Court Street, Doylestown
• Bensalem Library, 3700 Hulmeville Rd, Bensalem
• Bristol Borough Hall, 250 Pond St, Bristol
• New Hope Library, New Hope
• Northampton Library, 25 Upper Holland Rd, Richboro
• Perkasie Library, 491 Arthur Ave, Perkasie
• Riegelsville Library, 615 Easton Rd, Riegelsville
• Warminster Library, 1076 Emma Ln, Warminster
• Yardley-Makefield Library, 1080 Edgewood Rd, Yardley

Voter rights

If you are heading in-person to a polling place, it's important to know your rights, and what is and is not legal in your encounters with poll workers.

You are not required to show identification, according to Pennsylvania law, unless you have never voted at that precinct in the past.

Only voters who have never voted at that precinct before are required to show identification, according to Pennsylvania law. That identification does not have to be photo identification, but it must contain your name and address.

Just because your name is not in the poll book, does not mean you are not registered to vote, according to a release from Gov. Wolf's office. Voting officials should call the county board of elections to confirm your status.

For those who may have limited English language proficiency, the law stipulates that you may bring another individual with you into the voting booth to help out casting your vote.

Finally, aside from wearing a mask and staying six feet away from other voters, you can also minimize risk by voting early to avoid long lines to vote.