Write-in voting in the Democratic balloting for committee positions in Carbon County on May 20 resulted in ties in six precincts in five municipalities, and numerous other positions were filled via the same method.

According to the party's bylaws, one committeeman and one committeewoman are to be elected in each of the 51 election precincts in the county's 23 municipalities. In some cases where there were no candidates on the ballots for those positions, write-in votes were the order of the day.The county's election board authorized the recanvassing of votes when it met on May 23. Certification of the vote totals is pending the resolution of the ties, as well as a discrepancy in two districts in Penn Forest Township.Ties to be brokenThe ties took place in the following municipalities:Bowmanstown: Andrew Hunadi, Robert B. Moyer and Steve Hartz each received one write-in vote for the committeeman position.Kidder Township-South Jim Dau and Robert S. Fisher III received one write-in vote each for committeeman.Lehighton-First Ward Amresse Farrow and Cynthia Frendt received one write-in vote each for committeewoman.Mahoning Township-Mahoning District Eddie Jo Herbst, Kerry Verrastro, Linda Rex and Patricia Borger received one write-in vote each for committeewoman.Nesquehoning-East George Sabol and Jack Nothstein received one write-in for each for committeeman and Donna Malaska, Judy Owens, Mary A. Jacobs and Renee DeMelfi received one write-in vote each for committeewoman.Penn Forest Township-Northeast Anthony Walker, James P. Barry and Lawrence J. Dailell received one write-in vote each for committeeman.The ties will be settled by a process to be determined by the elections board at a meeting scheduled for noon Friday in the elections office in Jim Thorpe.Penn Forest mixupThe improper listing of candidates on the ballots in two Penn Forest Township precincts resulted in a discrepancy that will have to be decided by the county's election board. Joann M. Behrens was listed as a candidate for committeewoman in Penn Forest East but she resides in Penn Forest Northwest. Jeremy Haloskie was listed as a candidate for committeeman in Penn Forest Northwest, but he resides in Penn Forest East.Behrens received three write-in votes in her proper district to win that committeewoman position, and Haloskie received two write-in votes in his proper district to win that committeeman position.But in the districts where they do not reside, Behrens received 37 machine votes, and Haloskie received 87 machine votes. Neither is eligible to hold the position in which they do not reside. No one else received a write-in vote for the committeeman position, but Christine Fazio received one write-in vote for committeewoman. The election board will have to determine whether Behrens or Fazio is the successful candidate.Party bylaws call for the county chairman, William O'Gurek Jr., to fill positions where vacancies exist.Successful candidatesMeanwhile, the following people won committee positions via successful write-in votes:Beaver Meadows Cornelius Mahon, 5, and Roseanne Gabos, 7.East Penn Township South Loretta Smith, 7.Franklin Township-Independent Daniel Laughlin, 1, and Gina Musante, 1; Harrity Deanna Wentz, 1; and Long Run Gary Eckley, 1.Jim Thorpe-Second Ward Pamela Nalesnik, 13.Kidder Township-North James Lindsey, 1; South Mary Farnschlader, 2.Lausanne Township John Surochak, 3; Dolores Surochak, 4.Lehighton-Second Ward Joseph R. Flickinger, 1; Third Ward Thomas Schaeffer Jr., 2.Mahoning Township-Packerton-Jamestown Oliver Schultz, 1.Nesquehoning-West Frank Jacobs, 3.Palmerton-East Alfreda Lantzy, 2.Parryville Jennifer Borger, 1.Penn Forest Township-Southwest John Phillips, 1; Northwest, Joann M. Behrens, 3; Middle Mary Eulo, 2; Northeast Anthony Walker, James P. Barry and Lawrence J. Dailell, 1 each; Lena Arellano, 1; East Jeremy Haloskie, 2; Christine Fazio, 1.Weatherly-West David Panckeri, 2.Weissport Alicia Moyer, 1.The vote totals of committee candidates whose names appeared on the ballots in their respective precincts were reported in the Times News election coverage on May 21.