The State College Municipal Primary Elections will be held Tuesday, May 21 to determine which candidates will run in November’s general municipal race.

This year’s election cycle will determine which candidates shall fill a number of local government positions, including Borough Council seats. A special election held on the same day will determine who will fill U.S. Rep. Tom Marino’s position for Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District following his resignation in January. Penn State professor Marc Freidenberg (D) and state representative Fred Keller (R) have been nominated by their respective parties.

Because election day falls almost three weeks after finals week and graduation, the majority of the municipal candidates’ potential constituents will be on summer break.

Students out of town for the summer will need to cast their votes via absentee ballots. Since May’s municipal election is a closed primary, only registered party members who have declared their party affiliation will be able to vote. The special election, however, will be open to all voters regardless of party or registration status.

Voters must first download or request an absentee ballot application, fill it out, and return it to the Centre County Government Election Office by 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 14. Voters who are not registered in Centre County should applications from their home county if they’re planning to vote by absentee ballot.

Once the application is received, the office will mail an absentee ballot to the applicant’s specified address. All completed ballots must be returned to the voting office by 5 p.m. Friday, May 17.

If you’re in town for election day, you can find your polling location here.