VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE MONDAY

Deadline for new voter registrations, changes of address, and changes of party affiliation is Monday, Oct. 6 in both Potter and Cameron counties.

Sandy Lewis, Potter County's director of elections, reports that voter rolls have been steadily rising for several years and there are now about 11,300 registered voters in the county.

In Cameron County, the most recent figures put the county's registered voter total at roughly 3,700.

The Presidential election, headlined by Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, has been driving much of the recent voter interest. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4, when all voting districts will be open from 7 am to 8 pm.

Registering to vote has never been easier. Mail-in registration forms are available at Lewis's office, located on the first floor of the F. W. Gunzburger County Offi ce Building, 1 North Main Street, Coudersport. Voters can also register by printing an application from the state's website, www.votespa.com, and mailing it or hand-delivering it to the office. Applications postmarked on or before the Oct. 6 deadline will be accepted.

Lewis asks all county residents who are voting by absentee ballot to do so as early as possible. In addition to the Presidential race, she reports, there is also significant voter interest in the contest for the Pa. 5th District seat in the U.S. Congress, where Democrat Mark McCracken, Republican Glenn Thompson and Libertarian James Fryman are running to succeed Rep. John Peterson, who is retiring when his term expires at the end of the year.

Looking ahead, the 2009 election will include the countywide offices of District Attorney, Coroner and Jury Commissioner (two). Incumbents are Dawn Fink, D.A.; Kevin Dusenbury, Coroner; and Dean Dow (R) and Norma Cobb Nichols (D), Jury Commissioners. Judge John B. Leete's 10-year term also expires at the end of 2009 and he will be required to declare his intentions.