Bryn Mawr students vote in Montgomery County, Lower Merion district 11-2 and their polling place is Lower Merion Baptist Church. A sample ballot can be found here.
Judge of the Superior Court
Brandon Neuman, Democratic Candidate
Maria Battista, Republican Candidate
The Superior Court handles appeals of criminal and civil cases from the Court of Common Pleas. It is a ten year term and voters may select one candidate.
Brandon Neuman, the Democratic candidate for the open seat in the Superior Court, is currently serving on the County Court of Common Pleas in Washington County. He previously served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for four terms. Neuman helped author the Debbie Smith Act (2023), providing funding to state and local governments to help eliminate backlog of rape kits. In 2024, he ruled in a county court case that Washington County should notify voters of errors in their mail in ballots to prevent them from not being counted.
Maria Battista, the Republican candidate for the Superior Court’s open seat, previously ran in 2023 and is running again this year. She has been an assistant district attorney in multiple Pennsylvania counties, and has held positions in the Pennsylvania departments of Health and State. She has a law degree and a PhD in education from the University of Pittsburgh. Her experience is especially extensive in criminal and family matters.
Daniel Wassmer is running as a Liberal on the ballot in order to introduce a nonpolitical, third party option to the race. He has been an attorney and was a solicitor in Bucks County.
Judge of the Commonwealth Court
Stella Tsai, Democratic Candidate
Matt Wolford, Republican Candidate
The Commonwealth Court handles civil cases of state and local governments and agencies. It is a ten year term and voters may select one candidate.
Stella Tsai is running for the opening in the Commonwealth Court. She is currently sitting on the bench of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, in the orphan’s court division, but has also served in divisions having to do with medical, electoral, and estate cases. She has been an adjunct professor at University of Pennsylvania and used to be a private-practice attorney.
Matt Wolford is the Republican candidate for the Commonwealth Court seat, and currently owns a law office where he works for the private-sector. He has previously worked in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and many of the clients he works for now are energy companies and landowners working to comply with environmental laws. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at Gannon University.
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas 38th District
Lauren Hughes, Democratic Candidate
Raymond McGarry, Democratic Candidate
Mary Pugh, Democratic Candidate
The Court of Common Pleas is the main trial court in Montgomery County and has five divisions: Civil, Criminal, Family, Juvenile, and Orphans. It is a ten year term, voters may select up to three candidates.
Lauren Hughes has worked as a public defender in Montgomery County and currently serves as a Senior Solicitor in the Montgomery County Solicitor’s Office. Hughes is endorsed by the Montgomery Bar Association and several labor unions.
McGarry served on the Abington School Board for over two decades, after which he was appointed Solicitor of Montgomery County by then-Commissioner Josh Shapiro. He also represented Bruce Hanes and Montgomery County in the case that legalized same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania. He is supported by the Montgomery Bar Association and several labor unions.
Pugh has many years of experience as an educator in the Norristown School District as well as on the diversionary program the Youth Aid Panel. She has also worked for the Montgomery Child Advocacy Project, which represents victims of child abuse, trafficking, and neglect. Pugh has endorsements from the Montgomery Bar Association and several labor unions.
Jury Commissioner
Andrea Baptiste, Democratic Candidate
Merry Broderick Woods, Republican Candidate
Montgomery County is one of three in the state that still has a Jury Commissioner. The Commissioner is responsible for selecting a qualified and fair jury in court cases. It is a four year term and voters may select one candidate.
Andrea Baptiste is a member of the Montgomery County PA Democrats State Committee delegation, the Board Chair of Montgomery County Democratic Women’s Leadership Initiative and the Municipal Chair for Collegeville Democrats. She is supported by the current County Commissioner and Jury Commissioner, as well as the Montgomery County Labor Council.
Merry Broderick Woods does not have a campaign website, but is endorsed by the Montgomery County Republican Committee.
Lower Merion School Director
Jennifer Louise Rivera, Democratic Candidate
Juanita James Kerber, Democratic Candidate
Kerry Sautner, Democratic Candidate
Anna Shurak, Democratic Candidate
Jacob Rudolph, Republican Candidate
Deena Pack, Republican Candidate
Talia Nissim, Republican Candidate
Omer Dekel, Republican Candidate
The Lower Merion School District is led by a Board of Directors composed of nine members who each serve a four-year term. This year, four of the eight current candidates will be elected to the Board. The Board hires and evaluates the District’s Superintendent, setting “the District’s fiscal and educational policies, approves the annual budget, and votes on school matters in consultation with the District’s educational leaders.”
This year, the four Democratic candidates (Rivera, Kerber, Sautner and Shurak) are running as a slate and sharing the electlmsd.com campaign website. Similarly, three of the four Republican candidates (Pack, Nissim, Dekel) are running together and campaigning at togetherlmsd.com. The fourth Republican, Rudolph, was originally running alongside the other Republicans; however, he separated himself shortly after the slate was endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC, a staunchly conservative organization that supports “reform-minded conservatives who oppose political indoctrination” and believes that progressive influence in schools is disseminating a dangerous ideology to children.
The race has been hotly contested. Many of the policy concerns and prominent discussions echo larger national conversations, such as antisemitism in schools and stopping the spread of each party’s political ideology, which the opposing party believes is dangerous.
Jennifer Louise Rivera (D) is a parent in the District involved at Cynwyd Elementary School as a volunteer. She and her mother are also alumnae of the District. Rivera described running to support children educationally, emotionally, and socially. Her key issues are empowering teachers and combating burnout, as well as forging strong relationships with families by ensuring financial transparency and responsibility. She is also committed to the principles of equity and inclusion. According to her website, she “will advocate for policies that bridge gaps, eliminate barriers, and foster an inclusive environment where all students can thrive, regardless of background or circumstance.”
Jaunita James Kerber (D)is a parent in the District running to become more involved and to help navigate “some uncertainty [in this country right now] reminiscent of a past we had worked so hard to overcome.” She has worked at Penn Medicine for over 40 years. Her campaign priorities include establishing open communication between the Board and families, ensuring students receive adequate physical and academic accommodations and strengthening the District’s Building Belonging program, which focuses on granting all students equitable access to educational programs and activities.
Kerry Sautner (D) is the current Board President of the District and the president and CEO of Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary museum. She is also a former student in the District. In April 2025, a Montgomery County judge ordered the removal of Sautner from the Democratic primary ballot over her incomplete mandatory disclosure of her finances on her nomination petition. The decision was overturned later that month by a panel of Commonwealth Court judges following Sautner’s appeal. The panel cited insufficient evidence that Sautner acted in bad faith and reinstated her to the ballot. Saunter also faced some controversy after a parent email accused the district of supporting the destruction of Israel. A records request revealed that Sautner responded to her colleagues who had also received the email that it was a “playbook we have seen before,” prompting the parent to confront her at a public meeting. Sautner runs on the electlmsd.com platform to “strengthen public education, uphold equity, support educators, and ensure transparency in decision-making.”
Anna Shurak (D) is a current director and a parent in the district. She is the current executive director of Teach for America Greater Philadelphia. She has worked as a teacher and a principal before. Like the rest of the electlmsd slate, she is focused on “sustaining academic excellence, fostering equity, and ensuring fiscal responsibility.”
Jacob Rudolph (R) is a 2025 high school graduate of the District. He is a fourth generation student of Lower Merion. His primary campaign focuses are ensuring students receive adequate support services, primarily for special education, combating antisemitism in schools, and prioritizing student and family choice. His platform is impacted by his own challenging experience receiving ADHD accommodations, and experience at school what he describes as “anti-semitic vitriol…not anti-Zionism or anything related to Israel…instead…old-fashioned anti-semitism related to centuries-old tropes.” He said Harrington High School failed to adequately address it, which he hopes to change.
Deena Pack (R) has a background in nursing and clinical leadership. She is a parent in the district. Similar to Rudolph, her platform centers increasing special education services, combating antisemitism, and financial transparency. Her platform is influenced by her identity as an Orthodox Jew and growing up in a mixed-faith family, according to her campaign website. She is endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC.
Talia Nissim (R) is a stay-at-home parent in the District. She is a member-at-large of the Interschool Council,working with the Jewish Community Relations Council and the NAACP. Her key issues are enhancing parent education and advocacy, implementing comprehensive tutoring plans, combating antisemitism, improving school meal plans, improving special needs support, and managing the budget responsibly. She is endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC.
Omer Dekel (R) is a parent in the district with a professional background in technology. His campaign priorities are financial transparency, data-driven decision making, special education support, and increasing parent knowledge and choice. He is endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC.
Voters may select up to four candidates.
Lower Merion Township Tax Collector
The Tax Collector has a four-year term.
Jana Lunger is running uncontested as a Democratic candidate. Lunger grew up in the Soviet Union and immigrated to the United States originally as a student of political economy. She currently works in the compliance department of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, specializing in anti-money laundering. She has worked for three years as a deputy tax collector.
Voters may select one candidate.
Judge of Election
There are no candidates officially running in this election. Voters may write in a candidate.
Inspector of Election
There are no candidates officially running in this election. Voters may write in a candidate.
Retention of Supreme Court Judges
Christine Donohue, Democratic Candidate
Kevin M Dougherty, Democratic Candidate
Davide Wecht, Democratic Candidate
Candidates need a simple majority in order to continue their term. Since this system was adopted in 1968, only one justice has ever lost a retention election, when Russell Nigro was voted out in 2005. If a candidate were to lose a retention vote, democratic Governor Josh Shapiro would nominate a temporary replacement. This replacement would have to be confirmed by the state senate, which is currently majority Republican, and then voters would pick a long term replacement in 2027. If there is a deadlock where Shapiro and the Senate cannot come to an agreement on a replacement, the seat could stay open until the 2027 judicial election, which could disrupt court decisions. As of right now, the Supreme Court is made up of five Democrats and two Republicans. If all the candidates up for retention are voted out, this would leave the court split between two Democrats and two Republicans. Voters may select to retain or not retain the judge.
Prior to being elected Supreme Court judge, Christine Donohue was elected as a Superior Court judge in 2007 and before that had a private practice since 1980. As a Supreme Court judge, she has written opinions upholding Pennsylvania’s no-excuse mail voting law, as well as allowing the use of Medicare funds for abortion.
Previously, Kevin M Dougherty was appointed to the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas in 2001, and elected to it in 2002. According to his website, he focuses on reforming the juvenile justice system, as well as on better accommodating autism and behavioral health issues in the courts.
Before being a Supreme Court judge, David Wecht began serving the Court of Common Pleas in 2003, and the Superior Court in 2012. His website emphasized his prevention of gerrymandering, as well as his support of the environment, education, and abortion.
All three candidates have been recommended for retention by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
Retention of Superior Court Judges
Alice Beck Dubow, Democratic Candidate
The Superior Court reviews the decisions made by Pennsylvania’s county courts, and they are capable of overturning their decisions. Voters may select to retain or not retain the judge.
Beginning in 2007, Alice Beck Dubrow served on the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, and has been on the Superior Court since 2016. She was recommended for retention by the state bar association.
Retention of Commonwealth Court Judges
Michael H Wojcik, Democratic Candidate
The Commonwealth Court is an intermediate appellate court.,responsible for legal matters related to state governmental and regulatory agencies. It is also a trial court for lawsuits related to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Voters may select to retain or not retain the judge.
Previously, Michael H Wojcik was the solicitor for Allegheny County from 2004 to 2012, and prior to that had a private practice.
Retention of Court of Common Pleas 38th District Judges
Dan Clifford, Democratic Candidate
Todd D Eisenberg, Democratic Candidate
Risa Vetri Ferman, Republican Candidate
The Court of Common Pleas has jurisdiction over the county, and is mainly a trial court rather than an appellate court. Voters may select to retain or not retain the judge.
All three candidates have been recommended for retention by the Montgomery Bar Association. Both the Democratic and Republican parties of the county have also endorsed all candidates for retention.
