According to the Montgomery County Board of Elections, petitions to appear on independent lines on the ballot for this year’s general election on November 8 were accepted for Barbara Wheeler, incumbent candidate for District 7 Montgomery County legislator, and David Nelson, candidate for District 8 Montgomery County legislator.
Wheeler will face challenger Michael Pepe in a primary on September 13 for the Republican line. Although Jeffrey Stark and Barbara Wheeler both submitted valid petitions for the Conservative Party line, the party endorsed Pepe who will appear on their line in November**. Wheeler is also running on the Reform and Woman’s Equality lines.
In July, the board of elections ruled that Nelson’s petition to appear on the Republican line was invalid due to insufficient number of valid signatures, after a challenge was issued by incumbent candidate Joseph Isabel.
According to Board of Elections Commissioner Jamie M. Duchessi, the deadline for challenges against the independent line petitions has passed with no challenges issued.
** A previous version of this story reported that Wheeler, Pepe and Stark would all run in a Conservative Party Primary, which was not correct.