Chester County officials mistakenly left a vacant row office off May primary ballots. Party officials will now pick the nominees.

Chester County voters will not have the opportunity to vote for their party’s nominees for prothonotary after local officials mistakenly left the position off May’s primary ballot.

The row office position is responsible for processing various civil court documents. It should have been on the 2025 ballot for Chester County residents after the Democratic incumbent, Debbie Bookman, resigned in October.

Bookman resigned amid allegations she misused a government credit card after being elected to a second term in 2023, according to the West Chester Daily Local News. According to state law, an appointed prothonotary would fill Bookman’s role until voters could decide on a replacement in the November 2025 election. The replacement would serve the remainder of Bookman’s term and the office would be back on the ballot in 2027.

However, Chester County officials neglected to include the position on the list of offices up for election and did not realize their mistake until after the filing deadlines for primary candidates had passed, according to David Byerman, Chester County’s chief executive officer.

As a result, the Chester County commissioners agreed last week to allow the Republican and Democratic Party committees in the county to use their own endorsement processes to select candidates to appear on the general election ballot in November.

The process, Byerman said, is the same process used for unexpected vacancies in municipal offices.

“This was a good-faith mistake, and mistakes sometimes happen,” Byerman said. “What’s as important is what happens next. We have worked to rectify this situation with integrity and fairness, and we’re on track to have a democratically elected successor this fall.”