The deadline has come and gone for anyone wanting to run in the May primary.

Nomination petitions had to be turned into the Erie County Election Office by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and candidates were explaining their next steps.

Nomination petitions for the 2023 May primary election were due at four p-m and the election director said as the clock winds down, they anticipated more drop-offs

“We expect to be very busy today. We’re expecting to get around 200 candidates. Right now, we have about 130,” said Tonia Fernandez, Erie County election director.

Fernandez added that the office has been staffed to help candidates throughout the entire process by reminding them to double-check dates on the petition, bring the necessary documents to the election office and file a statement of financial interest.

One candidate that is running for a four-year term with the city council said being elected would continue her service in the Erie community.

“It’s just something I feel is a civic duty. Voting is good and getting involved in your community is good but going that one step further is always a good thing to do,” said Elspeth Koehle, running for city council.

Another candidate is running in hopes of retaining her position within the county.

“I love this job. It’s very important to me, and I’ve really appreciated everyone’s support and encouragement. We’ve just been out getting signatures — a lot of friends and family helping out with that,” said District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz, Erie County.

Now that petitions are filed, candidates said their next steps leading up to the primary is going door to door to hear concerns from the residents.

“The usual is just going to be hitting the doors, talking to my neighbors, talking to residents in the city, trying to find common ground, find out what their concerns are and how I can be effective in helping them address those concerns,” said Koehle.

“Community engagement is very important to me. It’s been something I’ve been striving for even just this past year, so the opportunity to continue to do that it’s been really exciting to be able to go door to door to meet people so I will absolutely continue to do that,” Hirz said.

Hirz also thanked the Erie County election office for being patient and helpful during the nomination petition drop-off process.