It looks likely that contests will be waged in the November general election for the two state House of Representatives seats that cover most of Butler County.

Two Democrats who failed to get on the primary ballot appear to have mustered enough write-in votes to secure a spot on the November ballot.

In the 11th District, incumbent Republican Brian Ellis, of Butler Township, will face Dave Wilson, a Buffalo Township Democrat whose name was removed from the primary ballot because he failed to achieve enough certifiable signatures on his petition.

In the 12th District, the situation is a bit more complicated. John Olesnevich, of Middlesex, who withdrew from the spring primary after signatures on his candidacy petition were questioned, garnered 257 write-in votes, fewer than the state-required 300 needed to secure a write-in nomination, according to Butler County Elections Bureau Director Regis Young.

However, Mr. Young said, Mr. Olesnevich received 47 additional write-in votes that don't quite meet the usual standard for automatic acceptance but that could be certified by the Butler County Common Pleas Court.

"He has 47 write-ins with only his last name. They're supposed to write both the first and last names, but he can petition the court to accept them,'' Mr. Young said. In addition to the 257 accepted write-ins and the 47 last-name-only write-ins, Mr. Olesnevich had eight other write-in votes that fail to meet the state criteria in some way but that appear to be for Mr. Olesnevich.

The incumbent in the 12th District, Republican Daryl Metcalfe, 45, of Cranberry, who launched a write-in campaign among Democratic constituents in the days before the election, garnered 163 accepted write-in votes and a total of 205 write-ins that appeared to be for him, Mr. Young said.

Robin Redding, 39, of Cranberry, Mr. Metcalfe's unsuccessful challenger on the GOP ballot, got 176 accepted write-ins and a total of 200.

There were 191 miscellaneous write-in votes.

Mr. Olesnevich, 59, launched an unsuccessful write-in challenge to Mr. Metcalfe in November 2006. He also ran an unsuccessful campaign for Butler County treasurer in 2007.

Currently working as a substitute teacher in the Karns City Area School District, Mr. Olesnevich retired in 2007 from Herr-Voss Corp. in Callery.

He was a Middlesex auditor from 2002 to 2006 and is a certified tax preparer.

The 12th District covers Adams, Clinton, Cranberry, Forward, Jackson, Jefferson, Lancaster, Middlesex, Muddy Creek, Penn Township, Callery, Connoquenessing Borough, Evans City, Harmony, Mars, Portersville, Saxonburg, Seven Fields, Valencia and Zelienople.

In the 11th District contest, incumbent Mr. Ellis was unopposed on the primary ballot but will face Mr. Wilson, 55, in November.

The write-in tally showed 757 for Mr. Wilson compared with 707 for Mr. Ellis, counting only those names that were properly written. Counting all names that resembled one or the other or had only the last name, Mr. Wilson had 771 to Mr. Ellis' 738.

There were 123 other miscellaneous write-ins.

Mr. Wilson is a teacher of vocational education at Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center in New Kensington.

He served as a Buffalo supervisor from 1998 to 2004 and ran unsuccessfully for Butler County commissioner in the 2007 primary election.

He had sought a spot on the April Democratic ballot for 11th District state House representative but his name was removed because he lacked the required number of signatures.

Mr. Ellis, 37, of Butler Township, a Republican, is seeking a third two-year term.

He has served on House committees including finance, commerce, intergovernmental affairs, tourism and recreation, and children and youth. He is co-owner of the Ellis Auto Group, which owns auto dealerships in Lyndora, Penn and Emlenton.

The 11th District encompasses Chicora, Donegal, Oakland, Clearfield, East Butler, Summit, Butler, Butler Township, Connoquenessing Township, Winfield and Buffalo.