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The primary election to determine the Republican Party nominee for the 12th Congressional seat vacated by Rep. Tom Marino is being held March 2.
But the election is not being held at a ballot box with results determined by Republican Party voters.
The nomination is being decided by a convention of Republican Party delegates from all counties of the 12th District that is being held at the Farrington Place in Williamsport.
It's unfortunate the party nominee will not be determined by all the Republican voters.
That is particularly unfortunate in a congressional district that is as geographically large and as demographically varied as the 12th Congressional District is.
But the reality is that a special election to fill the seat has been scheduled by Gov. Tom Wolf for May 21, the date of Pennsylvania's primary election.
It was the correct call by the governor and gets the seat filled about as quickly as possible given the unfortunate resignation of Marino for health reasons.
It leaves the delegates to the March 2 convention with a weighty responsibility.
So far, six people have filed to run for the seat, representing every corner of the district and bringing varied backgrounds and public experience to the table.
We would hope that the convention would allow for a full vetting of each candidate and in turn would afford them a full opportunity to outline what their legislative priorities would be should they be elected in May to represent the 12th District.
Traditionally, those representing the district have tried to carry the conservative, rural badge of the majority of the constituency.
But with expansion of the district westward under last year's redistricting map, 12th District representation now carries with it a broader set of priorities.
The challenge for the Republican nominee is to bring that to the table while not deserting the traditional 12th District constituent.
That's a thread-the-needle kind of task for the candidates and a delicate equation for the convention delegates to weigh.