Keeping local government accountable to you is our job at PublicSource, and we introduced this ongoing series to share more of that information with you in real time.
Polls open at 7 a.m. today for the municipal general election. Voters have until 8 p.m. to cast their votes in person or return mail-in ballots to the county office building Downtown.
Voters across Allegheny County will elect mayors and council members, as well as a number of county and statewide judges. Pittsburgh will choose between Democrat Ed Gainey and Republican Tony Moreno to elect a new mayor.
Here’s what you need to know about casting your vote and learning the results:
Where can I vote?
Find your polling place using this link. You can also use this to see a sample ballot, so you know what your choices are before you head to the polls.
How can I return my mail-in ballot?
Mail-in ballots must be received by the county elections office by 8 p.m. Tuesday — no exceptions. If you put your ballot in the mail today, it will not be counted.
If you still have your ballot, deliver it to the county office building yourself at 542 Forbes Ave. between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Note: Voters can only deliver their own ballot. Voters with a disability as defined by the ADA can designate somebody else to deliver their ballot using this form.
Who are the candidates?
It’s not too late to learn about the many candidates running for office. Use this election guide, brought to you by our partners at the Pittsburgh City Paper, to learn about the City Council, County Council and judicial races.
Click here to read about how the Pittsburgh mayoral candidates are approaching the issue of gun violence and public safety.
Read about how the 18 candidates for the Court of Common Pleas raised more than $2 million this year.
And read our Q&A with Dontae Comans, who is poised to become the next mayor of Wilkinsburg.
Where can I find election updates?
Shortly after the polls close at 8 p.m., county election officials will begin uploading results to its website, which you can view in real time here. They won’t come in all at once, rather in a slow trickle throughout the night. Most or all mail-in votes will be uploaded first, shortly after 8 p.m., followed by in-person votes.
Follow @PublicSourcePA, @wolfsonch and @ORMorrison on Twitter or @PublicSource and @hicksjourdan on Instagram to keep up with our reporters covering the Pittsburgh mayoral election as results come in throughout the evening.
Charlie Wolfson is PublicSource’s local government reporter and a Report for America corps member. He can be reached at charlie@publicsource.org and on Twitter @chwolfson.