Mail-in ballots on way for elections to replace House seats vacated by Gainey, Wheatley

Allegheny County’s Elections Division has begun sending mail-in and absentee ballot packets to voters who will be participating in the special elections to fill state House seats vacated by Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and his chief of staff, Jake Wheatley.

The special elections to fill the seats in the 19th and 24 legislative districts are scheduled for April 5.

Applications for mail-in and absentee ballots need to be received by the Elections Division by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 29. Voters can apply online.

Over-the-counter voting for both races started Thursday at the Elections Division office at 542 Forbes Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh. Voters can cast their ballots during regular business hours, from 8:30 a.m. till 4:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

For over-the-counter voting, voters can go to the Elections Division to apply in-person for an absentee or mail-in ballot. The application is the same as the one found online, and can be filled out before going to the office. Once the application is completed and submitted, it will be processed to ensure the voter is registered to vote and hasn’t already applied for a ballot.

The voter will then be provided with a ballot, along with a security and declaration envelope and instructions for voting. The voter can then complete the ballot in person, sign and date the declaration envelope and return it to elections staff.

Privacy screens will be set up to ensure voters can cast their ballots in secret.

Voted ballots will be secured within the Elections Division before being transported to the Elections Warehouse, where they are stored in a locked room under camera surveillance. The ballots will remain there until 7 a.m. on April 5, when ballots will be opened and counted.

Social worker and community activist Aerion Abney is the Democratic party’s nominee to replace Wheatley in the 19th legislative district. Rev. Glenn Grayson — who lost the nomination to Abney in a random tie-breaker decision — is forging ahead with a write-in campaign for the seat.

Martell Covington, a legislative aide to State Sen. Jay Costa, earned the Democratic party’s nomination to replace Gainey in the 24th district. Todd Elliott Koger will appear on the ballot as the Republican nominee in the heavily Democratic district.

Both races will be held in the existing legislative districts, though the districts will change slightly because of the recent redistricting process for the May primary race.

The special election — which will choose a candidate to complete the current term — was held on a separate date from the primary to avoid confusion about the new districts.