Allegheny County residents interested in seeking their party’s nod in the upcoming municipal primary can pick up nominating petitions starting on Tuesday.
Petitions for all elected offices on the May 21 ballot with the exception of state judicial seats are available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the county election bureau, Room 601 of the County Office Building, 542 Forbes Ave., Downtown.
Candidates can begin circulating nominating petitions on Feb. 19. The last day to file petitions is March 12.
The petitions for statewide judicial races and the Court of Common Pleas are available online.
County election officials note that changes in the Pennsylvania Election Code prohibit candidates from using petitions that were issued in previous years for this year’s election cycle.
Republicans and Democrats will pick candidates running in the spring primary to compete in the November general election for the offices of county chief executive and elected row offices, county council and municipal and school board seats.
Wanda Murren, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Administration, said candidates frequently hurt their bid for elected office by making avoidable errors.
“One of the most common mistakes we see is people incorrectly filling out the documents,” she said. “We urge candidates to read the instructions carefully and contact us if they have questions.”
Candidates running for statewide offices can call 717-787-5280 for assistance.
For questions about local races, call call 412-350-4528.
Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tony at 724-772-6368 or tlarussa@tribweb.com or via Twitter @TonyLaRussaTrib.
