The NAACP Pittsburgh Branch and WPXI-TV are teaming up for a program Thursday night for a televised voter education event that will encourage people to cast their ballots in the upcoming special election and primary.
Special elections on Tuesday will determine who finishes out terms for state House seats vacated by now-Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and his chief of staff, Jake Wheatley.
Social worker and community activist Aerion Abney is the Democratic nominee to replace Wheatley in the 19th Legislative District.
In the 24th District, Martell Covington, an aide to state Sen. Jay Costa, earned the Democratic nomination to replace Gainey. Todd Elliott Koger will appear on the ballot as a Republican nominee in the heavily Democratic district.
Thursday’s event will encourage voters in those districts to cast their ballots next week, while also urging people to vote in the upcoming May primary.
Special elections historically tend to draw low voter turnout.
“This is a unique special election in a unique legislative district,” said WPXI News Director Scott Trabandt. “This will also kick off a critical six-week sprint to the May primary, and we look forward to the analysis and storylines our experts will bring to the community.”
The program had been set to include a debate between Covington and Koger, but the debate was scrapped because of a death in Koger’s family. The rest of the show will still go on.
“Black voters must take a stand for our communities, our democracy, and our future and vote in the April 5 special election and May 17 primary election,” said Pittsburgh Branch NAACP President Johnnie Miott.
The live program airs at 8 p.m. Thursday on PCNC, as well as on WPXI’s streaming platform, WPXI Now. WPXI Now is available for free on Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV. Viewers also can watch on the WPXI News App for mobile devices.
