Thank you for your support of and the positive response to our first Allegheny Votes e-newsletter. The number of people subscribing has nearly doubled in the past week. We hope that you find it useful and encourage you to share the link for others to subscribe: https://bit.ly/AC-ElectionsNLSignUp

Elections continues to move forward with its planning and preparation for the November election. We have updated the Elections website (www.alleghenycounty.us/elections) to make information easier for people to find and added a frequently asked questions page which will continue to be updated. We hope you find it helpful.

POLL WORKERS, TRAINING & POLLING PLACES

Over 5,500 people have committed to working the polls for the November 3 election, with more volunteers applying daily. We continue to accept volunteers online. They can sign up by logging into the county’s Support Center at https://callcenter.alleghenycounty.us and selecting Election Poll Worker from options.

We have also finalized our plans for poll worker training with letters going out to workers later this week offering both in-person and live Zoom training. In-person classes are limited in participants. Masks will be required and physical distancing requirements will be followed and enforced. Locations for in-person classes are spread throughout the county so that they are accessible to poll workers.

Each class will last two hours. Training includes a PowerPoint presentation, a look at the new machines, and a review of polling place procedures. Participants will also have an opportunity to ask questions.

The Elections Division continues to confirm polling places and find new sites for the locations that are no longer able to be used. Voters will receive confirmation of their polling place prior to the November election.

MAIL-IN AND ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATIONS & DROP BOXES

To date, we have had 197,194 voters who have applied for an absentee or mail-in ballot. Of those, 149,055 are Democratic and 38,899 are Republican. We have also begun receiving requests for voters to cancel their mail-in or absentee applications because of everything going on with the Postal Service. In order to cancel an application, the voter must complete and return a form indicating that. The form is posted on the Elections website under the Resources tab. It is the last link or item on the page.

We have also received numerous requests related to potential locations for drop boxes. Voters can walk into the Elections Office (542 Forbes Avenue, 6th Floor) to drop their own (no one else’s) voted ballot. That’s available during regular business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

We are planning to again have drop off in the lobby of the building during expanded hours as was done for the primary. For the expanded hours (yet to be announced), spaces will be set aside on Forbes Avenue for voters to just pull up outside of the building and go into the lobby to drop off their ballot.

We will certainly discuss other options. We want to be certain that what we do is above reproach so that the ballots returned in that manner are not subject to any challenge or not counted. Any proposal will need to meet the requirements of the state law and ensure chain of custody of the ballot and would be presented to the Board of Elections for consideration.

BALLOT AVAILABILITY

State law provides that ballots can be sent out as early as 50 days prior to the election (September 14), or when the ballot has been finalized. The candidates must also be certified by the state. There are currently several Court challenges pending, at least one of which impacts the county ballot. Once finalized, printing will begin and we will announce publicly when ballots are beginning to be sent out.

STAY UPDATED

Last but not least, other than the e-newsletter, you can also stay updated on information from Elections through Allegheny Alerts and the county’s social media channels. Please also feel free to send emails with questions or concerns to electionscontact@alleghenycounty.us. As you might imagine, our phones are ringing on an ongoing basis. Please be patient. We’re trying to get to every call, email and other communication as quickly as we can.

We look forward to hearing from you about items and information that you’d like to see included in future editions. Send your suggestions to web.comm@alleghenycounty.us.

Highland Park Community Council

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