Pittsburgh mayoral candidates cast ballots; voters turn out for Pennsylvania primary election
May 18—Voter turnout for Pennsylvania's primary is sparse compared to November's election, but officials say it's being bolstered by mail-in voting and statewide ballot questions drawing out third-party voters.
In Allegheny County, voters requested 124,813 mail-in ballots — based on Department of State data, that's about 13% of the county's 926,759 registered voters. As of Monday, about 81,020 — 65% — had been returned.
To be counted, those ballots must be returned — not just postmarked — by 8 p.m. Tuesday. The County Office Building on Forbes Avenue will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for ballot drop-off.
Elections personnel will make several trips to the main post office Tuesday — including a 7 p.m. trip — to make sure all mail-in ballots are collected.
In Pittsburgh, most eyes will likely be on the mayoral race, which has incumbent Bill Peduto facing three challengers: state Rep. Ed Gainey, retired Pittsburgh cop Tony Moreno and math tutor and service driver Michael Thompson.
Gainey voted about 10 a.m. at his polling place in Lincoln-Lemington. He said the city's unity is at stake.
"You see so many other cities coming together nowadays, doing things that inspire the fight for justice and making justice the foundation of how we build a city for all," Gainey said after casting his ballot. "We can do that right here in the city of Pittsburgh. It's our time."
About two hours later and two miles away, Peduto cast his ballot shortly before noon at Sterrett Classical Academy in Point Breeze. He acknowledged that this primary election is a "referendum on our administration."
"There always is when you're an incumbent, but most certainly when you seek a historic third term," he said. "I think there is a referendum on what is a progressive versus what is a socialist, and I don't think that that conversation is being had at the national level; I think it's happening more on a local level."
Peduto said an election always poses the question of establishment versus change.
"I think all three of those questions will be answered this evening by the people of Pittsburgh," he said.
In Westmoreland County, mail-in and absentee ballots were mailed to 18,604 voters — about 7.5% of the county's 246,306 registered voters. As of Sunday night, 10,780, or 58%, had been returned. A drop-off box for mail-in ballots will be open in the lobby of the county courthouse until 8 p.m.
Elections officials in Westmoreland were predicting voter turnout of about 25% — a bit higher than in previous years because of mail-in ballots, said JoAnn Sebastiani, director of the county's election bureau.
About 40 or 45 voters had cast their ballots at Valley High School in New Kensington by around noon, according to Jim Love, judge of elections.
"For a primary, that's not bad," he said. "A lot of people don't come out for primaries."
Though it was only a primary, Elizabeth Schachte was excited "to have a say." She voted for the first time in the November election and wanted to continue participating.
"I just started voting," she said. "I figured, why not keep up with it?"
Voting for local offices, she said, was just as important as casting a ballot for the presidential race.
"I think local government is more important, honestly," she said. "It starts at a local level."
She came to the polls with her mother, Donna Schachte, who admitted she sometimes skips voting in primary elections. But this year, she said, she came to vote in support of ballot referendums that would limit the governor's emergency declaration powers.
"You can't complain if you don't vote to be part of the solution," she said.
At the polling place in the Mary Queen of Apostles School in New Kensington, Rosemary Milliron cast her ballot and then stuck around to support her niece, Sara Yurga, in her bid for school board. She said there had been a "pretty steady stream of people" since she'd arrived at 8 a.m., but she was disappointed with the turnout.
"It's a little disheartening that more people don't vote, don't exercise their right, exercise their privilege," she said.
Even in local primaries, she said, people should care about casting their ballots.
"Most of the people that are running today have a more integral role in their lives than people even realize," she said.
Turnout was slow but steady in Murrysville and Delmont as well.
"I think the council and school board races are very important to us locally," said Andy Jarabak of Murrysville as he stood outside the Sardis Volunteer Fire Company precinct. "And I think the ballot questions (about emergency declarations) are very important in limiting the government's power."
Maria Beadling of Delmont, who was at the Faith United Methodist Church precinct on Tuesday morning, said she will be voting in favor of the ballot questions asking voters to limit the governor's power to extend emergency declarations without authorization from the General Assembly. The current state emergency declaration, issued in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, has been renewed every 90 days for the past 14 months.
"I support them because I don't believe any governor should have too much power," she said.
Unlike last November, Westmoreland County officials said unofficial final results should be available before sunrise Wednesday. Because of the high volume of mail-in votes cast in November, when nearly 60,000 were submitted, it took about three days to have results tallied.
Even with a special election to fill the vacancy in the 59th Legislative District created by the Jan. 2 death of state Rep. Mike Reese, Unity resident Jeffrey Bossart was surprised when he arrived at the Pleasant Unity precinct just before 9 a.m. and found he was one of only two voters casting ballots.
Compared to Nov. 3, when lines reached into the parking lot with the presidential election, Bossart said Tuesday's voting regimen posed "no problems."
"I was in and out today," Bossart said, cracking a large smile.
There weren't many people at the polls around 11 a.m. at Kinloch VFD social hall in Lower Burrell. But Valencia Yajko said she was eager to cast her ballot because "it's so important."
"I think it's even more important to vote for local officials, because they're working in our communities," she said. "We'll benefit in our communities if we vote for people who represent our values. It starts in the community."
Similar scenes took place at West Hempfield Presbyterian Church, where almost 50 people had turned up to vote by 10 a.m., according to poll workers, who noted the number was higher than expected. Still, several people commented on short lines during Tuesday's primary compared to lines that wrapped around the building during the presidential election.
Linda Burhans, 75, said she decided to vote Tuesday because, "I just want to do my civic duty."
Dan Williams, 59, echoed similar sentiments saying, "I really wanted to get out here and vote."
At 2:40 p.m., about 20% of the roughly 3,500 registered voters in Unity's Dennison precinct had turned out to cast their votes at the SonRise Church.
Judge of elections Karen Kuklewski said those numbers matched the expected turnout, as the weather cooperated.
"It's been a great day," she said. "People are turning out because it's gorgeous."
Voters reported a wait of no more than 15 minutes to fill out ballots. It was a far different story during last year's presidential election, when the line of voters circled around the parking lot and overflow parking extended along Frye Farm Road
Miles Johnston had to wait behind just two people on Tuesday. "I'm 79 years old and had nothing else to do today," he said, but added he felt it was important to cast his vote in the special election in the 59th Legislative District.
Voting was well underway in Hampton. Residents in Districts 6 and 12 were able to cast their ballots at Parkwood Presbyterian Church along Mt. Royal Boulevard.
Pine-Richland elections appeared to be drawing much interest early in the day as a steady stream of people arrived before 11 a.m. at the Pine-Richland Youth Center in Gibsonia to cast their ballot.
Poll workers and campaign volunteers at the Tarentum Borough Building said around 2:15 p.m. that turnout had been low so far, but other polling places throughout the borough had much steadier turnout.
At the Highlands Community Center in Natrona Heights, voters had been coming in at a steady pace, said Jamie Nee, a Republican candidate for Natrona's Board of Commissioners who is running unopposed in the Primary. Nee said she'd been visiting polling locations since around 8 a.m.
Pat Finkle, 73, said she came out to vote on the ballot measures up for decision — not necessarily one of the local candidates (She declined to say which way she voted for each measure). A registered Democrat, the Natrona Heights resident said she felt it was important to vote even though Tuesday was not a general or presidential election.
"It's my right to do that and it's my responsibility," she said.
Gary George, 73, said something similar. He wasn't moved by any particular candidate or ballot measure — he just felt it was his responsibility to participate in the voting process.
"It's important," said George, a Republican in Natrona Heights. "You have to support your community."
That sentiment was prevalent in Harmar as well, where there has been consternation among the township supervisors. Three Democrats are running for two nominations, and four Republicans are running for two nominations in their respective parties.
"It's something I do every election," said Marilyn Steenburgh, 70. "I'm just trying to find some honest people, hopefully, to take office."
Paula Hitshew, 79, went so far as to call two of the newcomers running for supervisor.
"I felt they have a sense of what they're looking to do here if they're elected supervisor, and I like that," Hitshew said. "I felt they were sincere and I like some of their new age thoughts about Harmar."
Margaret Cook, 78, said she wasn't aware of the contention among current board members, as she hasn't been able to attend a board meeting amid the ongoing pandemic.
"Nothing really excites me but I'm doing my civic duty," she said. "I would love to see a board that works together and there's no backstabbing and the like."
Four statewide ballot questions mean independents and other minor-party members will be able to vote on those questions.
Two of the four seek to limit the governor's power when it comes to disaster declarations.
One asks voters to consider an amendment to the state constitution that gives the General Assembly the ability to terminate a disaster declaration. The other poses an amendment that would limit disaster declarations to 21 days and limit the governor's ability to renew the declaration without legislative approval.
Those questions brought out a number of voters in Harmar, including 67-year-old Arran Kendrick. He said he's been dismayed by the state Republican's response to things, and he thought his vote could help fix things.
"The two questions that are on the ballot are pretty important," he said. "That seems to be pretty important with a predominantly Republican legislature."
Derek Kalinosky, 39, and mentioned those particular ballot questions.
"It's good to put it in the hands of the voters rather than just politicians," he said. "I want the people to be able to choose, to put it in the people's hands and say, 'OK, this is what we should do.'"
A third question would amend the state constitution to enshrine discrimination protections for Pennsylvanians. The fourth would give fire and EMS departments with paid personnel the ability to apply for loans through a state-run program for volunteer companies.
Two local ballot questions deal with criminal justice issues: a ban on no-knock warrants by Pittsburgh police and the restricting the use of solitary confinement at the Allegheny County Jail.
Those were the questions that helped bring Natalie and Bill Hoffman to their polling place on Reynolds Street in Point Breeze.
"I was really interested in the issues more than the candidates," Natalie Hoffman said.
Stephen Baird, 63, of Springdale Township, said he was particularly interested in local school board and judicial races.
"I've been voting in every election for as long as I can remember," Baird said. "I just think that voting local is the start of it all. If you live in a location you should think it's important to vote in an election."
Stephen Negrich, 29, also of Springdale Township, said the ballot questions asking voters to decide whether the general assembly can end a disaster declaration with a simple majority without the governor's output, and whether the government must ask for lawmakers' approval to extend a declaration beyond 21 days, were important to him. Negrich also mentioned the Springdale Township commissioners' race as an important one.
"The biggest thing was to limit the governor's power during a state of emergency," Negrich said. "And then to change some of these commissioners is my goal. I feel like we've had a lot of issues (in the township) for a while. A couple of years ago you weren't even allowed to speak at meetings so getting some new people in there would be a good thing."
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Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, mguza@triblive.com or via Twitter .
