Category Archives: VotePGH

Tue May 14 is the Deadline to Apply for an Absentee Ballot

If you are going to be out of town on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 you need to vote by absentee ballot. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 5:00pm.

Get all of the details on applying for an absentee ballot at votePGH here.

If you have not yet signed the votePGH pledge please take a moment to visit votePGH.org and sign the pledge. We are working to make sure we have at least 1 pledge from each neighborhood. Take a look at the neighborhood’s list here. We’ve got 50+ more neighborhoods that need to pledge.

Will you pledge to vote on May 21?

Two weeks from today, May 21, is primary election day in the city of Pittsburgh (and the state of Pennsylvania). This is a big election for the city of Pittsburgh as voters will select who will be the democratic nominee and likely the winner of the general election in November. Pittsburgh has not had an independent or republican mayor since 1998 (you can see the entire list of Pittsburgh mayors on wikipedia here).

In an effort to increase voter participation in the upcoming election we have created votePGH. Please take a moment to visit votePGH.org and pledge to vote on Tuesday, May 21, 2013. This is a non-partisan effort to increase awareness about the upcoming election.

We have set a goal of collecting 1000 pledges by May 21 – we need you to take the pledge and invite your friends to do the same.

Follow @votePGH on Twitter
Like votePGH on Facebook
Get your own votePGH link to track how many of your friends and followers have signed the pledge

Keep reading below for more information on voting in Pittsburgh and why a voter pledge.

A huge thanks to Emile Goss and Kate Holloway who volunteered their time and skill to make votePGH look awesome.

Some Pittsburgh Voter History

Take a look at the voter turnout from the past mayoral elections in Pittsburgh

2001 Primary Election 67, 657 votes cast (wikipedia page)
2005 Primary Election 57,442 votes cast (wikipedia page)
2007 Special Election 68,193 votes cast (wikipedia page)
2009 Primary Election 45,416 votes cast
2009 General Election 51,659 votes cast (wikipedia page)

So if we take the highest number here – 68,000 in 2007 when the population of the city of Pittsburgh was about 312,000 people – only about 20% of the people who live in the city of Pittsburgh are participating in the decision of who will lead this city.

So how do we get more Pittsburgher’s to vote?

Voter Contact = More Voter Participation

The organization Nonprofit Vote, which works with nonprofit organizations to help them engage their members in the election process, has started doing some research on how to increase participation. Studies have shown, and more research is underway, that people who are contacted about voting before an election are more likely to vote and more likely to encourage friends and colleagues to vote on election day. You can read more about Nonprofit Vote’s research here.

If You Love Pgh – You Have to Vote – Mon 4/22 is the Last Day To Register to Vote

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 is Primary Election Day – and it is an important election. Residents of the city of Pittsburgh will be voting for our next mayor. The next 33 days of campaigning provide an incredible opportunity for the city of Pittsburgh to talk about what this city should look like going forward.

You have 4 days left to register to vote or to update your voter registration.

Important Dates for the May Primary Election

Monday, April 22, 2013 – Last day to register to vote before the May Primary Election
Tuesday, May 14, 2013, 5pm – Last day to request an absentee ballot for the Primary Election
Friday, May 17, 2013, 5pm – Absentee ballots must be returned to Department of Elections
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 – Primary Election Day

A complete calendar of election dates is available from the Allegheny County Department of Elections here.

How to Register to Vote or Update Your Voter Registration

You can fill out a voter registration form online and print it out and mail it in. There are two great websites that can help you with your voter registration.

1. TurboVote

I just learned about this website a few weeks ago. TurboVote is a super simple to use website – you put in your address and they will send you email reminders about voting deadlines. Attached to the email is a PDF of voter regsitration form that is already filled in with your information. All you need to do if open the PDF, print it out, sign it and mail it to the county board of elections.

I have signed up for TurboVote and they do not send any extra emails. The image here is of the email I received yesterday.

2. Rock The Vote

Click here or the image below to access a out the voter registration form (via Rock The Vote website). Neither IheartPGH or Rock The Vote collects any of your information – we can only see how many people used the link to fill out a registration form.