Pittsburgh 2014 Primary Election Day Guide

Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 20 is election day in Pennsylvania.  The polls are open from 7am to 8pm.

Here is what you will find in this post:

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Find Your Polling Location

Need to know where to go to vote? Enter your address at vote411.org to find where you should go to vote.

Primary vs. General Election – what is the difference?

Tomorrow is the primary election – where each party chooses the candidates for the general election.  From the VotesPA website:

In Pennsylvania’s Primary Elections, voters choose their party’s nominees to run in the General Election by casting ballots.

Pennsylvania holds closed Primary Elections, meaning you must be a member of the party to vote for that party’s candidate (for example, you could not vote in the Republican primary unless you are a registered member of the Republican Party).   The candidates that receive the highest number of votes in the Primary Election will be the nominee representing their party on the General Election ballot.

Voter Guides

Nonpartisan Voter Guides for the 2014 Pennsylvania Primary Election:

• Smart Voter is the League of Women Voters nonpartisan guide – not the prettiest website, but has a ton of information
• BikePGH Questionnaires for Candidates for Governor [@bikepgh]
  • Rob McCord
  • Allyson Schwartz
  • Katie McGinty
• B-PEP (Black Political Empowerment Project)is a non-partisan civic organization founded in 1986 was a partner to the African American Gubernatorial Forum Coalition which produced the Tuesday, April 22, 2014 event at Central Baptist Church located in the Hill District, Pittsburgh, PA.  Here are the responses from three of the candidates that were submitted to the coalition
  • Rob McCord Response
  • Allyson Schwartz Response
  • Tom Wolf Responses
• Pennsylvania Environmental Council – Q&A on the Environment – includes answers from Tom Corbett and all 4 democratic candidates [@PECPA]
• PennFuture Questionnaire: Gubernatorial Candidates’ Responses

Partisan Voter Guide for the 2014 Pennsylvania Primary Election:

• 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club 2014 Primary Endorsements 
• Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Voter Guide
• EqualityPA Voter Guide  [@EqualityPA]
• Keystone Progress PAC 2014 Primary Election Endorsements [@KeystoneProgres]
• Planned Parenthood of PA [@PPAdvocatesPA ] – click here to for a customized guide by your voting location
• Shadyside Dems Candidate Ranking
• Sierra Club – Allegheny Group
  • No endorsement for governor
  • Lt. Governor – Brad Koplinski
  • State House 36th District – Erin Molchany 
• Steel City Stonewall Democrats 2014 Primary Endorsements [@StonewallPGH]

Election Night Parties Around Pittsburgh

Usually each campaign hosts an after party where volunteers can gather for some food and to watch the results together.

• Allegheny County Democratic Committee Unity Party @Steamfitters Local 449
• Erin Molchany’s Campaign @ Red Beards on Mt. Washington

Know of another party that should be on this list?  Please leave a comment below and we will update the post.

Pittsburgh Election Day Discounts

Local businesses that are planning to offer a discount to folks who have voted.

Twitter Handles for Candidates

Hashtags to Follow

• #votePGH
• #PAGov

#votePGH Instagram Contest

Help us get out the vote.  Share your election day photos on Instagram with the hashtag #votePGH