Allegheny County to offer early, in-person voting at Downtown Pittsburgh election office

Allegheny County plans to offer registered voters the opportunity to apply for a mail-in ballot, have it approved on-site, and then cast that ballot the same day all at the elections building in Downtown Pittsburgh.

It’s Allegheny County’s de facto version of early, in-person voting. It all can be done quickly and easily at a former concession stand located on the first floor near the entrance of the Allegheny County Office Building, located at 542 Forbes Ave.

Allegheny County Director of Elections David Voye said they hope to have ballots ready by Monday, and the county will notify the press when testing for ballots is finished.

“As long as you are a registered voter, you can apply for and receive a ballot, and choose to vote onsite if you choose,” said Voye.

On Wednesday, Allegheny County officials toured the county’s new Election Division offices with Pennsylvania acting Secretary of State Leigh M. Chapman. The county recently moved all election offices to the third floor of the Allegheny County Office Building for more space and improved accommodations.

Chapman said she supports Allegheny County’s effort at over-the-counter voting, and she hopes that other counties throughout the state will work to offer the same service.

“Having the convenience of casting a mail-in ballot the same day you apply, people really love it,” said Chapman.

At the Allegheny County elections office counter, people can also register to vote. But that process can‘t be completed instantly and typically takes a few days to be approved. However, once voters are registered, they can visit the counter and turn in mail-in ballots.

County officials said they will also be extending the office’s hours in the run-up to the May 17 primary election once ballots are done with testing.

Chapman encouraged voters to turn out as soon as possible. She said over 664,000 mail-in ballots have been approved throughout Pennsylvania.

Voye said about one-sixth of those are coming from Allegheny County. He said with that number of mail-in applications, he expects that nearly all of the mail-in ballots in the county will be counted by the time the polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day, and those tallies will be uploaded.

The primary election will be held on Tuesday, May 17. Mail-in ballots can be returned to the county election office up to 8 p.m. on Election Day.