Decision 2020

DECISION 2019: Results of Tuesday's election in Pennsylvania

Election Day has wrapped up and results are in for key races, including Allegheny County District Attorney and Westmoreland County Sheriff.

Democratic incumbent Stephen Zappala won his race for a sixth term as Allegheny County DA, an office he’s held since 1998. He defeated Independent Lisa Middleman.

Westmoreland County has a new sheriff after Republican incumbent Jonathan Held lost to Democrat James Albert. Held has been in the news for discrimination lawsuits and public corruption in office charges.

Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner (D) has also been in the news, but she won her race against Republican Brooke Nadonley. Wagner was charged with a felony for an incident at a Detroit hotel. Her trial starts next week.

CLICK BELOW for more results and scroll down for Election Day updates as they came in throughout the day Tuesday.

UPDATE (11:30 p.m. Tuesday): Results continue to come in. Click the link below for results.

Click here for live results as they come in

UPDATE (11:18 p.m. Tuesday): Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner issued the following statement regarding the passage of the City of Pittsburgh ballot question creating a "Parks Trust Fund" through a new property tax:

"While I did not support the Parks Tax ballot question in the City of Pittsburgh, I agree with its supporters that greater investment in our parks, with a focus on communities which have been neglected for years or decades, is essential. I call on the Mayor and City Council to ensure that decisions on allocations from the new tax be made transparently and with ample public involvement. <br/>  <br/> "To this end, I would urge that these funds remain under the auspices of City Council and not handed to an unelected board operating outside the democratic process. Given the narrow margin of passage, all of our taxpayers should have confidence that their money is being spent in the light of day by representatives of their choosing who are accountable at the ballot box."

UPDATE (10:26 p.m. Tuesday): Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala has declared victory for a sixth term.

UPDATE (8:00 p.m. Tuesday): The polls are now closed.

Allegheny County officials also provided one more update:

  • Pittsburgh 14-3 (Chatham University Laughlin Music Hall) – a voter who was involved in an earlier altercation returned to the polling place and demanded to see the list of voters; that individual is not an authorized poll watcher or poll worker; the judge of elections spoke with Elections Court and the voter was ordered to leave the building or police would be called. No further update has been provided.

UPDATE (7:00 p.m. Tuesday): Polls are open for another hour. A spokesperson for Allegheny County said anyone standing in line at 8 p.m. will still be allowed to vote.

They also gave an update on a few additional issues that happened this afternoon:

  • Penn Hills 8-1 (St. Gerard Magellan Church Hall) – poll worker had medical emergency; additional staff dispatched.
  • Pittsburgh 14-3 (Chatham University Laughlin Hall) – judge reported that voter attacked another voter in polling place; all parties had left polling place – unknown if any police report filed
  • Pittsburgh 14-13 (Westinghouse Park) – outside lights at the park have gone out; DPW dispatched crews and all lights back on
  • Pittsburgh 24-1 (Spring Hill School) – report that individuals campaigning aggressively outside, not allowing voters to get into polling place; Elections staff dispatched and addressed with no further issue
  • Pittsburgh 26-14 (St. Boniface) – report around 5:30 PM that power outage at polling place with entire block dark; coordinated with ACES and Duquesne Light and power was restored at approximately 6:30 PM (machines operated on back-up battery; no voters turned away)
  • Pittsburgh 28-3/28-4 (Westwood Elementary) – report that parks referendum question not showing on all ballots; Elections staff responded and question is showing on all machines with issue unable to be replicated (believed to be user error)
  • Plum 20 (New Pivik School Gym) – reported that had only one poll worker; additional staff dispatched for assistance in closing
  • Sewickley Heights (Sewickley Heights Historical Center) – write-in candidate giving voter assistance inside the polling place; clarified with caller and poll workers what is and isn't allowed in the polling place by an authorized poll watcher

UPDATE (6:45 p.m. Tuesday): Power has been restored at one voting location.

The polling precinct at St. Boniface Church was without power for about 25 minutes, but voting continued on battery-powered machines.

UPDATE (3:30 p.m. Tuesday): The Allegheny County Elections Division provided the following update on issues and concerns -- which were said to be "nothing out of the ordinary" -- so far Tuesday at the polls:

  • Pittsburgh 14-19 reported a calibration issue with a machine, which has been taken out of use
  • Pittsburgh 18-2/18-4 was without power after a portable space heater was plugged and may have blown a breaker. Fire officials were at the location taking a look at the need for portable heaters and lighting. The voting machines were operating on battery power.
  • Pittsburgh 30-1 reported problems on voting machines upon opening. Voters used emergency paper ballots until the machines were ready
  • West Mifflin 0-16 reported the judge was late in arriving and therefore voting started late.
  • Clairton 3-2 reported the smell of gas from a kitchen. The gas company responded, but voting continued.
  • McCandless 1-1 reported a calibration issue with a machine, which has been taken out of service while a technician responds to recalibrate it.
  • McKeesport 12-1 opened late (about 8:30 a.m.) because the judge had car trouble this morning.

For alerts to election day news, including race results, download the Channel 11 News app HERE.

  • Monroeville 2-2 had operator-error with a machine and used 12 emergency ballots until the issue was resolved.
  • Pittsburgh 8-2 voter reported that a list of absentees was not posted. The judge of elections was contacted and the list is posted.
  • Pittsburgh 10-12/10-13 had a shortage of poll workers. A county employee was dispatched and poll workers were redeployed from another district. No voters were turned away.
  • Pittsburgh 13-8 reported that a machine was beeping, indicating a battery issue. A technician was responding to address it.
  • Pittsburgh 14-12 reported a calibration issue with a machine, which was taken out of use until a technician responded and recalibrated the machine.
  • Pittsburgh 16-01 poll workers requested another poll worker. This has been addressed
  • Pittsburgh 18-2/18-4 had power out at the polling location and electricians responding to address it. Voting machines are working on battery back-up. No voters have been turned away (if battery life is done/used, will move to emergency ballots for voters until resolved).
  • Pittsburgh 21-3 and 21-4 is in a secure building and voters were being asked to show ID for admittance. Security was contacted and advised that they are not allowed to do so.
  • Pittsburgh 26-7 was having issues with one machine, but its other machine was operational and people were voting. Elections staff responded and were able to address.
  • Pittsburgh 26-12 had difficulty getting their machines up and running, so voters were offered emergency ballots this morning. The issue was resolved before 8:30 a.m.
  • There have been no issues, and only two calls, in Elections Court. One had already been handled by Elections (machines down) and one was determined to be a non-issue (where individuals could distribute literature at a polling place).

UPDATE (7 a.m. Tuesday): Polls have opened for Tuesday's election. If you need help finding your polling place, scroll down for information.

ORIGINAL STORY: Here's a guide to what you need to know before heading out to cast your vote Nov. 5.

Races to watch

There are dozens of races that pertain to each of the state's municipalities, but there are a few higher-profile races to watch.

The race for Allegheny County District Attorney has Democratic incumbent Stephen Zappala up against Independent Lisa Middleman. Other important races in Allegheny County include those for Allegheny County Chief Executive (currently Democrat Rich Fitzgerald) and Allegheny County Controller (currently Democrat Chelsa Wagner).

Key races in the city of Pittsburgh include Pittsburgh City Council District 3 (Democratic incumbent Bruce Kraus against Independent Jacob Nixon) and Pittsburgh City Council District 9, which has four candidates, including Democratic incumbent Ricky Burgess.

Meanwhile, in Westmoreland County, the race for sheriff will be one to watch. It's between Sheriff Jonathan Held (R) and James Albert (D).

RELATED STORIES:

Finding your polling place

Need help finding your district? Click the link HERE.

First-time voters

Voting for the first time in Pennsylvania? Voting at a new polling place? Here's how to prepare:

  • Bring a photo or non-photo ID.
  • Realize the busiest times of day are morning and evening.
  • If you have a question, ask a poll worker.
  • If your name is not on the voter roster and you believe you registered to vote in your precinct, you may have the right to vote with a provisional ballot.
 

Cox Media Group

0

Most Read