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WHAT A VOTER SHOULD KNOW�� About the Next Election

1. Good Morning, Good Afternoon) My name is…..

My co-presenter is…

“We are volunteers from the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh. The League is not for women only—we welcome ANY member, 16-years-old and older, who supports our mission which is Empowering Voters, Defending Democracy!”

Students up to the age of 24 are free members courtesy of our League..

“We are a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization which means we don’t support or oppose specific candidates or political parties. The League is about the HOW and not the WHO.”

“In this and every election year, we want to remind you that as citizens or naturalized citizens, you inherit a RIGHT—and that is the right to VOTE. We are passionate about the POWER of the vote.”

“We appreciate you listening in and we are here today to answer your questions and hope you will learn something new about the confusing world of voting and elections.

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AGENDA

Why Vote?

When Do I Vote?

Who Do I Vote For?

How Do I Vote?

What About Election Integrity? Is My Ballot Secure?

Q & A

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WHY VOTE?

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��

BIG Issues

LOCAL ISSUES

Officials

WE ELECT

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BIG ISSUES

Your Issues Your Lives

Reproductive Rights

Racial Justice

Immigration

Fair Housing + Food Insecurity

Healthcare + Mental Health

Community Police Relations

Free Speech

Access for People with Disabilities

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Climate Crisis & Environment

School and Gun Safety

Student Debt

LGBTQ+ Rights

Jobs and Minimum Wage

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Issues Close to Home

Your Issues Your Lives

Anti-Bullying Policies

Cell Phones Allowed

Cost of Community College

Community Police Relations

Parental Rights in Schools

Special Needs Programming

School & Local Taxes

QPA Needed for Sports Teams

New Business Zoning

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Clean Creeks and Streams

School and Gun Safety

School & Library Curriculum

LGBTQ+ Issues

Food Banks

Air Quality

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Honor

our

past

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7. Another reason to vote comes from Honoring our Past! It is important to remember that our gift of voting today happened because we

Stand on the shoulders of those who really had to fight for Voting Rights. (in our history: people of color, women, the disabled, incarcerated, and reentering citizens.)

Claim Your Power and Exercise Your Right to Vote!

Let’s talk about the photos: (If you have time.)

In the late 1960’s, 18-year-old young men were being drafted into the military to fight in Vietnam but were not allowed to vote.
Protesters mobilized for a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age from 21 to 18-years-old.
Public opinion shifted and the 26^th Amendment was enacted in 1971.

The second photo was taken in 1965, at the height of the Civil Rights movement, when the late US Representative John Lewis and other activists

marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama for the equal right to vote for ALL American citizens.

John Lewis’ Voting Rights bills are languishing in Congress. You all know his story of sacrifice and courage.

The last photo shows a Suffragist behind bars, fighting for women’s right to vote. They fought for 80 years to gain this right.

“What year did women gain the right to vote?” (1920).
“What year did the League of Women Voters begin?”

Also 1920, to educate women on the issues important to them.

One half of the population, WOMEN, have only had the right to vote for 105 years! Something to think about!
And when did women get their own credit?

Not until 1976!

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Voting Pros and Cons

You won’t have a say

You may get an official you least agree with…

Or who didn’t want you to vote at all

If You Don't Vote:

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8. “So many of you may be voters and I’m preaching to the choir…But let’s remember what can happen if you CHOOSE NOT to vote. “

“While the reason NOT to vote may appear to be legitimate, in a world that seems to get more chaotic and scary everyday there are consequences to not voting.”

--”You won’t have a say in how the government is run or what the direction of the country will be.”

--”Not voting may result in a winner you least agree with.”

--”Allows those to WIN who may not have wanted you to vote. “

--”However, you may choose to vote, and your may candidate lose! The possibility of not getting exactly what you want in any election is not a reason to sit out.”

(Optional) “So many voters say they want change:

Something to remember: Our representative democracy has the structural advantage to peacefully change through voting! - IT’s BUILT IN! “

“It’s built-in because our Founding Fathers counted on the participation of its citizen to be essential to the health of our Democracy.”
And when we vote, we citizens decide what WE choose to preserve and protect-- and what we choose to change.”

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Local Governments regulate many,

many parts of our lives...

2025 Municipal Election Video

Rules for and cost of owning my pet

Safe roads: some speed limits, and speed bumps, paving and potholes

Low cost of joining a sports team

An Affordable and Reliable Waste Management Company: on-time GARBAGE collections

Community Events like Light up Night, 4th of July Fireworks, Movies in the Park

High School Graduation requirements

Fair and Approachable District Magistrate

Accessible Parks, Swimming Pools, and Skating Rinks

Zoning for

Affordable Housing and Aging in Place

School and Municipal Taxes

Maintain Free Libraries

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WHEN DO I VOTE?

Types and Kinds of Elections

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SPECIAL ELECTIONS

Elected official can no longer serve
Held during a Primary or General Election
ALL eligible voters may vote

Different TYPES

of Elections

LOCAL/MUNICIPAL - (Odd Years)

Local, City, and County Officials, Magistrates, and Judges

FEDERAL AND STATE - (Even Years)

US Presidential, US Congressional, PA State Government

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Officials YOU ELECT

President/Vice President

US Senators

US Representatives

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

STATE

GOVERNMENT

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

Mayor

County Executive

Other City, County, and Town Officials

Sheriffs

School Board Members

Judges*

Governor

Lieutenant Governor

State Senators

State Representatives

Attorney General

State Treasurer

Auditor General

Judges*

If NOT YOU, then WHO will elect these officials?

*May vary from state-to-state

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12. So, when you vote, these are the Officials you elect, the positions that need to be filled.

Allow just a few seconds for students to read or read slide. 2025 Officials are in purple box.

City Elections

Voters will elect a Mayor for the city of Pittsburgh, and city council members.

County Elections

The Allegheny County Sheriff, and half of the County Council members are up for election in 2025.

Township and Boroughs

Commissioners and council members will be up for election.

School Boards

School Board positions will be open in all of Allegheny County's 40+ school districts. Half of the seats will be elected in each district.

(You can learn more about school boards on our Public Education in PA page.)

Judicial Elections (this info will change as we get more clarity about which Judges are running– and which will be on General Election ballots for retention.)

Pennsylvania voters will be electing judges at all levels, including local Magisterial District courts, county-wide Common Pleas courts,

and the statewide Commonwealth, Superior, and Supreme Courts.

(You can learn about these positions on our PA Courts page.)

“If you don’t vote to hire these officials, someone else will.”

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A Word about Judges and

the Courts

Graphics- Judges-How We Elect Them and Help Choosing a Judge

Allegheny County Bar Association Ratings and PA Bar Association Ratings

LWVPGH PA Courts webpage and Video Gallery

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NEW Video- Voting for Judges

13.. Let’s tell you a story that some of you may have experienced.

You just drove a little too fast--got a lot of points and a big fine-- so you want to challenge your ticket.

Where do you go? You will be visiting your local Magistrate. Wouldn’t you like to have known how that person qualified for this job? Will that person be open to your side of the story?

There are other kinds of cases Magistrates handle…they are the gateway to our justice system.

●Magisterial District Judges are elected for 6-year terms in competitive, partisan elections. Their seats come open every 6 years, and they must run again against other candidates to win a new term.

Click on Judges Graphics.

We want you to think about how the decisions Judges make can impact your daily life.

●Pennsylvania voters will be electing judges at all levels, including local Magisterial District courts, 8 openings for county-wide Common Pleas courts, and election of 1 Commonwealth Court and 1 Superior Court Judge.

● It can be hard to find information about these candidates-- one source is our website. And you can learn more about these positions on the LWVPGH PA Courts web page.

●Our website has a Video Gallery of the Common Pleas Judges who are running. (Click on this.) 7 Common Pleas Judges for retention.

● Let’s look at the Allegheny County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations (Click on them)

●What is RETENTION: Judges in the Common Pleas and statewide Appellate Courts are elected for 10-year terms. When running for their first terms, they run in competitive, partisan elections.

As in other partisan races, voters usually have a choice of candidates. After a judge's first term, their seat does not come open for a competitive race. Instead, they can file for "retention" for another ten-year term.

●What is "Retention"? When judges run for retention, voters will have a yes/no ballot option on retaining the incumbent judge, rather than a choice of candidates.

It is extremely rare for judges to be removed on a retention vote.

●Retention on the General Election Ballot: 1 Commonwealth judge, 1 Superior Court judge, and 3 PA Supreme Court Justices will be on the ballot for “retention” which leads to another 10-year term.

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Different KINDS

of Elections

Closed PRIMARY in the SPRING

GENERAL Election in the FALL

In PA's CLOSED Primary:

Democrats vote for Democrats; Republicans vote for Republicans. (No "Independent" Party in PA)

GENERAL ELECTION:

ANY registered voter can vote for ANY candidate in ANY party.

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14. Some voters don’t know that there are TWO elections EVERY year!

PRIMARY means “first” or “most important” and it is where candidates for the GENERAL Election are chosen.

In some races, the Primary result is the final result. Sometimes all candidates running for an office are members of the majority party in the district,

and the Primary Election winner has no opponent in the November General Election.

This happens often in small, municipal races and in districts that lean strongly towards one of the two major parties–Democrat or Republican.

And so MANY municipal elections are decided in the Primary. That is where the choice is.
For example…

The Primary Election we had on May 20th was CLOSED to anyone not registered as a Democrat or Republican-- the two recognized, major parties in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania does not have an “Independent” Party- if you choose not to declare a party you can choose “unaffiliated”.

Not so fun fact: PA is one of only 9 states to have Closed Primaries.

There are 1.3 Million unaffiliated PA voters (they aren’t R’s or D’s), and they do not get to vote in the Primary Elections.
There is a lot of energy building in Pennsylvania for OPEN PRIMARIES where every eligible voter, no matter how they register, could vote in a Primary.
So if this interests you, do some research to learn more.

To sum it up-

In PA’s Closed Primaries, there are two different ballots--Democrats vote on the Democrat ballot and Republicans vote on the Republican ballot to choose their OWN party candidates for…
The General Election coming up this FALL, is where ANY Voter can vote for ANY candidate in ANY party, and where the same candidates will be on a single ballot.
In the fall, General Election, there may also be candidates from “third parties”, like the minor parties- Libertarian and Green and political bodies like- the Keystone, Forward, Constitution, and American Solidarity parties.

The Municipal GENERAL Election will be held Tuesday, November 4th.

Please remember that ANY registered voter may vote in ANY election (including a Primary), IF there is a ballot question, constitutional amendment, or a special election.

Is that clear? Any questions?

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Not sure what party to choose,

if any?

Take the

Pew Research Center/PBS quiz

Sample Question:

If you had to choose, would you rather have…

A smaller government providing fewer services

A bigger government providing more services

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15. Many young voters are unsure and confused about choosing a party when they REGISTER to VOTE.

This is normal. Young people have not had a great deal of experience in looking at issues or candidates with a political party affiliation.

We strongly encourage voters to take a few minutes to take the Pew Research Center/PBS quiz. It can help voters sort out where you stand on issues.

PEW is a nonpartisan source of information.

It won’t exactly tell you whether you align with the Democrats, Republicans, or some other political party.
It will tell you where your stand on a continuum from Progressive to Conservative ideas.

Just remember that if you don’t join one of the two major parties in PA– Republican or Democratic, you won’t be able to vote in the spring election,

where you could have the most choice about candidates.

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Who do I vote for?

It’s a job interview!

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Job description

What are the qualifications?

Example: School board

What do you expect?
Who gets paid?
Community comments?
Student member?

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17. It might be smart to look at this as less of a personality contest on social media and more of a JOB INTERVIEW.

Would you look for specific qualifications?

Discuss:

What questions would you want to ask your school board member?

Do you think School Board members should have their own children enrolled in the district? What about retired educators or business owners?
Do you think School Board members should be elected or appointed? (Fun fact; until the 1960’s The City of Pittsburgh had appointed school board members.)
What should a job description include– are the three on the slide important or not?”
Do they have experience managing things like budgets, facilities, personnel? Have they done planning for long-term growth?
Do they allow student members?

What are you looking for in a representative of your community? Do your Township Commissioners have a vision for the future of the area?

Is your township expanding or losing population and tax base?
What is the biggest problem your community faces?

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When choosing a candidate, how does that person say they will solve your problems and get the job done?

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18. When choosing a candidate, think about the person best qualified to solve the problems important to you.

Who will get the job done?

Here are some tips.

We’ve help you figure out both the big and local ISSUES that are most important to you.
Which candidate offers real solutions to address these issues?
Compare your candidate choices-- their education, qualifications and experience.
Look at the source of the candidate’s funding.

Listen to people on both sides.

Then DECIDE.

Remember:

One size does not fit all! You may not find a candidate who aligns with ALL the issues that are important to you.
Consider what to trade off to get what you want. It’s not all or nothing.
Not finding a perfect match with a candidate isn’t a reason to sit out!

Connect the dots…turn your passion into power by voting for candidates at the local level who will make the changes you wish to see.

And get ready-- we are now being flooded with rivers of mis- and disinformation, and you know what that means- sorting through what’s real and what’s meant to deceive you.

Transition: Let’s talk about this a little more.

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Be Smart About Misinformation and Disinformation

Recognize the risk
Don’t just read the headlines; check multiple sources
Are the sources reliable?
What evidence is provided?
Who will gain?
Talk with those you trust

Politifact, FactCheck.org, Ballotpedia,

News Literacy Project, Allsides

https://www.lwvpgh.org/docs.ashx?id=1290275

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19. READ some points on the SLIDE.

When you are unsure of a headline or a meme– what could you do?

critically think about what you choose to read,
find reliable sources and use “lateral reading” to help with fact-checking, The website All Sides can help with that.
don’t click to advance trolling posts.

(Mike Tomlin click story.)

Misinformation-false or inaccurate–

Example: Today is xxx (wrong day). That’s just wrong.

With disinformation, while there may be a kernel of truth, it is actually FALSE information that is intended to deceive or trick you.

You may not need us to tell you about mis- or disinformation. But do you know that 20-30% of it is coming from foreign enemies of our democracy?

Turn to the reliable resources you can trust,

Check out the websites on this slide
We have a graphic called, “What Sources Can You Trust” that you can find on your classroom website,

and presentation videos that explain what you can do about disinformation on our Video web page.

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HOW DO I VOTE?�� 3 Options in Allegheny County

for Eligible, Registered Voters

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QUALIFICATIONS

To REGISTER to Vote in Pennsylvania EVERY citizen:

Must be a US citizen for 30 days

Must be 18 years old on or by the next election day

Must be a PA resident for 30 days prior to the next election

Must have a PennDOT ID number, PA Driver's License number, OR the last four digits of your Social Security Number.

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Using PennDOT ID or PA Driver’s License-- ONLINE Application

Using Social Security #-- PRINTED Application

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But First– You have to REGISTER-

Online or Paper

Register if you are from ANY STATE
Routed to your state's voter portal
Receive Rock the Vote reminders
Will not share your information

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Rockthevote.org

Can access from Vote411.org

You can also register today with a paper application

22. Second, You must also register to vote:

You need approved ID:

If you are using your PennDOT ID or PA Driver’s License, your signature is on file. Use your name the way it appears on these documents.

It is easy to register to vote ONLINE. You can scan this QR code to Rock the Vote.

If you are using the last four digits of your Social Security #, it is easier to use a PRINTED Application because,

•if you apply ONLINE with a Social Security #, you must UPLOAD your signature. Sometimes the website can be quirky.”

To vote in the 2025 General Election, you must be 18 years old on or before Election Day on November 4th…and you must register before the deadline on October 20th.

(Optional) Pass out “Be Heard” or LWVPGH Resource postcards.

●These cards have all the information you need.. a QR code to register, election deadlines, information about in-person

and mail-in voting, Election Protection numbers, and more.

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Preview Your Ballot & Know Before You Go

Nonpartisan Voting, Election and Government Information at www.lwvpgh.org

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LWV Nonpartisan CANDIDATE Information

CANDIDATE information, SAMPLE BALLOT
Register if you are from ANY STATE
Routed to your state's voter portal
Receive LWV email or Rock the Vote reminders

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Vote411.org

League of Women Voters Website

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24. . In Allegheny County we will have about 1300 candidates in all the Municipal Elections.

About 6 weeks before every election, PA Nonpartisan CANDIDATE Information can be found at www.Vote411.org, the national League of Women Voters website.

Included are questions, that if the candidates answer, allow you to compare candidates side-by-side. There are also links to the candidates' websites.

Just enter your address to make your own personalized list of candidates to vote for and email to yourself.
You can take it to the polls as your own “sample ballot”.

If there is time and interest, the presenter can enter their own address and navigate to the ballot choices– click on one race to see candidates.

--You can also register to vote from ANY STATE

--Be routed to your state voter portal

--Receive LWV email or Rock the Vote reminders

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3 WAYS You Can VOTE� Mail-in/Absentee Ballot

– “Over-the-Counter” Voting

In-person Voting in Your Polling Place�

For More, see “Make a Plan to Vote in Your Polling Place” graphic here .

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Mail-in Voting

It’s a Take-Home Test

Who has endorsed this candidate?

What is their position on fracking/healthcare/gun safety?

What does their Facebook page tell me?

What does their website emphasize?

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BEWARE: �Secrecy Envelopes and Missing Dates ��Follow Directions to Complete and Return Your Mail-in Ballot!!

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

Or you can vote “Over-the-Counter” at

your Election Office

27. Read slide

If you use a Mail-in Ballot:

Follow the direction exactly when completing your ballot and the return envelope.
You must return ONLY your own mail-in ballot if you go to a drop box or to a satellite or Elections Office. Deadline is 8pm on Election Day and postmarks do not count!

Or If you have NOT already applied for a Mail-in Ballot, you can VOTE EARLY with “Over-the-Counter” voting;

When ballots become available, about 30 days before the election, you can go to your Election Office, take approved ID,

and apply for a mail-in ballot.

●Your ballot will be printed and given to you.

●In a private space you can complete it and turn it in.

Be aware that ongoing court cases could impact information about Mail-in Voting. Contact your County Election Office for the most up-to-date election information.

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Know Voters' Rights

Click HERE

for graphic

Click HERE

for graphic

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For Help Call

866-OUR-VOTE

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WHAT ABOUT ELECTION INTEGRITY?

Is My Ballot Secure?

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The main responsibility for running elections is left to the States and individual counties,

not to the

Federal Government

8/2/2024

5

PA Capitol Building

Let’s Start with an

OVERVIEW

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30. READ SLIDE. It’s the STATE, not the Federal Government who make most of the laws that govern elections.

(If time permits):

One example of Statewide administration, is Mail-in and Over the Counter voting permitted by law in PA, but it's up to the counties to implement these policies.

Each of PA's 67 counties can make their own UNIQUE policies for conducting elections, based on broad guidelines in Federal Law, the PA Election Code and based on the precedents set in court cases.

For instance-questions about whether drop boxes are allowed or whether voters will be permitted to correct mistakes on their Mail-in Ballots before election day are examples of different rules for different counties.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Optional: One question, recently before Commonwealth Court briefly changed the rules

to allow Mail-in/Absentee ballots with incorrect or missing dates on the OUTER envelopes TO BE COUNTED.

Then that was reversed by the PA Supreme Court because it only included 2 large counties, Allegheny and Philadelphia and not all 67 counties.

The PA Supreme Court decide not to take up a further appeal because of the closeness to the Election date.

Stay tuned…

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Election Law at 3 Levels of Government

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De-centralized Election Administration

Three levels of administration in 67 Pennsylvania Counties make large-scale fraud impossible!

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PA Department of State

County-level Officials

Judges of Elections and Poll Workers

8/2/2024

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PA’s System of Election Administration

THREE LEVELS

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Want even more detail? See this video:

Journey of an Official Election Ballot

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8/2/2024

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Even More Questions??

Go to PA.gov:

https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/vote/elections/fact-checking-pa-related-election-claims.html#accordion-b9100703df-item-04f728cd8d

Fact-Checking in PA

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VOTING is a way to GET THINGS DONE

for your community

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VOTING gives you POWER

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VOTING makes your VOICE HEARD

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VOTING makes your VOICE HEARD because

you will be the majority

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Did you know that in the US in 2025 there are over 41 MILLION new ELIGIBLE young voters? *8 million 18-year-olds alone!

As a Young Voter, YOU

have the greatest stake in the future

bring new perspectives to old problems

can help good ideas to filter up from the grassroots to the Federal level

help shape the culture in your community

have extensive social connections

More Reasons Why 41 Million of You Should VOTE and BE HEARD

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PA

If you don't vote, you don't have a say in the direction of your country, your state,

your local government.

Elections have consequences

and ACTIONS speak louder than words!.

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EVERY ELECTION COUNTS!

YOU COUNT!

VOTE!

If you care about your issues,

then CLAIM YOUR POWER and...

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vote.pa.gov

League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh Website at lwvpgh.org

Sources and Resources

English

Spanish

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THE END

Or is it The Beginning??

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JOURNEY OF AN � ELECTION BALLOT

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https://www.canva.com/design/DAFlSKo9FyY/hgaS07C-SzTzNsvWnyaK5Q/edit?utm_content=DAFlSKo9FyY&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton