Seth Warren

Election Day 2025

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 23:27:05 GMT

Election season is upon us. Election day is still two weeks away, on Tuesday, November 4^th. If you live in Pennsylvania, polls to vote in person are open from 7:00AM-8:00PM. If you vote by mail, your ballot must arrive at your county election office before the close of polls on Election Day.

Since I prefer voting by mail, I've already filled out my ballot and sent it in. Have a sample of my polling picks...

Judicial Retention

Allegheny County Council

Mayor of Pittsburgh

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Primary Day 2025

Sat, 17 May 2025 20:00:37 GMT

"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time..."

Winston Churchill, November 11^th 1947

The above quote, attributed to Churchill, is actually of unknown origin. Churchill himself stated that he was quoting from another source - one he had long forgotten and unsure if he'd known of it's providence in the first place. Regardless, I think upon the quote and language surrounding the institutions of democracy: we embark on forming a more perfect union, not a perfect union. To me it seems that, outside the bounds of fictions relegated to the mind of each individual, perfect is impossible.

Not that we shouldn't continue to try.

I have been serving as a poll worker, specifically a Judge of Election, for twelve years now. After the May 20^th primary, we shall find out if the voters in my district want to keep me around for another four years. I can only hope that I have done right by every single one of them.

As a private citizen, I've already mailed my ballot back. It contained some questions which needed to be answered:

Special Election Question 1

Shall the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter, Article One, Home Rule Powers – Definitions, be supplemented by adding a new section, “105. Local Governance”, by prohibiting the discrimination on the basis of race, religion, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or expression, disability, place of birth, national origin or association or affiliation with any nation or foreign state in conducting business of the city?

YES

Special Election Question 2

Shall the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter be amended and supplemented by adding a new Article 11: RIGHT TO PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF POTABLE WATER SYSTEMS, WASTEWATER SYSTEM, AND STORM SEWER SYSTEMS, which restricts the lease and/or sale of the City’s water and sewer system to private entities?

YES

Special Election Question 3

Shall the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter, Article One, Home Rule Powers – Definitions, be supplemented by adding a new section, “104. Amendments to Charter”, by prohibiting the use of the Home Rule Charter Amendment process to add duties or obligations beyond the lawful scope of the city’s authority.

YES

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Election Day 2024

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:31:04 GMT

We in the United States are one week away from Election Day - or, more accurately at this point - the conclusion of election season. If you are in Pennsylvania, the polls to vote in person are open from 7:00AM until 8:00PM on Tuesday, November 5th. If you opted for mail-in voting, you should probably get that ballot in a post office box immediately so it isn't late and you don't risk it not being counted! My ballot was filled out and submitted weeks ago.

To the detriment of any other long-form journal writing, for several years now I've encouraged people to vote and then "endorsed" a laundry list of candidates. However, at this juncture, I feel it would be remiss of me to act like everything is normal this year: things are most certainly not normal. The republican nominee for President is a fascist - there is simply no other way to put it. His rally at Madison Square Garden over the weekend was the most amplified his hateful rhetoric has ever been. This same rhetoric has persisted since his firing from the office in 2020 and his violent attempts to keep it on January 6th, 2021.

This gluttonous desire for power has made executing the duties of an elections worker a hazardous job. Nationwide, poll workers and elections officials have faced threats of violence by people who have been lied to and whipped into a frenzy by a man who neither cares for them personally nor the institution of democracy as a whole. As I think forward to once more executing my duties as a Judge of Election at my polling place this Tuesday, November 5th, it remains on my mind that I am among those who have been threatened. Will it happen again and how shall I defend not only myself, but democracy?

Perhaps I will write at length one day about what happened when the wolves came to my door. It feels especially salient as I prepare myself to step up and make the case for my own reelection in 2025. However, in my role as a private citizen, a lover of democracy and an American, I implore my fellow voters...

Please, please, PLEASE reject fascism. Vote for democracy and decency. Vote to to pull our nation back from the brink.

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Primary Day 2024

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 15:48:41 GMT

We are one week away from Primary Day in Pennsylvania. If you vote by mail, now is the time to get that ballot in a mailbox! If you enjoy potentially standing in line and being accosted by last-minute campaigners (whom are only allowed to do so if they are not blocking the entrance to your polling location), in-person voting happens from 7:00AM-8:00PM on Tuesday, April 23^rd. Everything you need to know about voting in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is online.

My mail-in ballot was returned and recorded last week, so these particular selections are locked in:

President and Vice President

Pennsylvania Congressional District 12

Pennsylvania State House District 36

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Election Day 2023

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 19:01:46 GMT

It is now General Election season in Pennsylvania! The deadline for returning your mail-in ballot is 8:00PM on November 7^th which is when the ballot must be physically received at your local election office to be counted - a postmark is not sufficient. 8:00PM on May 16^th is also the latest you can get into line at your polling place, 7:00AM being the earliest.

If this all looks familiar, it's because everyone whom I voted for in the primary won and I get to vote for them again...

Allegheny County Executive

Allegheny County Council At-Large

Allegheny County District Attorney

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Primary Day 2023

Mon, 15 May 2023 01:05:05 GMT

Primary Election season is upon us in Pennsylvania! The deadline for returning your mail-in ballot is 8:00PM on May 16^th - that's when the ballot must be physically received in your local election office to be counted; a postmark is not sufficient. 8:00PM on May 16^th is also the latest you can get into line at your polling place, 7:00AM is the earliest.

My mail-in ballot was received by my Elections office last week and I think I picked some good ones...

Allegheny County Executive

Allegheny County Council At-Large

Allegheny County District Attorney

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Election Day 2022

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 01:37:54 GMT

We are one week away from Election Day. If you vote by mail, now is the time to get that ballot in a mailbox! Otherwise, in-person voting happens in seven days. If you are in Pennsylvania like I am, the government of the Commonwealth has all you need to know.

As for myself, I returned my mail-in ballot in mid-October. These were some of my selections...

United States Senate

Pennsylvania Governor

Pennsylvania State House District 36

Ballot Question - Allegheny County

Shall Article III, Subsection 6(b) of Allegheny County’s Home Rule Charter be repealed in order to allow Members of County Council the same freedom of right to seek other elected office as is accorded to all other independently elected officials in Allegheny County, such that Council Members are permitted to run for nomination or election to elected office other than that of County Council Member without first having to resign from County Council?

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Primary Day 2022

Tue, 10 May 2022 01:27:41 GMT

Primary Election season is upon us! At least where I live in Pennsylvania it is. People are receiving their mail-in ballots and hopefully filling them out and mailing them back in time to have them counted. The deadline for that is 8:00PM on May 17^th - that's when the ballot must be physically received in your local election office to be counted; a postmark is not sufficient.

For those who don't wish to vote in their pyjamas from the comfort of their homes, one can vote in person on May 17^th from 7:00AM when the polls open until they close at 8:00PM (those standing in line prior to that time will still be allowed to vote no matter how late it gets).

Are you a Pennsylvanian craving more information? There's a website for that.

Do you want to know some of my personal candidate picks? See below...

United States Senate

Pennsylvania Congressional District 12

Pennsylvania State House District 36

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Election Day 2021

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 02:30:56 GMT

Election season is upon us! Election Day itself is one week away on November 2^nd, with polls in Pennsylvania open from 7:00AM-8:00PM (find your polling location here), but if you are like me, you may have opted for a mail-in ballot. You have until 5:00PM today to apply for one of those - and it must be received no later than 8:00PM on Election Day proper. So, if you are concerned that the Postal Service is acting sluggish, you might want to drop your ballot off at your county Elections Office in person.

I'll get to my personal candidate picks in a moment, but before doing so, I wish to mention my personal candidacy. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, poll workers are elected, and I have been serving as a Judge of Election for Ward 32 District 7 of the City of Pittsburgh for eight years at this point. This year I am up for re-election and I am hoping to serve for a third term. So, should you be one of my neighbours, I would greatly appreciate your endorsement and confidence via your vote.

Onwards to the candidates who actually have money to campaign! In addition to the two individuals listed below, Pennsylvania has a slate of judicial candidates up for election this year. Too numerous to list, I simply recommend voting straight-ticket Democratic.

Mayor of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh City Council - District 4

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Primary Day 2021

Tue, 11 May 2021 02:15:52 GMT

Prior to 2020, no-excuse mail-in ballots did not exist in Pennsylvania. As such, I would post this entry on Election Day itself. However, with voting by mail readily available (unless certain misguided groups manage to take it away) and with it being my preferred method of casting my ballot, I'm now going to post these entries one week before Election Day. It's now Election Season...kind of like Halloween or Christmas, but with a lot less candy.

In Pennsylvania, the polls will be open from 7:00-8:00PM on May 18^th (the close of polls is also when all mail-in ballots are due at the Elections Division). Although Pennsylvania has a closed primary for candidates, this primary election is being held concurrently with a general election open to all voters regardless of party affiliation or lack thereof where they must choose how to answer several ballot questions. More information can be found on those questions at the Pennsylvania State Department and a plain-English explainer for said questions can be found at WESA.

As always, my personal picks, starting with questions and then moving to Democratic candidates...

Ballot Question #1

Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to change existing law and increase the power of the General Assembly to unilaterally terminate or extend a disaster emergency declaration—and the powers of Commonwealth agencies to address the disaster regardless of its severity pursuant to that declaration—through passing a concurrent resolution by simple majority, thereby removing the existing check and balance of presenting a resolution to the Governor for approval or disapproval?

Ballot Question #2

Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to change existing law so that: a disaster emergency declaration will expire automatically after 21 days, regardless of the severity of the emergency, unless the General Assembly takes action to extend the disaster emergency; the Governor may not declare a new disaster emergency to respond to the dangers facing the Commonwealth unless the General Assembly passes a concurrent resolution; the General Assembly enacts new laws for disaster management?

Ballot Question #3

Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended by adding a new section providing that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of an individual’s race or ethnicity?

YES

Ballot Question - State of Pennsylvania

Do you favor expanding the use of the indebtedness authorized under the referendum for loans to volunteer fire companies, volunteer ambulance services and volunteer rescue squads under 35 PA.C.S. Section 7378.1 (related to referendum for additional indebtedness) to include loans to municipal fire departments or companies that provide services through paid personnel and emergency medical services companies for the purpose of establishing and modernizing facilities to house apparatus equipment, ambulances and rescue vehicles, and for purchasing apparatus equipment, ambulances and rescue vehicles, protective and communications equipment and any other accessory equipment necessary for the proper performance of the duties of the fire companies and emergency medical services companies?

YES

Ballot Question - Allegheny County

Shall the Allegheny County Code, Chapter 205, Allegheny County Jail, be amended and supplemented to include a new Article III, which shall set forth standards governing conditions of confinement in the Allegheny County Jail?

YES

Ballot Question - City of Pittsburgh

Shall the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter be amended and supplemented by adding a new Article 10: Powers of the Pittsburgh Police, containing Section 1001, which shall bar employees of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police from executing warrants at any residence without knocking and announcing themselves?

YES

Mayor of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh City Council - District 4

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Election Day 2020

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 14:11:30 GMT

The general election has finally arrived! If you aren't one of the numerous people who voted early or by mail, this is your final chance to cast your ballot. Where I live, in Pennsylvania, polls are open from 7:00AM-8:00PM. Mask up, bathe yourself in hand sanitizer, stay six feet away from other voters and exercise your democratic rights.

My personal picks below:

President and Vice President

State Representative HD36

Ballot Question

Shall the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter, Article Two, Executive, be amended and supplemented by amending and adding new language to Sections 229 and 230 and adding a new Section, 231, expanding the powers of the Independent Citizen Police Review Board to allow the Board to require police officers to participate in investigations, conducting performance audits of the Police Bureau and preventing the removal of Board members except for just cause and with City Council approval?

YES

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Primary Day 2020

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 01:00:37 GMT

Today is Primary Day in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania...and to say that things have been unusual would be an understatement. Rescheduled statewide due to the coronavirus crises, I'm going to be working the polls in a city which will be awakening from it's third night in a row under curfew due to bad actors turning protests violent. Regardless, the polls in Pennsylvania are open from 7:00AM-8:00PM, allowing those who didn't vote by mail a chance to vote in person. Figure out where you are voting (it has likely been consolidated due to the pandemic) and do your part to keep democracy alive.

And now, my personal ballot...mailed in several weeks ago...

Democratic Nominee for President

Democratic Nominee for Congress PA18

Democratic Nominee for State Representative HD36

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Election Day 2019

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 02:35:43 GMT

Like clockwork every four years, exasperated citizens ask regarding the candidates, "where do these idiots come from!" My answer is always the same: "they come up through low-turnout off-year elections when barely anyone is paying attention." It is in that spirit that I am encouraging you to cast a ballot in order to keep more idiots from taking office (or to kick some out). Tomorrow is Election Day, so go find your polling place and vote!

As always, I've got my personal picks for my part of Pennsylvania...

Allegheny County Executive

Allegheny County Controller

District Attorney

Ballot Questions:

Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to grant certain rights to crime victims, including to be treated with fairness, respect and dignity; considering their safety in bail proceedings; timely notice and opportunity to take part in public proceedings; reasonable protection from the accused; right to refuse discovery requests made by the accused; restitution and return of property; proceedings free from delay; and to be informed of these rights, so they can enforce them?

Shall the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter be amended to establish a dedicated Parks Trust Fund beginning in 2020 to: improve, maintain, create and operate public parks; improve park safety; equitably fund parks in underserved neighborhoods throughout Pittsburgh; be funded with an additional 0.5 mill levy ($50 on each $100,000 of assessed real estate value); secure matching funds and services from a charitable city parks conservancy; and assure citizen participation and full public disclosure of spending?

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Primary Day 2019

Mon, 20 May 2019 23:49:09 GMT

If you live in Pennsylvania like I do, then there's a primary election today. Pennsylvania rightly has a closed primary (though some fools are trying to change that), so your ballot choices will most likely be limited (i.e.: nothing) if you aren't registered as a Democrat or Republican, but check your local listings for ballot questions which may need to be answered.

Polls are open from 7:00AM-8:00PM. Vote!

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Election Day 2018

Tue, 06 Nov 2018 02:43:34 GMT

Election Day is here again! In Pennsylvania the polls are open from 7:00AM until 8:00PM, leaving you a thirteen hour window in which to vote. Figure out where you are voting and for whom you are voting and do your civic duty as a citizen of an active democracy. Silence is death.

As always, my personal picks for where I live:

United States Senator for Pennsylvania

Governor & Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

Ballot Question

Shall the Allegheny County Home Rule Charter be amended to establish the Allegheny County Children’s Fund, funded by Allegheny County levying and collecting an additional 0.25 mills, the equivalent of $25 on each $100,000 of assessed value, on all taxable real estate, beginning January 1, 2019 and thereafter, to be used to improve the well-being of children through the provision of services throughout the County including early childhood learning, after-school programs and nutritious meals?

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Primary Day 2018

Tue, 15 May 2018 02:42:47 GMT

Someday I will once more write journal/weblog posts about something other than election reminders. Today is not that day.

If you live in Pennsylvania like I do, then there's a primary election today. As Pennsylvania rightly has a closed primary, your ballot choices will most likely be limited (i.e.: nothing) if you aren't registered as a Democrat or Republican, but check your local listings for ballot questions which may need to be answered.

Polls are open from 7:00AM-8:00PM.

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Election Day 2017

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 03:30:20 GMT

It's that time again: election time! In Pennsylvania, the polls are open from 7:00AM until 8:00PM. As this is an "off-year" election, focused on municipal races, it sadly generates less interest. Of course, if you ever wondered where presidents, senators, governors, etc. get their start, you can usually look towards these "boring" off-year municipal elections.

Here's something you may not know: in Pennsylvania, the people who work at your polling place are often a combination of appointed and elected individuals; the former are volunteers generally not assigned to work the same polling place that they vote at, whereas the latter have petitioned their neighbours to get on the ballot for the opportunity to work the polling place they vote at. As such, voters in Pennsylvania have an opportunity to choose who aids them in voting.

If you are a voter in Ward 32, District 7 of the City of Pittsburgh, you will see a familiar name on your ballot for one of the poll worker positions: mine. I, Seth Warren, am the Democratic candidate for Judge of Election at my polling station. My friend, Eva Diodati is running as the Democratic candidate for another poll worker position: Inspector of Election. If you live in Pittsburgh's 32^nd Ward, District 7, I wish to humbly ask for your vote and confidence for both myself and Ms. Diodati to serve at the polls for the next four years. Thank you.

And now, I take off my candidate hat and resume wearing my private citizen cap as I list my personal opinions on which sections of the voting machine touch screen I shall be placing my finger upon:

Mayor of Pittsburgh

Ballot Questions

Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to permit the General Assembly to enact legislation authorizing local taxing authorities to exclude from taxation up to 100 percent of the assessed value of each homestead property with a local taxing jurisdiction, rather than limit the exclusion to one-half of the median assessed value of all homestead property, which is the existing law?

Shall Section 707. Multiple Employment Prohibited, of the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter be amended to permit a compensated City employee to hold a compensated position as a part-time athletic coach in a public school system or a compensated part-time educational position at a public institution of higher learning, as more fully described in Pittsburgh Ordinance 36?

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Primary Day 2017

Tue, 16 May 2017 00:50:37 GMT

Sadly, most Americans don't realise that there are two elections every year. Most turn out for the big, glamorous selection of the president and resume hibernating upon their civic duty for four more years. Of course, this doesn't stop them from asking, "how do we get such idiots for candidates!" Well, my fellow Americans, idiot candidates rely upon people like you being politically apathetic during boring municipal elections, which allows them the opportunity to slip in at the bottom of the political ladder with little opposition, if any at all, and start working their way up.

It's one thing if you vote for an idiot and then complain about that person (and hopefully are more the wiser the next time you go to vote). However, if you complain about the idiots in office yet did nothing to prevent them from taking office...suffice it to say that I have little sympathy for you.

That said, Pennsylvania has a primary election tomorrow (May 16^th). Don't be apathetic. The polls are open from 7:00AM-8:00PM and I'm picking some smart candidates (and I hope you do as well).

Mayor of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh City Council, District 4

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