Apr 8, 2018 4 min read

After the media blitz this past winter, those who thought they could put special elections behind them may be surprised to learn there’s yet another one being held in conjunction with the May 15 primary.

If you live in one of eight municipalities in the Canonsburg-Washington area, you’re in for special election round two.

No, it’s not a special election for Congress this time; it’s just for 39 voting precincts in the Washington-Canonsburg area that are part of state House District 48.

Although primary elections are for only members of the Democratic and Republican parties, a special election means any registered voter in the designated 39 precincts can cast a ballot in the special contest.

The highly publicized March 13 congressional showdown among Conor Lamb, Rick Saccone and Drew Gray Miller was a standalone affair.

But conducting a special election within a primary presents some special challenges.

Democrats have their ballots and Republicans have theirs. But independents, those registered with third parties and minor parties also have a right to vote in the special election.

“Democrats and Republicans will get voter-access cards coded with their party,” said Melanie Ostrander, assistant director of elections for Washington County, just as they would in any primary.

Those not affiliated with Democrats and Republicans will be issued a third type of card to insert in the touch-screen machines that will bring up just the special election race among Democrat Clark A. Mitchell Jr., Republican Tim O’Neal and Libertarian Demo Agoris.

Both major-party candidates, chosen in January at mini-conventions by their respective political parties, live in South Strabane Township.

Agoris, a Houston councilman, was selected by a Libertarian caucus that notified the Pennsylvania Department of State on the third-party candidate deadline March 26 that his name would be appearing on the special election ballot.

One needs to look back to last year to recall the reason behind the special election in the 48th District.

Brandon Neuman resigned his seat in the state House as 2017 came to a close just before taking his oath of office as a Washington County Common Pleas Court judge. He won both nominations in May 2017, making November’s judicial general election a quiet one for the open seat on the bench caused by the resignation of Debbie O’Dell Seneca in early 2015.

There’s a domino effect when an elected official wins another elected office, hence the vacancy in the state House of Representatives 48th District seat that includes Canonsburg, Chartiers Township, Houston, Washington, East Washington, North Franklin and South Strabane.

The eight municipalities have a population of a little more than 61,000.

Contrast this with the 18th Congressional District, as constituted in the special election, where Lamb, Saccone and Miller battled to represent approximately 709,000 residents in parts of Washington, Greene, Westmoreland and Allegheny counties.

While the independents and third-party candidates will see only the 48th District special election on their ballots, those who are voting in the Democratic and Republican primaries will see it on the last page of their touch-screen ballots.

Whoever is elected in the special election will serve until the end of the year, but major-party voters will also be nominating candidates to run in the Nov. 6. election for a two-year term that begins in January 2019.

On the Democratic ballot, Joseph Zupancic of North Strabane Township and Mitchell have filed for the two-year term for Legislature in the 48th District. On the Republican ticket, O’Neal is the sole candidate in both the special election and general election.

The list of candidates for the November election won’t be finalized for a few months after the primary because the filing deadline for third-party candidates is Aug. 1.

On major-party ballots preceding the special election page will be nominations for U.S. Senate, the new 14th Congressional District, governor, lieutenant governor, state Senate, state House, state party committee and precinct committee chairmen and chairwomen.

April 16 is the last day to register to vote in the May 15 primary. Citizens who are 18 or will turn 18 on on before May 15 are eligible.

May 8 is the last day to apply for a civilian absentee ballot.