Deadline approaching for voter registration

Pennsylvania residents who want to vote in the Nov. 3 municipal election must register by Monday, Oct. 5, according to the Allegheny County Divisions Office.

In the Pittsburgh municipal elections slated for Nov. 3, five of the nine city council seats are up for election. There are a total of 12 candidates up for these seats, all of whom are Democrats.

While the 2016 Presidential elections are taking the spotlight, Mark Wolosik, manager of the Elections Division of Allegheny County, said students should pay attention to municipal elections.

“The people that are on the ballot and being elected,” Wolosik said, “may impact family life more than the presidential elections.”

City council representatives, the district magistrate and other officials elected in municipal elections make monetary decisions including tax rates, police budgets and the amount of money the University is going to get from the state. Wolosik said the decisions of these representatives could impact the price of tuition.

Out-of-state students who want to vote in the upcoming election, according to Wolosik, should act quickly.

Although people can now register online to vote, applicants are still required to have a signature on file with PennDot. This means out-of-state students still need to print out the registration form, sign it and postmark it before or on Oct. 5. Applicants can also choose to have the State Department send them a signature form, which could take more time.

“If you wait until the weekend to do it, there’s not going to be enough time,” Wolosik said.