Allegheny County is once again offering Over the Counter voting in the lobby of the County Building downtown (542 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15219). They are open and offering this service Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm until November 1st.

"Over the Counter" voting is basically a fancy way of saying we're going to give you a mail-in ballot right here and have you fill it out. This is a great way to make sure you get to vote if you're not sure you're going to be able to make it to your polling place on election day OR if you just want to get it over and done with early.

Over the Counter voting is available to registered voters who have not previously requested a mail-in ballot for this election.

Steps to vote Over the Counter:

1. Print out the mail-in ballot application and fill it out. They will also have copies of the form available for you to fill out at the County building.
2. Go downtown to the lobby of the County building at 542 Forbes Avenue and turn in or fill in your mail-in ballot application.
3. Staff will check your eligibility and if there are no problems, give you your correct ballot.
4. There is a special private area where you will be able to fill out your ballot. Be sure to sign and date it!!
5. Return your completed ballot right there. And congrats you've voted and you don't have to worry about it any more. Ta-da.

If you are interested in more details, you can read about Over the Counter voting on the County website. This service will only be available until November 1st (the deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot).

If you have already requested and received your mail-in ballot and want to drop it off instead of mail it, you can also do that during the OTC voting hours. Usually, the County will offer extended hours for mail-in ballot drop-offs (including weekends) as we get closer to the election, but they haven't announced those yet. Remember, you must return your own mail-in ballot. You cannot bring multiple ballots and turn in a ballot for someone else.

If anyone sees any errors in this post or has other tips to share, please let me know. This is shaping up to be a high turnout election and it's an important one, so make sure you have a plan to participate.