Barack Obama to launch get-out-the-vote tour Thursday in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH — Barack Obama will launch a get-out-the-vote tour for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in Pittsburgh on Thursday evening with a speech at the University of Pittsburgh’s Fitzgerald Field House.
Obama’s visit occurs as polls show the race is a statistical tie in the Keystone State, with all results within the margin of error.
Both Harris and the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump — with their running mates and surrogates — have been barnstorming Pennsylvania to court every voter they can in what is considered to be a critical swing state. Harris is expected to visit Erie on Monday for a rally, but no further details on that event were immediately available.
Pennsylvania, with 19 Electoral College votes, is the largest of the battleground states.
Mail-in voting has already begun in Western Pennsylvania.
According to Allegheny County officials, nearly 192,000 mail-in ballot applications have been approved, and almost 189,000 ballots have been mailed out as of this week. Nearly 24,000 completed ballots have already been returned to the elections office. No mail-in ballots will be opened and counted until Election Day.
The county began hosting “over-the-counter” voting in the lobby of the County Office Building at 542 Forbes Ave on Sept 30. Over-the-counter voting will be available weekdays 8:30 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. until the Oct. 29 deadline to request a mail-in ballot.
In addition to putting their early ballots in the mail, county voters — beginning Oct. 29 — will also be able to return them to county staff at various return sites. This year they may also visit a handful of satellite locations, beginning Oct. 15, where they can complete various election-related services, including over-the-counter voting.
