Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, County Council Salary Amendment (November 2023)

Allegheny County Council Salary Amendment
Election date November 7, 2023
Topic County governance and Local government official salaries
Status Approved
Type Referral

Allegheny County Council Salary Amendment was on the ballot as a referral in Allegheny County on November 7, 2023. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported providing Allegheny County Council members an annual salary of $10,939, rather than per-meeting stipends that max out at that amount after attending 20 (of 24) meetings.

A "no" vote opposed this charter amendment, thus keeping compensation of Allegheny County Council members as per-meeting stipends that max out at $10,939 per year after attending 20 (of 24) meetings.

Election results

Allegheny County Council Salary Amendment
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		176,552	52.02%
No		162,873	47.98%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Council Salary Amendment was as follows:

“

Shall Article III, Subsection 7(a) of Allegheny County’s Home Rule Charter be amended to provide Council members with an annual salary of $10,939, to be increased no more than 5 percent every 5 years?

”

Support

Arguments

• County Council Member Bob Macey (D): "The average time for a council meeting is an hour. In reality, our work goes way beyond that. [The existing per-meeting stipends] completely ignores all council members’ attendance at and participation in committee meetings and public hearings, including our budget public hearings. And it makes no allowance whatsoever for the work that all of the Council members do interacting with our constituents, the local business community, and other elected officials and government agencies in the various council districts and countywide."

Opposition

Arguments

• County Council Member Bethany Hallam (D): "Right now, you're allowed to miss two meetings and you still get your full pay for the year. So you get two freebies already. I can't imagine how many more [meetings] people can expect their elected representatives to miss. [With the measure,] attendance at meetings would no longer be mandatory to receive your pay. … If you're not showing up for the people who entrusted you with their votes, their support, their representation, why should you get paid their tax dollars?"

Path to the ballot

The Allegheny County Council voted 11-3 to refer the charter amendment to the ballot.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Pennsylvania

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Pennsylvania.

How to vote in Pennsylvania

Poll times

In Pennsylvania, all polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Pennsylvania, an applicant must be a citizen of the United States for at least one month before the next election, a resident of the district in which he or she is registering for at least 30 days before the next election, and at least 18 years old by the day of the next election. The deadline for registering to vote is 15 days before the election. Registration can be done online, in person, or by mail. Prospective voters can register in person at the county voter registration office or at a number of state agencies, including Pennsylvania Department of Transportation centers. The Pennsylvania voter registration application is available online and can be mailed to the county voter registration office. On September 19, 2023, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) announced that the state had implemented automatic voter registration.

Automatic registration

Pennsylvania practices automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Pennsylvania implemented an online voter registration system in 2015. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Pennsylvania does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Prospective voters must be residents of the district in which they are registering for at least 30 days before the next election.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Pennsylvania does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Pennsylvania Department of State allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.

Voter ID requirements

Pennsylvania does not generally require voters to present identification while voting. However, a voter who is voting at a polling place for the first time must present identification.

Voters can present the following forms of identification. This list was current as of October 2024. Click here to ensure you have current information.

“

Approved forms of photo identification include: Pennsylvania driver’s license or PennDOT ID card ID issued by any Commonwealth agency ID issued by the U.S. Government U.S. passport U.S. Armed Forces ID Student ID Employee ID If you do not have a photo ID, you can use a non-photo identification that includes your name and address. Confirmation issued by the County Voter Registration Office Non-photo ID issued by the Commonwealth Non-photo ID issued by the U.S. Government Firearm permit Current utility bill Current bank statement Current paycheck Government check

”

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2023
• Salaries of local officials on the ballot

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania 2023 local measures
• Local ballot measures, Pennsylvania
• Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas