Fitzgerald calls for every registered voter in Allegheny County to be sent a mail-in ballot; PA launches a hiring portal

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has called for an expansion of the state emergency declaration to allow the county to send every registered voter a mail-in ballot to avoid voters going to the polls for the June 2 primary election.

“Holding an in-person election in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic would be, in and of itself, a disaster,” he said, according to a press release sent April 13. “We are not going to have enough staff to work the election and asking elected and appointed poll workers to work flies in the face of what we’ve been asking everyone in this county to do since mid-March.”

Fitzgerald is following the recommendation of Allegheny County Health Department Director Dr. Debra Bogen, who said in-person voting would contradict the necessary precautions to curb the spread of the virus.

Allegheny County announced two new deaths and 19 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. The county has experienced a total of 21 deaths — all of individuals older than 65 — and 876 reported cases to date.

The county also reported four new hospitalizations, taking the total to 134 (past and present).

Pennsylvania reported 1,366 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, an approximate 6% increase from Sunday, which brings the state’s total to 24,199.

The state also reported 17 new deaths, raising the state’s toll to 524.

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry launched a COVID-19 job portal on April 13, intended to help connect residents looking for work at life-sustaining businesses that are immediately hiring. In order for a business to list its open positions on the portal, it must be considered life-sustaining and have more than 10 openings.

Independent contractors who wish to file for unemployment should not file with the current form, as a new form designed specifically for this type of work is anticipated to become available within the next two weeks, according to Director of the Office of Unemployment Compensation Benefits Policy Susan Dickinson.

(Photo via iStock)

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Fitzgerald calls for every registered voter in Allegheny County to be sent a mail-in ballot; PA launches a hiring portal

 

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