TIM STEVENS, CEO OF THE BLACK POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT PROJECT, ENCOURAGES EVERYONE TO VOTE IN THE MAY 19 PRIMARY ELECTION. (PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)
There isn’t a lot of fanfare leading up to this year’s Pennsylvania Primary Election, scheduled for May 19.
There isn’t that big Pittsburgh mayoral election, like last year. And this isn’t a presidential election year, either.
Still, as long as one has the right to vote, one should vote, in “each and every election,” as Tim Stevens, the CEO of the Black Political Empowerment Project, continually stressed during an April 27 press conference in the Hill District.
Stevens brought some friends with him to stress the importance of voting, like Gloria Coulverson and Dr. Chauncey Alexander with the Urban League Young Professionals of Greater Pittsburgh.
GLORIA COULVERSON, with the Urban League Young Professionals of Greater Pittsburgh, urges young people to vote on May 19. (Photo by J.L. Martello)
“We are here to show you that the youth are out…we don’t want to just see you every four years voting for a president,” Coulverson said. “Most of our voices are heard at the state and local levels, and that’s where we need to be. So it’s very important that you vote in the midterm elections and the general elections as well.”
Coulverson added: “This is personal to us. Our future is on the ballot.”
A number of African Americans are on the ballot in the Pennsylvania Primary. For the 12th Congressional District, Summer Lee, the incumbent, is running against Pittsburgher William Parker on the Democratic ticket. On the Republican side, James Harris is on the ballot.
“Our movement has proven to be, not just inspirational, but one that is very focused on delivering for working people…making sure that the folks who are most vulnerable are no longer the people who are experiencing the harms in the way that they have,” Congresswoman Lee said as part of her remarks when she announced her bid for re-election in December 2025 in the Strip District.
In the race for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Gov. Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who is Black, are seeking re-election. First, they have to win the Democratic Primary on May 19, which seems like a foregone conclusion.
For the 24th House District, incumbent La’Tasha D. Mayes is running against another African American, William Anderson. The 24th House District includes neighborhoods like East Liberty, Homewood, Lincoln-Lemington, Larimer and East Hills, among others.
“No one can take our right to vote away,” said Elaine Harris-Fulton, with B-PEP. “Voting is the foundation of democracy, it is not an option. When we all vote, ‘ain’t no stoppin’ us now,'” as the press conference attendees sang to McFadden & Whitehead’s “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.”
Polls across Pa. open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, May 19, and close at 8 p.m.