A special election is being held Tuesday in the South Hills to fill a vacant state House seat.
The seat had been occupied by former state Rep. Dan Miller, D-Mt. Lebanon, for more than 12 years. He stepped down after being elected in November to serve as an Allegheny County Common Pleas judge.
Democrat Jen Mazzocco of Dormont and Mt. Lebanon Republican Joseph Leckenby are running to replace him.
Mazzocco has been a teacher at Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill for 15 years. She is in her third term on Dormont Council.
Leckenby graduated from Duquesne University’s law school last year and is a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania.
The 42nd District includes Baldwin Township, Castle Shannon, Dormont, Mt. Lebanon and part of Upper St. Clair. Of the district’s nearly 49,000 registered voters, nearly 26,000 are Democrats, 15,000 are Republicans, 6,200 are independents and 1,900 are members of other parties, according to state records.
The 42nd District race is one of five special election races being held in the closely divided state House this year.
A race in the 22nd District (part of Lehigh County) is also being held Tuesday, races in the 79th (part of Blair County) and 193rd (parts of Adams and Cumberland counties) districts are scheduled for March 17, and a race in the 196th District (part of York County) is being held on May 9. Democrats currently outnumber Republicans in the state House, 100 to 98.
Voters can check their registration status here and find where their polling place is located here.