Two candidates are facing off Tuesday in a highly consequential special election in the heart of Allentown.
Democrat Ana Tiburcio and Republican Robert E. Smith Jr. are seeking to fill the remainder of former state Rep. Josh Siegel’s term in the 22nd District.
Here is what you need to know about the race.
Who are the candidates?
Tiburcio, a Dieruff High School graduate who has lived in Allentown for over 27 years after relocating from New York, said her campaign platform includes increasing education funding, workforce development and prisoner reentry, all things that she has advocated for as a volunteer for efforts including Allentown Works and Love Your Block, a city initiative to revitalize the Franklin Park neighborhood.
She has been a member of the Allentown School Board since 2023. She is a program coordinator for the nonprofit Fine Feather Foundation, and owner of tax company A&M Tax & Services.
Smith is a program specialist with New Vitae Wellness and Recovery, and has worked in the health field assisting people with intellectual disabilities and brain injuries for over 25 years. He served on the Allentown School Board for 16 years, from 2003 to 2019. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the school board in 2025.
If elected, Smith told The Morning Call he would focus on keeping taxes down, bringing funding to Lehigh Valley projects, increasing funding for private school vouchers and enacting a statewide ban on transgender athletes.
Education focus of debate in Allentown special election that could sway Pa. House control
Who can vote in the upcoming election, and how?
The district covers most of Center City and East Side Allentown and parts of surrounding Salisbury Township. To find out if you are eligible to vote in the 22nd District, search on Pennsylvania’s Department of State website.
Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The last day to request a mail-in ballot was Feb. 17.
Voters who requested a mail-in ballot can drop off their ballot at any of the following locations by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Lehigh County Government Center, 17 S. Seventh St., Allentown
Salisbury Township School District Administrative Building, 1140 Salisbury Road, Main Entrance Lobby.
Coca-Cola Park Administrative Offices, 1050 IronPigs Way, Allentown. Open until 5 p.m.
If you plan to vote in person, you can find your polling place at www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/PollingPlaceInfo.aspx.
Why is the election important?
The seat has been vacant since late December, when Siegel, a Democrat, resigned in the middle of his term to take the helm as Lehigh County executive. His resignation left the 22nd District with no representation in the state House.
Further, the election could sway control of the state’s House of Representatives, where Democrats hold just a one-seat majority — if Smith were to win, Democrats could lose that edge.
However, Democrats are heavily favored in the district, where they outnumber Republicans 3-1.
How were the candidates chosen?
The Republican and Democratic parties of Lehigh County, respectively, hand-selected their candidates via an internal, ad-hoc committee process.
Smith said he was recruited by Lehigh County Republicans to run in the special election. He was selected over two other prospective candidates.
Lehigh County Democrats in early January originally selected Julian Guridy, a constituent services representative for state Sen. Nick Miller, out of a pool of five prospective candidates, who applied via an internal party application process.
However, Guridy dropped out of the race just two days before a state deadline because he did not meet legal residency requirements to run in the district. He lived in Florida as recently as 2023, when candidates are required to have lived for four consecutive years in the district they run to represent.
Democrats then recruited Tiburcio — who was not part of the original pool of candidates who applied — to become their nominee instead. Democratic state Rep. Mike Schlossberg said the committee chose Tiburcio because other applicants failed to receive more than one vote from committee members during the selection process.
When is the general election, and who will run in it?
Both Tiburcio and Smith have indicated they also plan to mount a campaign for a full two-year term in the November general election. Candidates for that election will be decided by the May 17 primary election.
Tiburcio is expected to face a challenge in the Democratic primary from Allentown City Council member Ce-Ce Gerlach. Gerlach, a progressive Democrat, was critical of the party’s internal process to select a candidate for the special election.
No other Republicans has announced their intention to run.
The general election will take place Nov. 3.
Where can I see the special election results?
The Morning Call will be updating the special election results live on its website. To follow the results, go to themorningcall.com.
Reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at Liweber@mcall.com.