Democrat Ana Tiburcio and Republican Robert E. Smith Jr. were seeking to fill the remainder of former state Rep. Josh Siegel’s term in the 22nd District in a special election Tuesday.

Polls are now closed, but results are not yet available.

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.

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 is a member of the Allentown School Board 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.

The two candidates faced off in a public debate hosted by Lehigh Valley Public Media on Feb. 12.

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.

Outside the East Side Youth Center polls Tuesday, Republican political activist Joseph Maher told The Morning Call he cast a ballot for Smith.

Maher said he and Smith, who he has known for over two decades, share political priorities like keeping taxes low, addressing crime and improving the Allentown School District’s standing.

“We both have a similar philosophy,” Maher said.

Maher, who had canvassed between around 8:30 a m. and 4:30 p.m., said the trickle of voters has been “very slow.” As of 4:30 p.m., less than 100 voters had walked through the doors at the East Side Youth Center, which included two separate voting precincts in Allentown, Maher said.

Gloria Walker, who voted at the Lehigh County Government Center Tuesday afternoon, cast a ballot for Tiburcio. Walker said she favors gender equality, education funding and abortion rights, all issues she believes Tiburcio will advocate for.

She also told The Morning Call she worries about the future of democracy under President Donald Trump, and believes Democrats will fight to keep elections free and fair.

“I feel democracy as a whole is being taken away, and it scares me,” Walker said.

Russell Young, a support staffer for autistic students at the Allentown School District, cast a ballot for Tiburcio at Allentown City Hall Tuesday. Young said he tends to favor Democrats because he supports LGBT and women’s rights, and also wants to see more funding for the Allentown School District.

“Hopefully we are on the right path for America to be united once more,” Young said.

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