On Nov. 2, Philadelphians will head to the polls to cast ballots for the district attorney, city controller and a slate of judges in the 2021 general election, The Temple News reported.
To participate in the general election, Philadelphians must have been registered to vote by Oct. 18. New voters will receive a voter registration card in the mail about 14 days after submitting their registration application, which will provide details about their assigned polling place, The Philadelphia Citizen reported.
Voters who cannot travel to their polling place for the general election can visit their county’s election website to learn about ways to request absentee ballots.
Here’s what you need to know about voting in the Nov. 2 general election.
Voting in person
Polls will be open for in-person voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the Philadelphia City Commissioners’ website. Any voter standing in line by 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote, even if they enter the voting booth past the cutoff time, The Philadelphia Citizen reported.
Philadelphians can find their closest polling location using the Philadelphia City Commissioners’ atlas. Multiple polling places will be open near Temple University’s Main Campus, like Bright Hope Baptist Church on 12th Street near Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Norris Homes on 11th Street near Berks and Beckett Life Center located on 16th Street near Jefferson.
Voters are encouraged to wear masks and social distance while voting in person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. The CDC recommends anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or has come in close contact with someone with the virus to stay home.
Voting by mail
Philadelphia voters can opt to vote by mail, instead of in person, if they submit an application requesting a mail-in ballot by 5 p.m. on Oct. 26.
When completing their mail-in ballots, voters must use a blue or black pen to completely fill in the bubble next to the candidate of their choice. Once the ballot is filled out, voters must seal it inside the secrecy envelope the ballot came with. The secrecy envelope can then be placed and sealed in the pre-addressed outer return envelope, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website.
Voters must sign and date the declaration statement on the outer return envelope for their ballot to be counted, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website.
Besides mailing their ballots, voters can choose to hand-deliver their completed mail-in ballot to the county elections office in Room 142 of City Hall or a ballot dropbox. Ballot dropboxes are located throughout the city, like at Eastern State Penitentiary on Fairmount Avenue near 22nd Street and Shissler Recreation Center on Blair Street near Norris.
The county election board will only count the mail-in ballots they receive by 8 p.m. on Nov. 2, regardless of if they were mailed in or hand-delivered, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website.
Who are the Candidates?
District Attorney
The District Attorney is a prosecutor that represents the state in more than 75,000 criminal judicial proceedings per year, according to the Office of the District Attorney website.
Larry Krasner, the incumbent and Democratic nominee, is running for reelection against Charles Peruto, a Philadelphia attorney and Republican nominee, after winning more than two-thirds of the Democratic vote in the May primary, The Temple News reported.
City Controller
The City Controller takes on the role of Chief Auditor of Philadelphia and audits the operations of the Mayor and the City Council, according to the Office of the Controller’s website.
Rebecca Rhynhart, the incumbent and Democratic nominee, is currently unopposed in her campaign for reelection, according to Ballotpedia.
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas
The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas is a trial court that hears civil and criminal cases and is split into three divisions, including the Trial Division, the Family Division and the Orphans’ Division, according to the Philadelphia Courts’ website.
Judges of the court oversee original civil actions brought by and against Pennsylvania, as well as appeals from state agencies and the Court of Common Pleas, The Temple News reported.
Voters can select up to 12 candidates.
The Democratic nominees include:
Cateria R. McCabe (Incumbent)
Dan Sulman (Incumbent)
Nick Kamau
Wendi Barish
Betsy Wahl
Chris Hall
Michele Hangley
Craig Levin
Monica N. Gibbs
Leanne L. Litwin
Mark J. Moore
John P. Sabatina Jr.
There are no Republican candidates for this election, according to the Philadelphia City Commissioner’s website.
Judge of the Municipal Court
Judges of the Philadelphia Municipal Court are responsible for trying a limited range of criminal and civil offenses, like sentences that include five years of incarceration or less, cases that involve a $12,000 amount or less in controversy or $15,000 in real estate and tax cases, according to the Philadelphia Courts website.
Voters can select up to five candidates.
The Democratic nominees include:
Greg Yorgey-Girdy
Michael C. Lambert
George Twardy
Christian A. DiCicco
Fran McCloskey
There are no Republican candidates for this election, according to the Philadelphia City Commissioner’s website.
Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Justices on the state’s Supreme Court preside over the highest court in Pennsylvania’s judicial system and serve a 10-year term, according to the Pennsylvania Courts website. Democrats currently hold a 5-2 majority on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Voters must select one candidate. The Democratic nominee is Maria McLaughlin and the Republican nominee is Kevin Brobson.
Judge of the Pennsylvania Superior Court
The Judges of the Superior Court are responsible for appeals in criminal and most civil cases from the Courts of Common Pleas and appeals on matters involving children and families, according to the PA Courts’ website.
Voters must select one candidate. The Democratic nominee is Timika Lane and the Republican nominee is Megan Sullivan.
Judge of the Commonwealth Court
Judges of the Commonwealth Court preside over the state’s intermediate appellate court, which is responsible for hearing appeals in criminal and most civil cases that come from the Courts of Common Pleas, and cases involving children and families, according to the Pennsylvania Courts website.
Voters can select up to two candidates. The Democratic nominees include Lori A. Dumas and David Lee Spurgeon. The Republican nominees include Stacy Marie Wallace and Incumbent Andrew Crompton.
Other Races
There are four judicial retention elections on the ballot, according to the Philadelphia City Commissioner’s website. Judicial retention determines whether an incumbent judge should stay in office, according to Ballotpedia.
Voters will also elect a judge of elections and Majority and Minority Inspector of Elections, according to the Philadelphia City Commissioner’s website.
Ballot Measures
Ballot measures are questions that appear on an election ballot for voters to give their input on a proposed law or a constitutional amendment.
The first ballot measure asks voters if they are in favor of decriminalizing marijuana for non-medical related purposes for adults 21 and older, according to Philadelphia Votes.
The second ballot measure asks voters if they are in favor of creating the Department of Fleet Management to manage city vehicles, vehicle-related equipment and fueling sites, according to Philadelphia Votes.
The third question asks voters if they are in favor of granting the City’s Personnel Director to have more control over the hiring process for each of the city’s departments, by considering job types and needs of the civil service system, according to Philadelphia Votes.
The fourth question asks voters if they are in favor of requiring the Philadelphia City Council to set aside money in the budget annually for housing programs like affordable housing, according to the Philadelphia City Commissioners.
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