The 2023 General Election date is Tuesday, November 7th.
What's the deadline to register in your state?
https://www.usvotefoundation.org/vote/state-elections/state-election-dates-deadlines.htm#MI
According to Philadelphia’s Home Rule Charter, “executive and administrative power of the City, as it now exists, shall be exclusively vested in and exercised by a Mayor and such other officers, departments, boards and commissions as are designated and authorized in this charter.” The mayor, who appoints those officers, department heads and board and commission members, also presides over a $5.8 billion budget and more than 25,000 City employees. He or she must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the U.S. and a three-year resident of Philadelphia.
Of the 17 Council members, seven are elected “at-large” (by voters from throughout Philadelphia) and 10 from districts. Of the seven at-large members, no more than five can be from the political party with the largest number of registered voters in the city. There are no party restrictions on district members. All members must be at least 25 years old, be U.S. citizens and residents of the City for at least one year. (District members must have lived in their districts for a year.)
|
|
From the City Commissioners' website:
The Philadelphia City Commissioners are a three-member bipartisan board of elected officials in charge of elections and voter registration for the City of Philadelphia. Each Commissioner is elected to serve a four-year term that coincides with the municipal election cycle for Mayor and City Council.
The Commissioners set and enforce departmental policies to administer voter registration and conduct elections in accordance with federal and state voter registration and election laws.
Only 2 Commissioners can be from the majority party.
Candidates:
Democratic Party
Omar Sabir (incumbent)
Lisa Deeley (incumbent)
Republican Party
Seth Bluestein - (incumbent)
Independent of the Mayor and City Council, the City Controller conducts independent audits and analyses that provide objective information to city officials, the public, and other interested parties about the city’s financial operations, and on ways to improve city operations and the use of public resources.
Candidates:
Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office provides security in the First Judicial Court (Philadelphia) courtrooms and manages court-ordered property foreclosures and tax sales. The sheriff, who is elected citywide to a four-year term, must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the U.S. and a one-year resident of Philadelphia.
Candidates:
Philadelphia’s Register of Wills is responsible for probating wills and granting letters of administration when persons die without leaving a will. The office also maintains records of wills, inventories of estates and similar documents and serves as an agent for the state for filing and payment of inheritance taxes. The office’s other important function is to issue marriage licenses. The Register of Wills, who is elected citywide to a four-year term, must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the U.S. and a one-year resident of Philadelphia.
Candidates:
Visit https://www.pacourts.us/learn to learn about the structure of the Pennsylvania court system, and how judges are elected.
The following proposed amendments to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter will be voted on in November:
Resolution No. 230430: Should the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to create an Office for People with Disabilities to coordinate the City’s compliance with requirements to provide access for people with disabilities to City services and programs and to otherwise provide for incorporation of the Office into the City government?
Ballot questions can be confusing! The Committee of Seventy Voter Guide (see below) always provides a good "clear language" explanation of the ballot questions.
Committee of Seventy - Philadelphia General Election Voter Guide
Billy Penn (at WHYY) - Elections & Politics in Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Citizen - Politics
Philadelphia Bar Association, Judicial Commission (for ratings of judicial candidates)
You are eligible to vote in U.S. federal elections if:
Voter Registration Deadlines
In all states except North Dakota, you must register before you can vote. Registration deadlines vary. Some states close registration 30 days before the election, while others allow voters to register up to and on Election Day. Find out your state's voter registration deadline for the general election.
Voter Registration is by State
You must be registered in your state of legal residence; as a student, this can be either your home address, or your campus address. If you’ve changed states permanently, you must re-register in your new state.
You can’t be registered to vote in more than one place at a time. When you register to vote in a new location, you’ll be asked for your previous address. Your new election office will send a cancelation form to your previous election office.
If you’ll be temporarily away from home during the election, you can vote by absentee ballot with your state of legal residence. Examples of voters who’ve moved or are away temporarily include:
Different states use different rules and procedures for voting; some states allow early voting or voting by mail; others don't. Make sure you know what the procedures are in the state where you are registered. You can only vote at a Philadelphia polling place if you are registered to vote in Pennsylvania, at a Philadelphia address!
Pennsylvania has recently (9/19/2023) announced implementation of "automatic voter registration", integrated with the driver's license/State ID application process. WHYY news story: Pennsylvania has made it easier to register to vote when drivers get or renew a license
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS FOR PENNSYLVANIA MAIL-IN BALLOTS:
* In Philadelphia terms -- put the jawn in the jawn, put that jawn in the other jawn, and sign and date the back of the jawn!
About Wards, Ward Leaders, and Committee Persons:
Philadelphia is geographically divided into 66 wards. Each ward is further divided into 10-50 divisions based on population. Every four years, during the primary election of the governor’s race, registered Democratic voters in each division elect two of their neighbors to serve as the division’s Democratic committee persons; likewise, registered Republican voters elect two Republican committee persons. The elected committee persons make up each party’s ward committee, and vote for a ward leader shortly after the election, usually informally at a meeting of the ward committee. Read more about the important of Ward Leaders at http://phillywardleaders.com/learn .
Drexel University (University City Campus) is in the 27th ward. The Ward Leaders are: