No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, it is vital to our democracy that we all get out and vote – especially in local and state elections. There are several races on the ballot this year. Keep reading for statewide, county, and local races that will appear on your ballot this fall.
Statewide
Supreme Court Retentions
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is the final decider on what Pennsylvania law means, including the Pennsylvania Constitution. It could hear any case that has gone through the lower court system but hasn’t reached a satisfactory conclusion for one of the parties. In some cases, the Court has the power to hear cases before it has made it all the way through the lower court. However, the Court gets to choose which cases it hears.
In recent years, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has heard cases on voting rights, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, criminal cases, and more.
Supreme Court Justices in Pennsylvania serve ten-year terms, after which Pennsylvanians vote on whether they can keep their seats for another ten years. These votes are called retention elections.
Three justices, all Democrats, are up for retention this year: Christine Donahue, David Wecht, and Kevin Dougherty.
If you vote yes on retention, and a majority of other Pennsylvanians vote yes, then the justices will stay in their seats. However, if a majority of voters vote no, the Governor will appoint a new justice to fill the vacancy until an election for a new justice is held in the next odd-numbered year (in this case, 2027).
Superior Court Justice
The Pennsylvania Superior Court is one of two intermediate appellate courts in the state. It is the appellate court that Pennsylvanians interact with most often every day, as they hear criminal, civil, and family cases appealed from lower courts. Judges are elected to serve 10-year terms on the Court, after which they face retention elections like other appellate judges.
This year, Maria Battista, a Republican attorney for the Judge Group from Clarion, is running against Brandon Nueman, a Democrat from Eighty-Four who sits on the Washington County Court of Common Pleas.
Commonwealth Court Justice
The Commonwealth Court is the other intermediate appellate court in Pennsylvania. Most Pennsylvanians don’t interact with this court, though, because its primary function is to hear appeals from cases that involve state and local government and administrative agencies. It also serves as the trial court, like the County Courts of Common Pleas, when a lawsuit is filed against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
There is one open seat on the Commonwealth Court that will appear on your ballot this year. Matthew Wolfard, a Republican from Erie who, among other things, represents industry against state enforcement actions, will be running against Stella Tsai, a Democrat from Philadelphia who represents clients in criminal, civil, and family law cases, for the position.
County and Local
This year, half of the seats up for election at the State level or in Washington and Greene Counties only have one person running. When candidates run unopposed, voters lack choice in who runs their government—contrary to the principles of democracy. Here are the seats that are unopposed this year in our counties:
Washington County Recorder of Deeds – Carrie Perrell
The recorder of deeds records and maintains all documents related to real estate, and maintains the records for military discharges, agreements of sale, property options, leases, rights-of-way, and easement agreements.
Greene and Washington County Sheriffs – Marcus Simms (Greene), Tony Adronas (Washington)
The Sheriff works for the court system and is often responsible for serving judicial documents, providing security, transporting prisoners, and holding sheriff’s sales.
Greene County Coroner – Gene Rush
Coroners investigate deaths to determine the cause of death, which includes performing autopsies, subpoenaing witnesses, administering oaths, and issuing death certificates.
Magistrate Judges for Districts:
- 27-1-03, Eric G. Porter
- 27-2-01, Charles Chuckie Tenny
- 27-3-03, Josh Kanalis
- 27-3-05, Michael Manfredi
- 13-3-03, Lee Watson
Municipal judges are responsible for hearing minor civil and criminal cases. They handle cases like speeding tickets, initial criminal bookings, and small claims under $12,000.
However, these aren’t the only positions on the ballot this year.
Washington County will have one contested race – for Washington County Controller. Pat Phillips won the Republican primary to run for the seat, beating current incumbent Heather Sheatler. However, Ms. Sheatler won the Democratic nomination through the write-in process, so she will still be on the ballot this November.
Additionally, several local government races are happening this year.
If you live in a Township, this year you will vote for:
Supervisor
The Board of Supervisors governs your township, and a supervisor is a member of that board. They vote for ordinance changes, township budgets and taxes, decide the fate of some project applications, get grant money, and more.
Auditor
Auditors are elected to inspect township accounts and make sure they are in line with township spending. However, your township might hire an accounting firm to complete the annual audit instead.
Tax Collector
The tax collector collects real estate taxes for the township.
School Director
School directors serve on the school board, which handles matters such as school administration policy, hiring, and taxes.
If you live in a Borough, this year you will see the following races on your ballot:
Mayor
The mayor of a borough is the executive branch. They are responsible for enforcing township ordinances, overseeing the police department, and declaring emergencies. They also have the power to veto ordinances passed by the council.
Council
The council governs the borough, which includes hiring any employees, adopting the budget, and adopting ordinances for the borough.
Tax Collector
The tax collector collects real estate taxes for the township.
School Director
School directors serve on the school board, which handles matters such as school administration and policy, hiring, and taxes.