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Pennsylvania politics 101... A guide to the political landscape in Pennsylvania for the uninitiated. Pennsylvania General Assembly The General Assembly consists of two chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Pennsylvania is geographically divided into 203 House districts and 50 Senatorial districts. A Senatorial district may overlap several House districts. Each Pennsylvanian is represented by - and can elect - only one Representative and one Senator. Each Representative serves approximately 60,000 citizens and each Senator represents approximately 240,000 citizens. Representatives serve a two-year term. Senators serve a four-year term. Electing Representatives and Senators Every Representative must face re-election every two years. Every Senator must face re-election every four years. Senatorial elections are staggered to maintain continuity. In 2006, Senators from even numbered districts faced re-election. In 2008, Senators from odd numbered districts will face re-election. Following this schedule, all 203 Representatives and 25 of 50 Senators (from the even numbered districts) will face re-election in 2008. General Elections General Elections, held in November of each year, pit Republicans vs. Democrats vs. Independents vs. candidates from other parties (Libertarian, Green, Constitution, Reform, etc), and determine who will ultimately fill the elected office. All voters can vote for candidates from any party. To have their name appear on the ballot at a General Election, candidates must go through a nomination process. For Democrat and Republican candidates, that process is the Primary Election system. All other candidates must be nominated by their party and/or gather signatures on a petition to appear on the General Election ballot. Primary Elections Again, only Republican and Democratic party candidates participate in primary elections. Voters cannot vote for candidates from another party at the Primary Election. Republican voters select the Republican nominee to send to the General Election and Democratic voters select the Democratic nominee to send to the General Election. Independent voters and those registered under other parties cannot vote in a Primary Election, unless there is a ballot question or referendum. Republican and Democratic party candidates must gather signatures on petitions to have their name appear on the ballot at the Primary Election. Those signatures must come from registered voters in their own party who reside in the candidate's district. Signature Requirements Republican and Democratic party candidates for the PA House of Representatives must gather at least 300 quailified signatures to appear on the Primary ballot. Republican and Democratic party candidates for the PA Senate need 500. Independent candidates and those from other parties must gather a similar number of signatures, however their petitions are used to get their names on the General Election ballot. The number of signatures non-Republican/Democrat candidates are required to gather varies from year to year, based on results from previous years. These candidates can gather signatures from voters of any party affiliation. Here's The Way It Really Works in Pennsylvania Every ten years, after the federal government conducts a census, the General Assembly creates a Legislative Reapportionment Commission to redraw the borders of districts. In theory this is to keep everything fair and balanced, but in reality the two major parties (who control the General Assembly) scrap and fight over the whole process in an effort to gain an advantage over the other party. As a result, over the years most legislative districts have been manipulated (gerrymandered) to the point where one major party or the other has a distinct advantage over the other. For this reason, General Elections offer little opportunity for electing a new Representative or Senator because relatively few voters will vote for a candidate of the "other party" This is not a theory - it is a fact, proven by election results year after year. Primary Elections have now become the most important contests in Pennsylvania. Local Party Committees (The "Machine") Historically, when there is more than one candidate from either major party on the ballot at a Primary Election, that party's local committee will usually get together and endorse one candidate. In the local committees of the party which represents the gerrymandered majority of voters, the party bosses are generally cronies of elected officials. Naturally, when endorsement time rolls around, those incumbents usually get the nod over any challenger. Those "official" endorsements are usually reported by the local media and voters are led to believe that the party's endorsed candidate is the best person for the job. However, what most voters do not realize is that in addition to party bosses kowtowing to elected officials, the endorsements itself is often rigged. In many areas, a "pay to play" policy may be an unwritten rule, but in at least one county in PA, PACleanSweep has discovered evidence that this policy is actually written into committee bylaws. Here's how it works in that county: any endorsed candidate in a primary is expected to pony up 10% of their first year's salary for the elected position; win or lose, opposed or not. If that candidate wins the primary and is then opposed by another party's candidate at the General Election, they are expected to pony up another 10%. The Results With incumbent legislators manipulating the borders of districts every ten years and directing traffic in the local "pay to play" party committees, it's not too hard to see why the General Assembly traditionally had a 98% retention ratio year after year - until 2006, that is. This has led the General Assembly to have faith in their ability to get re-elected and has emboldened them to pass some outrageous legislation - capped off by Act 44, the unconstitutional pay raise of July 7, 2005. At PACleanSweep, we hope you will join us in saying "enough is enough" and work to defeat this system which no longer represents the citizens of Pennsylvania. Some Questions Every Pennsylvanian Should Ask 1. If the purpose of Primary Elections is to allow voters to choose their party's nominee for the General Election, why do local committees cloud the issue by making an endorsement? Why not simply allow the voters to choose the candidate they prefer? 2. Knowing that party endorsement is a "pay to play" system, is your local committee's endorsed candidate really the best person for the job, or merely the person most willing or able to buy or trade for the favor of local party bosses? 3. If only Republican and Democratic voters can participate in most Primary Elections, why do ALL taxpayers have to foot the bill? Isn't that taxation without representation? 4. If your local party bosses wish - through their "endorsement" process - to select the candidate they prefer, why not simply do that without the expense of a Primary Election, just like the other parties do it? 5. Who are the members of your local party's committee? 6. Who are the officers of your local party's committee? 7. Who sits on the Executive Committee of your local party? 8. Is this any way to run a Commonwealth? At PACleanSweep, we believe it is emphatically NOT the best way to run a Commonwealth. We helped to reverse this trend in 2006, when a total of 55 legislators were replaced, and we aim to continue that effort in the future |
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Paid for by the PACleanSweep PAC | 109 West Main Street, Annville PA 17003 | Russ Diamond, Chair | Leo Knepper, Treasurer