Happy Tuesday Activists! We hope your week is off to a good start. In five weeks we'll elect a new mayor, City Council, a set of City Commissioners, and a variety of judges, and all of the primary election winners will go on to the November general election. However, as we must be reminded, the May 16th primary election will essentially decide who will win in the Philadelphia-based races, because the Democratic winner will most likely win in November in this Democrat-heavy city. So it's an important election! You may have friends and neighbors who don't quite understand this reality, so please be sure to remind them how important the May 16th election is! And you can give them the important dates and information below. Some voters may think that primary elections don't really matter, but they do! So reminding the people around you to vote on May 16th is key. And remember what the research says -- voting begets more voting. It's a habit we want to everyone to embrace! Today, we have information on the statewide judicial races. Enjoy!
ELECTION DEADLINES! Here are the three key dates: May 1 -- Deadline to register to vote. Need to register or change your address or name? Do it here. May 9 - Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot. BUT DON'T WAIT! Do it now so you have time to make sure your ballot is returned in time to be counted. May 16 -- Election Day How will you vote? Voting at the polls? Polls are open 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. If you're not sure where to vote, find your polling place here. Voting by mail? If you haven't already, sign up to vote by mail here - ASAP! When will the mail-in ballots be mailed out to us? In a call today with the City Commissioners office, I was told that they are waiting for court rulings still pending in a couple of races so they cannot print the ballots yet. At the very least the ballots will be mailed out three weeks before election day.
BALLOT QUESTIONS - See last week's newsletter here for the details.
THE STATEWIDE JUDICIAL RACES
PA Supreme Court
This Court has decided elections cases, voting cases, abortion cases, and others. For example, they un-gerrymandered our Congressional maps in 2018, a huge victory for our voting rights.
You can read more about this Court and the candidates in this PA Spotlight article. To quote the article, "The state Supreme Court takes on relatively few cases, but its rulings can have a major impact on politics and policy in Pennsylvania. In recent years, the court has decided cases on reproductive rights, mask mandates, and election disputes."
Justices are elected to 10-year terms, after which they face a retention vote.
Check out the candidates here.
PA Commonwealth Court and Superior Court
We'll pick candidates for three vacant seats on the Commonwealth and Superior Courts. The winners will compete in the November general election.
Our Commonwealth Court presides over civil actions brought by and against the our state government. It also hears appeals primarily in cases involving state departments and local governments.
The Superior Court handles criminal, family, and civil cases appealed from county Courts of Common Pleas. Thankfully, the Pennsylvania Bar Association ranks judicial candidates as “highly recommended,” “recommended,” or “not recommended” based on the candidate’s judicial record and interviews with a judicial evaluation commission. Check out the Bar Association ratings and the backgrounds of all the candidates for the Commonwealth Court and Superior Court here.
MATCHING GRANT NEWS! We have exciting news! Indivisible is once again generously offering its matching grant program. From today until the end of May, for every dollar donated we will receive a matching dollar up to a total of $500.00. So now’s your chance! When you donate now any amount you donate will be doubled! Click here to make your donation. Thank you for your support!
ASK CONGRESSMAN EVANS AGAIN TO SIGN CONGRESSMAN BOYLE'S LETTER Congressman Evans STILL has not signed on to Congressman Boyle's letter about avoiding default and commit to demanding a clean bill to raise the debt ceiling. See more detail in this recent newsletter. And then call Congressman Boyle and thank him for writing the letter. Rep. Evans – D.C. office 202-225-4001; Phila. office (215) 276-0340; email link Rep. Boyle – D.C. office 202-225-6111; Phila office 215-335-3355; email link.
REGISTER VOTERS! We have a good lineup of voter registration opportunities for you in April, right before the registration deadline for the May 16 primary. Philly AIDS Thrift When: THIS SATURDAY, April 15th, 12:00 to 2:00 pm Where: 710 South 5th Street; meet in front of the store Sign up here. Rittenhouse Square When: THIS SATURDAY! April 15, 10:00 to 2:00 (two shifts) Where: In front of the Ethical Society on the south side of the square. Sign up here. Clark Park -- 3 More Saturdays! Where: Baltimore Avenue & South 43rd Street 1). When: THIS SATURDAY April 15, 10:00 to 12:00 Sign up here. 2). When: April 22, 10:00 to 12:00 Sign up here. 3). When: April 29, 10:00 to 12:00 Sign up here.
35 Doors Project Talk to voters in your neighborhood to get out the vote. This is some of the most important work you can do - and it's fun! Check out our 35 Doors Project! Email us here for more info.