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Tuesday’s special election: As a slice of Delco goes, so goes the PA House

The results of Tuesday’s special election in the 163rd PA House District will most likely either cement Democratic control of the House for the foreseeable future—or hand it back to the GOP. 

So, perhaps not surprisingly, the race has attracted more than $1.25 million in campaign spending, roughly three-quarters of it on behalf of Democrat Heather Boyle, a former aide to U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon. Boyd’s opponents are Republican Katie Ford, an Upper Darby behavioral therapist and Libertarian Alfe Goodwin, a retired police officer. The vacancy was created when Rep. Mike Zabel resigned in March in the wake of sexual harassment allegations.

More specials down the road? Four Democratic state representatives are running for other local offices this year, creating the possibility for future special elections in early 2024. Three represent deep-blue districts, but state Rep. Kristine Howard, a Common Pleas Court candidate Tuesday, represents a purplish Chester County district that was red as recently as 2018.

PA's 163rd House District in Delaware County (Ballotpedia)

Philly City Council races: At-large feast and district famine

Registered Democrats can choose up to five at-large Council candidates from a primary field of 28; for Republican voters it’s five of six, but the district races are a different story: Only three of the 10 districts (7th, 8th and 9th) have competitive Democratic races, and the only Republican on a district Council ballot is longtime 10th District incumbent Brian O’Neill, who’s running unopposed, as is his Democratic opponent in the fall will be Gary Masino. Two of the three Democratic district incumbents facing challenges (Quetcy Lozada in the 7th and Anthony Phillips in the 9th), were elected last year in special elections to replace incumbents who resigned to run for mayor, while the 8th District’s Cindy Bass is seeking her fourth term.

Backed by PACs: The Inquirer reports that while most of this year’s super PAC spending on Council races supports at-large candidate, business-friendly PACs are aiding Lozada and Bass in their races against union official Sam Anderson-Oberman and social worker Andrés Celin, respectively, both of whom are aligned with progressive groups.



Write-in in the 5th: According to Billy Penn, Strawberry Mansion real-estate agent Robin Aluko, a former city employee, is mounting a write-in challenge to lawyer Jeffrey Young, the only one of seven Democrats to survive nomination-petition challenges to succeed Darrell Clarke in the 5th district.

Election oversight on the ballot

Votebeat Pennsylvania examined the records of some 400 candidates across the state’s 180 county commissioner and council slots, finding that 19 “have questions” about the 2020 presidential election—and 26 others denied the results outright. Local officials are responsible for running elections and certifying results, so the possibility of a County Board of Elections that declines to objectively do its job continues to be a risk. Last year, the PA Department of State had to compel officials in Berks, Fayette and Lancaster counties through court orders to certify their elections. This adds to the urgency in clarifying ambiguities in state election law and mitigating the likelihood of courts having to serve as pivotal backstops ahead of 2024.

Philly does it differently: Because Philadelphia is a city as well as a county, the mayor and City Council have the executive and legislative functions that county commissioners perform elsewhere in PA. The Office of the City Commissioners, a vestige from the time before the 1854 city-county consolidation, oversees elections and voter registration. All three commissioners are up for election this year and are running unopposed Tuesday, but in November, they are likely to be joined on the ballot by at least one third-party candidate.

Learn about who and what's on your ballot with C70's interactive voter guide.

If you still have your mail-in ballot, you must return it to a drop-off location in your county by 8pm Tuesday, May 16. If you applied for a mail-in ballot but have not received it, you can request a replacement ballot in-person at your county election office OR use a provisional ballot at your polling place. Each provisional ballot is reviewed by officials after the election and counted if cast by a registered voter.

If you plan to vote at your local polling place, double check its location and make a plan to get there before polls close at 8pm. If you are voting for the first time at a new polling place, you will also have to present a form of photo or non-photo ID.

Questions or Concerns on Election Day? Contact your county election office with questions related to voter registration, mail-in voting, polling places or other issues related to the running of elections. Reports or concerns about voter intimidation, harassment or fraud should be communicated to your county District Attorney.

Students weigh in: Seventy partners with PA Youth Vote to interview candidates running for state and local races up and down the ballot. Watch the full playlist. We also worked with PhillyCAM this cycle, which has their own Candidate Candidate interview series. And this year we held a mock election for high-school students in five PA schools. The results are in and the winners are...

Handing the baton: Mayor Kenney issued an executive order this week formally starting the transition process. “This isn’t just about ensuring a smooth handoff for people in government,” said C70’s Ashley Session. “But making sure that government is in the best possible position to continue serving city residents for the next four years.”

Make that monthly? Promising bipartisan work in the PA Senate State Govt Committee: Lawmakers unanimously advanced legislation banning pre-checked campaign contribution boxes.

How soon will we know who won? That depends on how close races are, Deputy City Commissioner Nick Custodio told The Inquirer. “If races aren’t called by Wednesday morning, people are in for a long haul.”

Campaign-finance scoreboards: A Politics PA primer of the State Supreme Court primaries runs down the candidates’ top donors and PACs, and Billy Penn identifies the super PACs in the Philly mayoral and City Council races.

Every Voice=More votes? In an Inquirer op-ed, Lenfest Institute CEO Jim Friedlich touts the work of the Every Voice, Every Vote initiative, and offers reasons why it could drive turnout in Tuesday’s mayoral primary.

Allegheny County RCV poll: Following the hot race Allegheny County Executive? Pick your favorites of the Democratic primary (in one to five order) in C70’s rank-choice voting simulation.

Campaign for Qualified Judges 2023 Election Day Volunteer

Are you looking for a way to make a meaningful impact this Election Day? Join the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Campaign for Qualified Judges to distribute the Bar’s ratings of judicial candidates to voters as they head to the polls. Research shows that getting the Bar Association’s ratings in the hands of voters has a real, tangible impact on the outcome of elections. Volunteers are needed across the city for both the morning (7-10 am) and evening (5-8 pm) shifts. Sign up.

Nonpartisan Volunteer Opportunity with SEAMAAC

Join SEAMAAC as a volunteer in voter protection efforts by monitoring polling sites in South Philadelphia with high populations of limited-English speaking voters. Learn more and sign up.

Teachers: Prepare your students for the May primary 

Draw the Lines resources are still live on our website, as are numerous civic education resources for schools across PA. This includes our Election 101 briefings, the PA Mock Election, our K-8 Democracy for Kids program, and Can We Talk? civil dialogue initiative. Learn more and get your students involved.

Working the Polls on May 16

Planning to serve as a poll worker (on behalf of your county election office) or poll watcher (on behalf of a candidate or party) on May 16? Sign up for one of Seventy's information sessions before Election Day.

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