What You Need To Know Before Going Into The Voting Booth
Although it feels as though we are still recovering from the exhaustion of the 2016 presidential election, we have another one just around the corner. On Nov. 7, Philadelphians will cast their vote for district attorney, city controller, 23 city and state judges, and two ballot questions.
District Attorney
The most contested election of this voting cycle Philadelphia’s district attorney position, a seat that was left open after former District Attorney Seth Williams resigned in late June and was sentenced to five years in prison on federal bribery charges.
Democrat Larry Krasner will face off against Republican Beth Grossman for district attorney.
Krasner served as a public defender in Philadelphia before starting his own private practice specializing in civil rights law in 1993. His campaign has focused on enacting prison and police reform.
Grossman previously served in the district attorney’s office for over 20 years and was a registered democrat until 2013. Her campaign has focused on issues surrounding juvenile crime reform, the opioid crisis, and gun regulation.
City Controller
Republican Mike Tomlinson and Democrat Rebecca Rhynhart are both vying for Philadelphia’s city controller seat.
Tomlinson is a native Philadelphian who was serving as a private CPA before his bid for city controller.
Rhynhart came to Philadelphia in 2008 and has served two Philadelphia mayoral administrations. She was most recently Mayor Jim Kenney’s chief administrative officer before quitting to run for controller.
The city controller is the chief auditor of all city departments.
Ballot Questions
One of the ballot questions concerns exemption from property taxes.
“Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to permit the General Assembly to enact legislation authorizing local taxing authorities to exclude from taxation up to 100 percent of the assessed value of each homestead property within a local taxing jurisdiction, rather than limit the exclusion to one-half of the median assessed value of all homestead property, which is the existing law?”
The question asks voters whether local taxing authorities should have the ability to exempt homeowners from paying their property taxes.
The second question reads as follows —
“Should the City of Philadelphia borrow one hundred seventy-two million dollars ($172,000,000.00) to be spent for and toward capital purposes as follows: Transit; Streets and Sanitation; Municipal Buildings; Parks, Recreation and Museums; and Economic and Community Development?”
The city’s Bond Committee would provide these funds through selling bonds and the bulk of this money would go to repairing and constructing municipal buildings.
Voter Information
In Philadelphia, polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Voters can find the location of their polling place by entering their address here.
If you registered to vote listing Chestnut Hill College as your place of residence, your polling place is located at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 22 E. Chestnut Hill Ave.
