In an ongoing effort to make voting more accessible for Philadelphia citizens, the City Commissioners Office has opened the first of 10 new and permanent satellite election offices (SEO) at 4029 Market Street. The grand opening attended by state and city officials, including Mayor Cherelle Parker, took place this morning.

Satellite offices will be installed in all 10 council districts and will be open 7 days a week. At each office, residents will be able to register to vote, request and receive a mail ballot, complete it and return it.

“As Chairman Commissioner of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, I am thrilled to unveil the first of our 10 new Satellite Election Offices,” Chairman Sabir said prior to today’s event. “These offices represent a significant step forward in our commitment to making voting more accessible and convenient for all Philadelphia citizens.”

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Tomorrow is Election Day and here is some practical info to help you vote for Mayor, City Council, sheriff and judges – including the hotly contested race for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

A lot of information about the candidates for each office is out there. A good place to start is the Committee of 70’s voter guide, which allows you to look at a sample ballot and get info on all of the offices and candidates on your ballot. What you will find is candidates for Mayor, nine candidates for At-Large City Council seats (you choose up to five), candidates for your City Council District, Sheriff, Register of Wills, City Controller, three candidates for City Commissioner (you choose up to two) and a number of judicial candidates.

Each office in the guide has bipartisan information on each candidate and this year’s single ballot measure:

Should the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to create an Office for People with Disabilities to coordinate the City’s compliance with requirements to provide access for people with disabilities to City services and programs and to otherwise provide for incorporation of the Office into the City government?

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The 2023 Pennsylvania General Election, when Philadelphians will elect a new mayor, is just three weeks away. On Thursday, Oct. 19, from 6-8 p.m., the 27th Ward Democratic Committee (Facebook page) is hosting a meet and greet with mayoral candidate Cherelle Parker at the West Philly restaurant Clarkville, located at 43rd and Baltimore. The event is free and open to the public. Check out the flyer below for more details.

Parker is running against Republican David Oh in the general election on November 7.

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Photo from CherelleParker.com

Cherelle Parker comfortably won the Democratic nomination for mayor in Tuesday’s primary election and will likely become the first woman to hold the job in city’s history.

Parker, a Mount Airy resident and the only native Philadelphian among the top three vote-getters, dominated in heavily African American wards in the city. Parker received 32.95 percent of the votes (69,499 ballots cast). Former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart received 22.63 percent (47,737 ballots), and former City Councilmember and education reformer Helen Gym received 21.31 percent (44,946 ballots).

It is worth noting that the voter turnout was low, with the total of 239,680 ballots cast, or about 23.5 percent of registered voters. Continue Reading

As you may have heard, Tuesday is Election Day in Pennsylvania. Locally, it’s kind of a big deal with candidates for mayor, the entire City Council, sheriff, a bunch of judges, controller, register of wills and four questions on the ballot.

It all can be a little overwhelming, so what follows is a slew of links to help you make sense of it. Remember that Pennsylvania has closed primaries, so you have to be registered in a party to vote for a candidate. But you independents can still vote for ballot questions.

Who’s running?

There is no shortage of info on candidates for mayor. One place to start to hear from the candidates themselves is the Committee of 70’s “Last Word” mayoral forum held on May 4. Billy Penn’s “Procrastinator’s Guide” to the election is also super helpful for info on all of the candidates from Mayor to City Council to Supreme Court.

The Philadelphia Inquirer has a good analysis of the four ballot questions here. Continue Reading

City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District), the incumbent candidate in the May primary election, will officially open the District office on Friday, March 31, at 606 South 52nd St. (52nd and Cedar). The grand opening and a ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday and all are invited.

The 3rd District office will be open to visitors from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Additional hours are expected to be added soon. Residents are invited to visit the district office to receive constituent services from City Council staff.