Pennsylvania’s primary is this Tuesday (Apr. 26) and, along with the well-hyped presidential races, there are a few local primaries on the ballot as well. Follow the links below to the Committee of 70 website for details on candidates for each seat.

The entire Pennsylvania House of Representatives (203 seats) and half the state Senate (50 seats, including Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7 in Philadelphia) are on the ballot. Republicans currently have a 119-84 majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Primaries will also be held for state Attorney General, Auditor General and Treasurer.

Vincent Hughes is running unopposed on the primary ballot for the Pennsylvania Senate seat in District 7.  Continue Reading

Don’t forget to vote today. The slate of offices up for grabs include mayor, city council and, perhaps most important and least predictable this time around, seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Check on your voter registration status here and find your polling place here. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Registered voters who are in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

All 17 seats on the City Council will be on the ballot. Some 14 candidates are running for at-large seats. Here’s a rundown from the Committee of Seventy. Jannie Blackwell is running unopposed for the 3rd District seat. As usual, the mayor’s race was likely decided in the primary.

The election for three seats on state’s Supreme Court has drawn a lot of interest among criminal justice activists, who see it as a test of the state’s commitment to easing mass incarceration and sentencing reforms. Here’s a rundown of the candidates for Supreme Court from the Committee of Seventy.

The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for today’s citywide primaries, the most important election of the year. Party nominations for Mayor, all 17 City Council and a bunch of judgeships seats are up for grabs.

All 17 City Council seats are on the ballot. Jannie Blackwell is running unopposed in District 3, which covers much of West and Southwest Philadelphia. Some 16 Democratic (including Spruce Hill resident Paul Steinke) and seven Republican candidates (including Spruce Hill resident Matt Wolfe) are running for at-large seats in today’s primary.

Other offices on the ballot include City Commissioner, Supreme Court, Superior Court, Commonwealth Court, Court of Common Pleas, Municipal Court, Sheriff and Register of Wills.

Today’s ballot also includes four questions open to any registered voter regardless of party affiliation. One question, a non-binding referendum, asks whether the School Reform Commission should be abolished and local control of the city schools should be restored.

The Committee of 70 has tons of info on today’s election. Go here for a complete rundown on all of the candidates. Go here if you need to find your polling place.

Helen Gym. From the Helen Gym for City Council website.

Helen Gym, the stalwart public education activist who is running for City Council, will be in West Philly on Saturday (May 9) at the Urban Art Gallery (262 S. 52nd St.). Gym is running for an At-Large seat in the May 19 primary.

The event will feature live music from the Producer’s Guild and food from African Small Pot (6505 Woodland Ave.). It will run from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

With less than a month remaining until a primary election that will likely have a huge impact on the future of city politics, here’s an important event where you can meet some of the candidates, hear what they have to say and ask your questions.

The 27th Ward invites community members to come out this Thursday (April 23) to USciences’ Rosenberger Hall to hear Democratic City Council-at-Large candidates Bill Greenlee, Alan Domb, Jenne Ayers, Frank Rizzo Jr., Isaiah Thomas, Tom Wyatt, Alexander Wilson, and candidate for City Commissioner Will Mega.

The event starts at 7:30 p.m. Rosenberger Hall is located at 600 S. 43rd Street (next to the basketball courts in Clark Park).

This is another political candidates forum hosted by the 27th Ward this spring. The first forum, where mayoral candidate Jim Kenney participated, was held on March 26.

Tomorrow’s election has some pretty serious implications for the state, city and maybe even your neighborhood. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

First thing’s first. Where do you vote? Here ‘s a handy tool that will help you find your polling place if it’s your first time voting at your present address. Speaking of first timers, when you get to that polling place they will ask for identification if it’s your first time voting there. This is NOT an implementation of the controversial Voter ID law we have heard so much about. This is standard operating procedure.

Not sure if you are registered? You can check here.

Here is a list of all of the races tomorrow. You can also download a sample ballot there.

The big statewide race, of course, is the election of the Democratic challenger to Governor Tom Corbett. The Committee of 70 has a great recap of the candidates’ views on a number of issues – from school funding to the legalization of marijuana – at Guv Race 101.

As well known, for most elections in Philadelphia, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 6 to 1, the primary is all that matters. Locally, a race to keep an eye on is the 188th Legislative District, which includes University City, Spruce Hill, Walnut Hill and Cedar Park and some of Kingsessing and Cobbs Creek. Longtime incumbent State Rep. James Roebuck faces a stiff challenge from local businessman and community organizer Algernong Allen.

West Philly-based journalist Patrick Kerkstra predicted this morning on Twitter that this will be one to watch.

My sleeper race 4 tomorrow is in 188th. Where well-liked incumbent Jim Roebuck faces challenge from entrepreneur/activist Algernong Allen.

— Patrick Kerkstra (@pkerkstra) May 19, 2014

Another West Philly resident on the ballot is Matt Wolfe, the Spruce Hill attorney and Republican who is running for the at-Large City Council seat left vacant when Councilman Bill Green agreed to head the School Reform Commission. He faces State Rep. Ed Neilson, a Democrat and heavy favorite, and marijuana legalization activist Nikki Allen Poe (Facebook page).

Also of note are a couple of ballot questions. One is on the so-called “resign to run” rule, which requires city officeholders to resign to run for another city office. For example, Mayor Michael Nutter was forced to resign his City Council seat to run for mayor.

Opponents of the rule, which became part of the City’s charter in 1951, say it has lead to a stagnant political landscape. The election watchdog group Committee of 70 is in favor of scrapping the rule. Voters struck down a similar referendum question in 2007.

Another question will ask voters whether the city’s minimum wage of $10.88 for city contractors should apply to sub-contractors. Supporters of the ballot measure have focused mainly on the Philadelphia International Airport, where some of the estimated 3,000 sub-contracted workers make as little as $7 an hour with no benefits. (Full disclosure: Supporters of this measure paid for an advertisement on West Philly Local in support of the measure.)

Ahead of Tuesday’s election, Nutter signed an executive order last week raising the minimum wage for sub-contractors.

So, despite it being an off election year, there is still plenty at stake. So get out to the polls and make it happen.

–Mike Lyons