Nov. 8 midterms: Get your votes cast and sit tight

Voting ends Tuesday at 8 pm, but there may not be definitive results in close races until county election boards have had time to process and tabulate the million-plus mail in ballots cast statewide. About 70% of mail-in voters will be Democrats, so the unofficial vote tallies posted online are also likely to shift over the course of Tuesday night and the next day. In short, everyone should sit tight while county officials do their jobs.

As C70 CEO Al Schmidt wrote in the PA Capital-Star: “We all need to be patient next week. Candidates and parties, in particular, will need to be responsible and not distort or misconstrue incomplete, unofficial results. Losing a race for public office is hard. But nothing is worth tearing away at our democratic traditions and fraying the public’s trust in our elections. We’ll know the winners soon enough.”

Make sure you're ready: Check your registration. Find your polling place. And if you still have a mail-in ballot, return it to a drop-off location by 8pm on Election Day, Nov. 8. See the return options for Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery, Philadelphia counties, and for all of PA’s 67 counties.

If mistakes were made (by you): You still might be able to fix minor errors or get a replacement ballot. And every voter always has the option of requesting a provisional ballot at their polling place. The Inquirer has details.

Kenyatta Johnson was acquitted but councilmanic prerogative wasn’t

2nd District City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson and his wife, Dawn Chavous, were acquitted this week after a second trial on the question of whether a consulting contract to Chavous from individuals seeking Johnson’s help with properties in his district amounted to a bribe. This matter is over, but there continues to be unfinished business from the conviction of former Councilmember Bobby Henon. The city’s conflicts-of-interest rules are 70 years old and in need of a rewrite; and the Inspector General’s office should finally be made a permanent fixture with purview across all city agencies, including City Council and the row offices. See Seventy's statement from Johnson's first trial.

The elephant in the courtroom: The practice of City Council deferring to district members on land-use decisions within their districts has led to the convictions of six council members since 1981. “The bigger issue looming over this particular trial is the practice of councilmanic prerogative and the ethical risks, both real and perceived, that come from it,” C70 policy director Pat Christmas told The Inquirer. “As long as that practice exists and can be exercised, we’re going to continue to have risks come about.”

Build Your Own Ballot

Seventy’s nonpartisan Build Your Ballot voter guide has plenty of information about all the candidates and questions on ballots throughout PA. Just type in your address to pull up an overview of your ballot.

Poll Worker Q&A Session

Mon., Nov. 7, 7:30-8:30 pm | Zoom

Have any final questions about your duties and responsibilities at your polling place Tuesday? We’ll answer them during this election-eve session. RSVP.

SEAMAAC Civic Engagement Election Volunteer Opportunities

Fri., Nov. 4 -Tues., Nov. 8

SEAMAAC is seeking volunteers for GOTV canvassing over the weekend and voter protection on Election Day at South Philly polling places with high populations of limited-English speaking voters. All volunteers are welcome, but those who speak two or more languages are especially needed. Register.