Committee of Seventy

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March 17, 2023

Our Democracy Agenda for Philadelphia: Seventy released this week a Democracy Agenda for Philadelphia outlining the actions needed by our next mayor and City Council to ensure a more representative and ethical city government, one that protects the public interest and engages communities on key decisions that will shape their future. Among the highlights: stronger conflict-of-interest guardrails; term limits for Council; extending pay-to-play rules to zoning and land-use business; doubling the size of the Planning Commission; and putting redistricting into residents’ hands. We should create a new Chief Democracy Officer to maximize voter participation and serve as a liaison to the City Commissioners Office. And we should authorize the Inspector General to attack fraud and misconduct throughout City government, not just in the executive branch, as is now the case.

And more funding for ethics: With scores of candidates running for city office and massive super PACs at play, the Ethics Board has a lot of work to do this year. The Mayor and City Council should boost annual ethics funding to provide for the needed staff and technical capacity, not only to monitor campaigns but also to thoroughly train thousands of city personnel and enforce our integrity laws.

City elections: A coffee can and petition challenges likely to thin the field: The Coffee Can of Destiny smiled on Derwood Selby this week, giving him the top position among the 29 Democrats running for at-large City Council seats. The bad news for him, though, is that his nomination petitions have been challenged, as have those of 10 other non-incumbents in the at-large race, numerous candidates running for district seats (including all seven of Darrell Clarke’s would-be successors in the 5th District), and mayoral candidate Amen Brown. Between disadvantageous ballot positions and successful petition challenges, expect the number of candidates to narrow in the coming days, though we’ll have to see by how much.

How much does ballot position matter? The Sixty-Six Wards blog estimates that being in the first column of the ballot can double the vote of non-incumbent candidates in the at-large Council race. And for local judicial candidates (who draw their positions in Harrisburg) and are unknown to most voters, ballot position is the most important factor in the election. Changing state law could allow ballot position to be rotated between voters or across the city, eliminating its influence on who wins public office.

Before you vote: We’re updating our Philadelphia Primary Voter Guide in real time as nomination-petition challenges are evaluated and candidates withdraw following the ballot-position lottery. And C70’s Interim President and COO Lauren Cristella navigates the extensive Philly ballot on KYW Newsradio.

Caught Our Eye

Crime is the biggest reason why: Almost 90% of Philadelphians tell pollsters commissioned by The Lenfest Institute and its Every Voice, Every Vote partners (C70 among them) that crime should be the highest priority of the next mayor and City Council over the next two years. Schools, jobs and the economy, housing, homelessness and the opioid crisis are also cited as major problems. Read the full poll results.

On Our Radar

PA election update: Thirteen candidates will run for open seats on the state’s powerful appellate courts; Montgomery County voters will choose from among eight candidates for the three County Commissioner seats; and, as expected, the special election to fill the Delaware County PA House seat vacated by Democrat Mike Zabel following sexual-harassment allegations will be held May 16.

A Passover conflict: PA’s 2024 presidential primary is scheduled for April 23, the first full day of Passover, when many observant Jews will refrain from driving, potentially eliminating their trip to the polls.

No certification; no consequences: ProPublica finds that most local officials around the country (including PA) who refused to certify 2022 election results suffered no formal sanctions, causing concern for protecting election integrity in 2024.

Let the sun shine: March 12-18 is the PA Newsmedia Association’s Sunshine Week, raising awareness of the vital importance of government transparency. TribLive explores what PA’s “sunshine” law covers and what it doesn’t. Want to help? Read more from Spotlight PA and support local journalism.

Events

PA’s Unequal Voting Rules and How They Impact You

Thurs., March 30, 6-7 pm

Online

A Spotlight PA and Votebeat analysis reviewed election policies in all 67 counties for the 2022 midterms and found a patchwork of rules around ballot curing, drop boxes and other procedures that can affect voter access. Learn more about the consequences of these disparities and how we can address them from an expert panel featuring Khalif Ali of Common Cause PA, J onathan Marks of the PA Department of State, and Lisa Schaefer of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. Register.

Understanding the Judicial Rating Process

Tues., April 4, 12-1 pm

Facebook Live

Seventy will welcome Matt Olesh and Chimdi Tuffs of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Campaign for Qualified Judges for a conversation about how the association issues ratings for judicial candidates, why these ratings matter, and what you can do to inform your community about judicial races this year. RSVP on Facebook.

Voter Hub at FDR Park

Sun., April 16, 11 am-4pm

FDR Park, 1500 Pattison Avenue & S. Broad St, Philadelphia

C70, Friends of FDR Park and the League of Women Voters of Philadelphia host a five-hour opportunity for eligible citizens to register to vote, apply for a mail-in ballot, question experts on voting and receive nonpartisan resources in several languages to prepare them to vote in the May 16th primary election. We'll also have bilingual volunteers on-hand and election related crafts for kids. Join us!

Get Involved

Poll Worker Training Sessions

Mon.-Thurs., 7:30 pm, Now through May 4th

Online

Seventy, the League of Women Voters and veteran poll workers have partnered as part of the Pennsylvania Poll Worker Project to offer resources and supplemental info sessions for individuals seeking to staff polling places on Election Day across Pennsylvania. (Note: These sessions are not official trainings from a County Board of Elections, and participants are not compensated for their attendance.) Learn more about our poll worker sessions, and sign up.

Seventy's membership program broadens, diversifies, and expands our community of champions of local democracy. Become a member and receive notification about Event signups, Annual Membership Impact Reports, C70 swag and Invitations to members-only experiences and receptions.

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