November 2023 General Election

There’s a chill in the air, the leaves are changing color, and several of my neighbors already have spooky decorations in their yards. But, as Loudon Wainwright says, “the Tuesday after Halloween’s the day that’s really scary.” [1] He was singing about presidential elections, of course, but I will take this opportunity – every year – to remind voters how critical it is to consistently participate in our democracy, particularly in “off-years” because our winner-take-all mentality when it comes to the Oval Office is clearly not supporting a functional democracy.

The Importance of Judicial and Municipal Elections

If you have any concerns about what the US Supreme Court has done in recent years or what justices may be appointed by the president in the future, it is critical to understand that our lower courts (notably state courts) are where cases heard by the US Supreme Court originate. Because of that, it is also critical to remember that those lower-court judges make determinations based on how they understand the law (interpretation) and what other related rulings have been made before (precedent). Their decisions may stand if appeals are not heard by a higher court, meaning that we all need to be thinking about lower court elections – probably more than we think about US Supreme Court appointments. I covered this topic in more detail during this past May’s primary election post – feel free to check that out too. [2]

Judicial elections are the most obscure and opaque of the three branches of government, which is probably why they get the least attention. Nevertheless, it is essential for us to understand the role of the judiciary in interpreting our laws… and to vote accordingly.
Image credit: [3]

I personally believe that it’s always best to have as much clarity as possible in our laws in order to leave little wiggle room for interpretation, but it’s often difficult to know ahead of time where our oversights, assumptions, and gaps in knowledge are until we actually implement a certain course of action and learn what we missed. No matter how hard our representatives may try to be inclusive and comprehensive when crafting legislation, they’re still human, make mistakes, and have to make concessions as part of the legislative process. And that is why judicial elections are so important: because our judges interpret ambiguities in our laws based on either the spirit or the letter of what was written. Please take a look at past blog posts for more detail on the Pennsylvania court system, including judicial retentions (we’ve got two on the ballot this year), [4] the Court of Common Pleas, [5] and what to look for in a judge (because Bar Association ratings can be largely irrelevant). [6],[7]

This fall’s elections will also include (depending on where you live) municipal and school board races, which are also frequently overlooked. Nevertheless, they are essential for ensuring that our priorities are considered and needs are met when it comes to the running of our communities and the education of our children. Note: I hear a lot of strong opinions on social media and cable news channels about these topics, which is why I continue to be amazed by the low voter turnout when it comes to actually selecting the individuals who will be charged with making relevant decisions. [8]

Contentious County Elections

If you live in Allegheny County, you’ll have a number of consequential races on your ballot as well, notably Chief Executive, Controller, District Attorney, Treasurer, and members of County Council. The Chief Executive race is understandably getting a lot of attention, as the winner will be tasked with leading Pennsylvania’s second-largest county through a critical time that will require decisions related to ensuring a clean energy transition, elevating social and racial justice, and supporting economic development.

Just this past week, KDKA hosted a debate between the two nominees, which is now available to view on their website. The candidates discussed crime and homelessness, adult and juvenile corrections, property values and jobs, local power dynamics and political philosophy, public-private partnerships, transportation and accessibility… with a notable absence of anything related to the environment or energy production. [9] If environmental issues are of concern to you, groups such as PennEnvironment have created issue briefs and policy recommendations for the new County Executive. [10]

A friend shared these tweets with me as I was writing this post, and the message resonated. I try to see myself as constantly learning and limited in my perspective. In the words of Brené Brown, I’m here to get it right, not to be right.
Image credit: [11]

County Chief Executive is the only county-level race for which both candidates responded to the League of Women Voters candidate survey, which serves as the basis for my election spreadsheet every year. [12] I find that to be frustrating, not just because it means I have to track down their information elsewhere (which isn’t always forthcoming, as you’ll see in the spreadsheet below), but because it feels like they don’t care about reaching out to their voters. It’s a pet peeve of mine, for sure, and I always do my best not to let conscious or unconscious bias show in my election posts, but it does feel to me that not responding to a request from a preeminent non-partisan organization focused on voter education makes it look like a candidate just isn’t trying.

That being said, it appears that all of the republican candidates have been guests on Sam DeMarco’s podcast “The Elephant in the Room” (one of several GOP podcasts with that name). [13] I have also included campaign websites and relevant news articles when I could find them for those who did not respond to the LWV survey questions. As always, I encourage you to think of League of Women Voters and my election spreadsheet (link below) as starting places. Your priorities, concerns, and questions are unique to you, and it is as important as ever that you take an informed approach to making decisions in the voting booth.

Have a Voting Plan

And on that note, it is time to start thinking about your voting plan, since we are only about five weeks out from Election Day. Relevant deadlines and links are included below:

If you are not yet registered to vote, the deadline in Pennsylvania is Monday, October 23. You can register to vote online. [14]
If you are planning to vote by mail, the deadline to apply for your mail-in ballot is Tuesday, October 31. You can apply for your ballot online, [15] but keep in mind that you may not have enough time to receive, complete, and return it by Election Day if you wait until then.
If you are voting by mail, your ballot must be received by the Elections Division by 8pm on Election Day. If you mail it, remember to use a stamp and allow sufficient time for delivery.
If you decide to return a mail-in ballot in person, you can find a list of designated locations online. [16] The Allegheny County Elections Division is located in the County Office Building on the corner of Forbes Avenue and Ross Street downtown. The address is 542 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, and the phone number is 412-350-4500. [17]
If you applied for a mail-in ballot but decide to vote in person, you must take your entire mail-in ballot with you to the polls, and you will be able to vote there after surrendering your mail-in ballot.
Election Day is November 7. Find your polling place and have a plan to get there. [18] Polls are open from 7am to 8pm. If you are in line before or at the time the polls close, you will be allowed to cast your vote. [19]

If you’re voting by mail, remember to follow all the instructions exactly or your vote might not be counted. I was highly amused (and impressed) by this local effort during the 2020 election to ensure voters remembered to use the secrecy envelope.
Image credit: [20]

Feel free to take a look at my November 2023 election spreadsheet, which includes races at the statewide and Allegheny County levels. I hope it is helpful as a starting place.

November-2023-PA-General-Election Download

Thank you for reading!

[1] https://genius.com/Loudon-wainwright-iii-leap-of-faith-lyrics

[2] https://radicalmoderate.online/may-2023-pennsylvania-primary-elections/

[3] https://whyy.org/articles/pennsylvania-election-2023-commonwealth-superior-court-candidates/

[4] https://radicalmoderate.online/november-2019-election-guide-part-1/

[5] https://radicalmoderate.online/may-2021-election-guide-pa-primaries-part-3/

[6] https://radicalmoderate.online/may-2021-election-guide-pa-primaries-part-3/

[7] https://radicalmoderate.online/november-2021-general-election/

[8] https://radicalmoderate.online/november-2021-general-election/

[9] https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/video/kdka-tv-hosts-allegheny-county-executive-debate/

[10] https://environmentamerica.org/pennsylvania/center/resources/green-allegheny-issue-policy-agenda/