With all the attention the presidential primaries have received in recent months, it's hard not to be thinking about New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and Arizona Sen. John McCain.
But the candidates for U.S. president aren't the only positions up for grabs in Pennsylvania's April 22 primary - Pennsylvania residents will also vote for a number of local, state and federal positions.
Other positions on the ballot include attorney general, auditor general, state treasurer, U.S. representative, state senate, state representatives, and delegates for the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.
Although these positions are not as high-profile as the president, they are still important for voters to consider, analysts and students say.
"Everybody needs to inform themselves about all the things they'll encounter on the ballot," said Dawn Maglicco, the director of the Office of Government and Community Affairs at Penn.
"You're really voting in this election for the things and people you think will make your society better in general," she said.
In Penn's districts, both the U.S. representative and the state representative are unopposed in the primary, and the district does not vote for its state senator this year.
Out of the state executive positions on the ballot, the only position that will be contested on April 22 is the Democratic candidate for state treasurer, with four candidates on the ballot.
According to political analyst and St. Joseph's University history professor Randall Miller, one interesting contest in the Philadelphia area is the race for state senate in the first district in South Philadelphia.
The district's current senator, Vincent Fumo, is stepping down, and three other Democrats are running for the open seat.
"That's probably the one that people around here will be looking at the most," Miller said.
However, the fact that most of the races aren't competitive in the primary "doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to get informed about them," said Penn Leads the Vote President Stephanie Simon, a College junior.
There's still almost a month left until the primary, which Simon said leaves plenty of time for Penn students to learn about the candidates and positions on the ballot.
Penn students seem more interested in the presidential primary than any local races, but this is understandable given the nature of the election, Penn College Republicans President Zac Byer said.
"I would hope that everyone would learn about the different government positions whether it's state, local or national so they know who's representing them," he said. "It's just kind of the nature of the game that [state and local elections] aren't most important to people our age at this point."
