The Pennsylvania primary election will occur on April 23, with multiple polling places located on campus.
Credit: Abhiram JuvvadiAhead of the primary elections on Tuesday, April 23, The Daily Pennsylvanian compiled a comprehensive ballot guide detailing polling locations at Penn, key features of the candidates who will be on the ticket, and an explanation of the one ballot measure which students will vote on.
Penn Leads the Vote Co-director and College senior Sarah Alkhafaji said it was important for Penn community members to stay informed and turn out to the polls, adding that the group’s long-term goal is to create a “campus culture of voting.”
PLTV will table in front of the LOVE Statue on Election Day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in collaboration with various student organizations.
Registering to vote and mail-in ballots
The deadlines to register to vote, April 8, or request a mail-in ballot, April 16, have already passed, so voters may no longer update their voter status for this primary election. Voters can check their registration status here.
Mail-in ballots must be received by the county election office by April 23 at 8 p.m.
Polling locations
Voters can cast their ballots for the election on Penn's campus from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 23.
Students living in Kings Court English, Lauder, and Hill College Houses, as well as Domus, can vote in ARCH Room 108. Students living in the Quad and Stouffer Hall in Stouffer College House can vote in the Reading Room at Houston Hall.
Students living in Harnwell, Gregory, Harrison, Rodin, Du Bois, and Gutmann College Houses; Mayer Hall in Stouffer College House; and the Axis, the Chestnut, the Radian, Chestnut Hall, Hamilton Court, the Hub on Chestnut, or 3737 Chestnut can vote in Bodek Lounge in Houston Hall.
Students living in The Simon at Founder's Row can vote at Robeson High School, which is located at 4125 Ludlow St.
Students can check the location of their polling place here.
Races on the ballot
President of the United States
Voters will choose the party nominees for the presidential election in November.
Joe Biden, a former Benjamin Franklin Presidential Practice Professor at Penn, will be on the Democratic ballot as the leading party nominee. Biden, at age 81, is the oldest sitting president in United States history and seeking re-election after defeating former President Donald Trump in 2020 and serving two terms as vice president under former President Barack Obama. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) will also appear on the ballot, despite having dropped out of the race on March 6. He endorsed Biden for president soon after ending his campaign.
Donald Trump, a 1968 Wharton graduate, will be on the Republican ballot as the leading party nominee. He served as United States president from 2016 to 2020 and currently faces 91 felony charges. Trump is currently undergoing a criminal trial in New York. Former United Nations Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will also appear on the ballot, but ended her campaign on March 6 after winning just two primaries. She did not endorse Trump after dropping out of the race.
United States Senator
Current Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), a three-term Senate incumbent and son of a former governor, is the longest-serving Democratic senator in Pennsylvania history. Penn Democrats announced its endorsement of Casey in his re-election bid on Saturday.
Casey will be challenged by Dave McCormick — a businessman from northeast Pennsylvania — who secured the backing of Trump and the Pennsylvania Republican Party. McCormick previously served as a top international economic adviser in former President George W. Bush’s administration.
Each candidate will be the sole name on their respective party ballots.
United States Representative
Incumbent Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.) is seeking his fifth term in Congress. He currently sits on the House Ways and Means Committee. Evans is an ally of Biden and 2016 Fels graduate and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, and received an endorsement from Penn Dems.
Tracey Gordon, the former Philadelphia register of wills, is challenging Evans after several controversies cost her re-election to her previous position. Several lawsuits against Gordon are pending in federal court, alleging that she inappropriately fired employees who did not contribute to her reelection campaign.
No Republican candidates are running for this office.
Pennsylvania Attorney General
The state attorney general is Pennsylvania’s top prosecutor, and responsible for enforcing the state’s laws, investigating corruption, and protecting consumers. The race for attorney general is one of the most contested for this election in Pennsylvania.
There will be five candidates on the Democratic ballot.
Keir Bradford-Grey, Philadelphia’s former chief public defender, would be the first Pennsylvania attorney general to have spent most of her legal career as a public defender. If elected, she would become the state’s first Black attorney general and the first Black woman to hold a statewide row office.
Eugene DePasquale served two terms as the Pennsylvania auditor general from 2013 to 2021. As attorney general, he aims to address abortion access, book bans, climate change, the opioid epidemic, gun violence, and voting rights.
Joe Khan, a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, previously served as a Philadelphia assistant district attorney, assistant U.S. attorney, and most recently as Bucks County solicitor. If elected, he would be the first Asian American to hold statewide office in Pennsylvania. Khan recently sat down with the DP to discuss his campaign and time at Penn.
Jared Solomon is a Pennsylvania state representative serving part of Philadelphia County, who was elected in 2016 after defeating a 42-year incumbent. He advocates for the attorney general’s office to invest in broader anti-violence measures. Solomon holds the position of chair of the state House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee.
Jack Stollsteimer is the first-ever Democrat elected Delaware County district attorney, winning re-election last year. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, he pledged not to prosecute any person for getting an abortion.
Two candidates will appear on the Republican ballot for attorney general.
Dave Sunday has served as the district attorney for York County since 2018, previously working as an assistant district attorney and an assistant U.S. attorney. He is endorsed by the Pennsylvania Republican Party and the Republican Attorneys General Association.
Craig Williams, a Marine Corps combat veteran, is a state representative representing parts of Delaware and Chester counties, and the only Republican state representative in Delaware County. He withdrew from the Pennsylvania GOP endorsement process and chose to run without the party’s support. Williams is also running for re-election in his state House seat.
Pennsylvania Auditor General
The auditor general is responsible for ensuring that state money is spent legally and properly, typically through audits of agencies and departments.
Democrats Malcolm Kenyatta and Mark Pinsley will face off in this primary election.
Kenyatta has served as a state representative since 2019, representing a district based in North Philadelphia, and is the first openly gay Black man to serve in the General Assembly. He aims to bring back school audits if elected and create a bureau focused on employee misclassification. Kenyatta has been endorsed by the Pennsylvania Democratic Committee, and Penn Dems issued a recommendation for his candidacy.
Pinsley has been the Lehigh County controller since 2020. He aims to audit the state’s support for county election officials who have received threats since 2020, Pennsylvania’s lax lobbyist gift laws, and candidates and independent groups that ignore campaign finance requirements.
The sole Republican candidate on the ballot will be incumbent Timothy DeFoor, who was sworn in as Pennsylvania's auditor general in 2021. He has over 25 years of experience in law enforcement and auditing.
Pennsylvania Treasurer
The state treasurer is responsible for investing billions of dollars on behalf of the state. The treasurer pays all of the state’s bills and disburses its funds to school districts, state agencies, and more.
Two Democratic candidates will appear on the primary election ballot.
Ryan Bizzarro, a state representative and chair of the state House Democratic Policy Committee, was endorsed by the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and former state Treasurer Joe Torsella. Much of his campaign has focused on criticizing Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the Republican incumbent. Penn Dems recommended Bizzarro in his bid for state treasurer.
Erin McClelland began her career as a substance abuse and mental health counselor and treatment program manager. McClelland pledged not to invest the state’s worker pensions in foreign holdings, such as those currently held in Israel, amid the Israel-Hamas war. She ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2014 and 2016.
Stacy Garrity, the incumbent and sole candidate on the Republican ballot, has focused her tenure in office on transparency, cutting waste, and fees. She is a businesswoman and retired U.S. Army Reserve Colonel.
Senator in the General Assembly (7th District)
The state Senate, one of two legislative bodies responsible for writing the state’s laws, has half of its 50 senators up for election this year and is currently controlled by Republicans. One of the state senators representing Penn — Democratic incumbent state Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) — is up for re-election.
Hughes has served in the state Senate since 1994 and is running unopposed for the 7th District. No Republican candidates are running for this office.
Representative in the General Assembly (188th District)
Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives, the other legislative body responsible for writing the state’s laws, has all 203 seats up for election. The current state House is split by a one-seat Democratic majority. Two candidates are on the Democratic ballot for the 188th District, which contains Penn’s campus. No Republican candidates are running for this office.
Rick Krajewski, a 2013 Engineering graduate, is the incumbent. Krajewski played a large role in forming the Progressive Caucus in the state House, consisting of 34 lawmakers prioritizing working people, social and economic equity, and environmental preservation. Krajewski advocates for an end to cash bail and the death penalty, among other criminal justice reforms.
Tony Dphax King, a contractor and former juvenile detention worker for the City of Philadelphia, has previously run for office several times. He has focused his campaign on attacks of the Philadelphia Parking Authority and being a native Philadelphian.
Ballot Question
There will be one city-wide ballot question, on which all Philadelphia voters, regardless of party affiliation, may vote either yes or no.
The question asks if the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter — essentially the city's constitution — should be amended to make the city responsible for covering the legal fees and defense of registered community organizations when they are sued for lawful involvement in the zoning variance process.
Zoning rules control how land and buildings are used and built. Registered community organizations, or "RCOs," give input on these rules, especially when exceptions, known as variances, are requested. Sometimes, RCOs face lawsuits because of their involvement in the variance process, which can be expensive and restrict community input. Voting “yes” on this ballot measure indicates that one supports requiring the City to create a system to assist RCOs in covering the expenses of defending against lawsuits, which may include the costs of losing or settling the lawsuits.
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