PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Tuesday is Primary Day in Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, the rise of gun violence has drawn a lot of attention to the Democratic race for district attorney, both locally and nationally. And for voters throughout the commonwealth, two of the ballot questions have to do with the governor's emergency powers.
In the Philadelphia DA race, incumbent Larry Krasner goes up against former prosecutor Carlos Vega in the democratic primary. Krasner and Vega are making stops throughout the city Tuesday, trying to get people to vote. In an off-year election especially, every single vote is critical.
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The campaigns have become heated and personal. Krasner is defending his record and push for criminal justice reform. Vega, one of the prosecutors who Krasner fired after he took office, argues that violent offenders face few consequences while Krasner serves as DA.
Krasner, after voting in Center City, said he was hopeful his supporters don’t take anything for granted. He says the eyes of a national movement are on this race.
"It’s been important, because it’s been framed nationally as being a test of whether progressive prosecution is going to keep marching forward," he said.
Carlos Vega, Monday night, said he can do reform but also tackle the gun violence crisis in the city.
"I want to make our community safe, but I want to bring changes of reform and also police accountability and transparency of the office," he said.
Vega has the support of the police officers union, which made a push to get thousands of Republicans to switch parties so they could participate in the Democratic primary to vote for him. He was also endorsed by Ed Rendell, a former governor and former mayor of Philadelphia.
Krasner, who has been pushing for police accountability, especially among interactions with Black and brown communities, has been critical of the union's leadership. He has progressive support, including from Senator Bernie Sanders.
While most voters are focused on district attorney, legal experts say judges probably have more of a direct impact on everyday life.
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"If you have a family law issue, custody, support, a judge is going to make those decisions. If you’ve got a civil case, and you are suing someone for person injury or a contract dispute, the judge is going to make the decision," said Niki Ingram, chairperson of the Philadelphia Bar Association's non-partisan Judicial Commission.
There are open seats at all levels of the bench -- Municipal, Common Pleas, Superior and Supreme; criminal and civil. The Judicial Commission analyzes candidates' careers, reputations, experience and sometimes finances and rates each one as "recommended" or "not recommended," so voters can be better informed about who takes the bench.
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For the entire commonwealth, there are four ballot questions in play. Two of them are about proposed amendments to the state constitution that would limit the governor’s emergency powers.
A "yes" vote on one of those questions would allow the state legislature to overturn or extend an emergency declaration with a simple majority instead of the two-thirds majority required under current law.
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For the other related question, a "yes" vote would limit an emergency declaration to 21 days, unless the legislature votes to approve an extension. Currently, emergency declarations last 90 days.
Republican lawmakers have been critical of Gov. Tom Wolf's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. They believe they should have had more input during the crisis. Wolf, who has been urging "no" votes to both questions, argues Republicans have politicized the public health emergency.
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The other two ballot questions are not related to emergency powers. One involves an amendment that a person’s equal rights cannot be restricted or denied because of their race or ethnicity.
The other is a referendum that would allow fire departments with paid personnel and emergency medical services companies to apply for loans from an existing program intended only for volunteer emergency services departments.
All registered voters, including independents and unaffiliated voters, are allowed to vote on the ballot questions.