PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Political veterans are predicting low turnout for November’s election, but Pennsylvania voting advocates are working to boost participation because of the high stakes for the state Supreme Court.
Kadida Kenner of the New Pennsylvania Project says the state’s voters are among the most powerful in the country because they will elect their judges.
“Unfortunately, we don’t all recognize our power, and turnout rates tend to be super-low in judicial election years, and that cannot be the case here in 2025,” Kenner said.
In an unusual quirk, three Supreme Court justices — Christine Donohue (D), Kevin M. Dougherty (D) and David N. Wecht (D) — are up for retention. The judges up for retention don’t face an opponent. Voters simply vote yes or no on whether they should continue to serve for another 10 years.
In an even more unusual twist, there is a move to unseat them. Attorney Shanin Specter says he’s very concerned about the money behind it and what the donors’ agenda is.
“It tends not to be a Pennsylvania agenda. It tends to be a hard right agenda, inconsistent with the interests of Pennsylvanians,” Specter said.
The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over employment law, consumer protection, voting rules, redistricting and reproductive rights, among other issues. Specter praised the justices for their fairness and independence and warned that it could take up to two years to replace them if they’re not retained.
“There will be bedlam in Pennsylvania because we will only have four justices on the Supreme Court.
In the 60 years since retention elections began, only one Supreme Court judge was not retained. There’s also a Superior Court and a Commonwealth Court judge up for retention, in addition to races to fill vacancies.