Illustration by Rich Hauck
Maybe I’m an oddball, but I like to vote.
When I was a kid, my parents would take me along each Election Day, disappearing for a few minutes behind a billowy black curtain in my elementary school gym. It all seemed very mysterious—and gravely important.
I couldn’t wait to turn 18 to become an enfranchised adult so that I could participate in this rite of democracy, selecting my favored candidates from among a list of hopefuls.
Come May 16, I again will wind my way down 2nd Street to city hall, where my election precinct relocated a few years ago. While I support mail-in voting, I decided it wasn’t for me. This oddball enjoys the ritual.
I must admit, though, that I’m rather deflated by this year’s municipal primary.
I eagerly will cast my vote for Harrisburg City Council, as eight candidates are vying for three seats—a nice-sized field to choose from. But, for the rest of the ballot, there’s essentially no choice to be had. For the first time that I can remember, most races are uncontested for a Harrisburg voter.
Several years ago, the race for city school board was red-hot, with a reformist slate positioning itself aggressively against an entrenched crop of incumbents. A dozen candidates competed for five seats, even debating each other in a series of forums attended by hundreds of residents. And this year? The school board race is actually under-subscribed, with just four candidates, all incumbents, “competing” for five seats.
Now, every race, every year, is different, and, back in 2019, many people believed that the very future of the school district hung in the balance. In fact, soon after the election, the commonwealth seized control of the district, severely restricting the power of the elected board, which may explain the disinterest in serving now.
However, that dynamic is specific to the school board and doesn’t explain the lack of competition in other races.
For Dauphin County district attorney, sheriff, controller and register of wills, voters will have no choice as, in each case, incumbents are the only ones running. The same goes for Harrisburg treasurer.
For other Dauphin County row offices, the primary ballot offers just a single option, as the clerk of courts, recorder of deeds and treasurer each has a sole Democrat and a sole Republican running. Likewise, the county commissioner primary lacks any competition.
Perhaps most surprising is the lack of options for the area’s magisterial district judge offices. In Dauphin County, just one of seven MDJ races is contested. Three of these races even lack an incumbent, as several long-serving judges decided to hang up their robes.
These are important positions—the only judges most people will ever encounter—but voters in these uncontested districts will have but one choice, which essentially is no choice at all. If you don’t like your single option, you’re out of luck for the next six years, except for choosing to write in a name (see Editor’s Note below).
In essence, we’re hiring judges based on their ability to get 100 valid signatures on a nominating petition. And, with that low bar, they will attain a powerful, high profile job with an annual salary of $106,254.
To me, the big question then is why—why is there so little competition in the primary and, in many cases, the general election this year?
I don’t have the definitive answer. However, as a long-time reporter and follower of local elections, I’ve come up with a few likely reasons.
First, it’s very difficult to unseat an incumbent, which likely acts as a deterrent in attracting candidates for seats like the uncontested county row offices and the incumbent judgeships.
Secondly, the two parties have had trouble finding success on the other’s turf. In the county, Republicans tend to prevail and, in the city, Democrats dominate. This has led to the virtual absence of Republicans in city races and, like this year, Democrats vying for just some of the county contests.
Thirdly, PA’s municipal primary is often a rather sleepy affair here, especially without a high-profile contest to juice turnout, such as a city mayor’s race. This year, it’s even sleepier than usual. So perhaps it’s more a matter of degree than a substantive change in the electoral environment.
In any case, none of this will change my behavior on primary day. I still will get a small thrill entering city hall to cast my ballot, even if my only real choice will be to mark a few boxes for city council. And, despite the limited field for most local races, I hope you’ll do the same.
Lawrance Binda is publisher and editor of TheBurg.
Editor’s Note. After this column was written, we learned that Autumn Fair is mounting a write-in campaign for MDJ District 12-1-02. She had originally submitted petitions for the seat, but was knocked off the ballot after a successful court challenge to signatures on her nominating petitions.
If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!
