Philadelphians will go to the polls tomorrow (Tuesday, May 16) to select their party’s nominee for District Attorney, Controller and several judicial offices.
The District Attorney race has garnered national attention in recent weeks as outsider Larry Krasner, a civil rights and defense attorney, has pulled in more than a million dollars from George Soros, several endorsements and even a tweet from musician John Legend.
Krasner is perhaps the most progressive candidate in a field of seven Democrats, most of whom have pledged to reform cash bail and continue criminal justice reforms in a city that has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world.
Other Democratic candidates include Rich Negrin, a former deputy mayor who has picked up an endorsement from the Fraternal Order of Police (which also endorsed Donald Trump); former prosecutor and Republican-turned-Democrat Michael Untermeyer; Tariq El-Shabazz, current DA Seth Williams’ former number two; prosecutor Jack O’Neill; federal prosecutor Joe Khan; and Teresa Carr Deni, a former judge.
Former prosecutor Beth Grossman is the only Republican running.
As with most elections in Philadelphia, the Democratic nominee is nearly guaranteed a victory in November.
Two candidates are seeking the Democratic nominee for Controller, the City’s chief accountant. Incumbent Alan Butkovitz is seeking his fourth term in the job. Rebecca Rhynhart, who served as chief administrative officer in the Kenny administration and City Treasurer under Michael Nutter, is challenging Butkovitz. Accountant Michael Tomlinson is seeking the Republican nomination.
Candidates for the Court of Common Pleas, the Pennsylvania Supreme and Superior Courts, and Municipal Court will also be on the ballot.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow. Click here to find your polling place. Pennsylvania does not have a voter ID law, but there is still an identification requirement for first-time voters or those voting in a new division. Approved forms of ID include: Pennsylvania driver’s license or PennDOT ID card; ID issued by any agency of the Commonwealth or U.S. Government; U.S. passport; U.S. Armed Forces ID; Student ID; Employee ID.
May 16th, 2017 at 8:56 am
you need to be registered democrat in order to vote today right?
May 16th, 2017 at 11:09 am
You need to be registered as a Democrat to vote in the Democratic primaries. So, for example, to vote in the Democratic DA primary, you need to be registered as a Dem. (The Republican DA primary is unopposed, but you would need to be registered as a Republican to vote in that race.)
I believe all of the races in this election are primaries, so you need to be registered as an R or D, but there are also ballot questions that any registered voter can vote on.
May 16th, 2017 at 2:11 pm
gotcha, thanks!