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Fly Eagles Fly - February 11, 2023

#Fix Harrisburg: Time to level the legislative playing field.

New Speaker Mark Rozzi (D-Berks) now plans to gavel the PA House back into session on Feb. 21 , and with Tuesday’s three Allegheny County special elections cementing the Democrats’ 102-101 majority, that “will mean common sense bills that have been held up in committee for a decade can finally be debated and voted on,” House Democratic caucus spokesperson Nicole Reigelman told the Associated Press. But what’s common sense to a Democrat could be nonsense to a Republican, and if the new majority enacts D-friendly legislative rules similar to the R-friendly rules that governed the House when they had the majority, that’ll just mean two more years of partisan gridlock.

Fortunately, Rozzi said he heard “tons of great suggestions” during his recent Workgroup to Move Pennsylvania Forward listening tour for rules that would “protect the rights of the minority while affirming the will of the majority,” as Fair Districts PA chair Carol Kuniholm put it in an Inquirer op-ed. Rozzi plans to “incorporate many of them” in the slate of new rules that will be put before the House. Then all he’ll need to do is get them passed. Here are Fair Districts PA’s proposals and here’s C70’s testimony at the Philadelphia Workgroup hearing.

Rozzi’s parting shot? The Speaker told The Inquirer that his main legislative priority—opening a window for legal redress for adult victims of childhood sex abuse—means more to him than keeping the gavel. “Power means nothing to me,” he said.

Elections and voting: Confusion over mail-in ballot dating continues

The PA Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that mail-in ballots must be dated, but didn’t rule on how county election boards should determine that the date on a ballot is correct. That will probably mean different interpretations by different counties. And that means we’re back where we started before last year’s lawsuits kicked off the controversy. Making matters worse, the justices divided evenly on whether the PA dating mandate should be overridden by a provision of the U.S. Civil Rights law that bars states from tossing ballots because of technical errors that have no bearing on a voter’s eligibility. Since mail-in ballots are time-stamped when they’re received, there's no practical reason for voters to hand-date them anyway. But a provision in PA’s 1937 Election Code says they must, so until the legislature removes the dating requirement from the code, our advice is simple: Date your ballot return envelope the day you sign and seal it!

Before you vote (by mail or at the polling place): C70’s Philadelphia Primary Voter Guide is up and running, and our Interactive Voter Guide will be available in early March. It lists the announced R and D candidates in the May 16 primaries for Mayor, City Council, City Commissioners, Sheriff and Register of Wills, as well as those running in the special election to fill the last two years of former Controller Rebecca Rhynhart’s term. It also has links to their websites, and it features responses that we have received so far to our candidate questionnaire. Stay tuned for our Interactive Voter Guide where you can build your own ballot, and research candidates across the region, and make your plan to vote. And be sure to check out our nonpartisan WeVote resources, including our live streamed interviews with the Council candidates and more.

Another question for the mayoral candidates: This one’s from The Inquirer editorial board (and we’d like to know as well): Will you move to abolish the scandal-plagued Sheriff's Office? The answers weren’t encouraging.

C70 Weighs In: The list of reasons to reform the Sheriff’s Office has only grown since our initial call in 2009 to eliminate this antiquated position and shift its duties elsewhere in city government. For more than two decades, waste, abuse, and outright corruption in the office have cost Philadelphians millions of dollars and shaken the public's trust. How long will our political leaders tolerate this status quo? The next City Council should send to the ballot a proposed Home Rule Charter amendment to abolish this office and let the voters decide on its future.

Caught Our Eye

Why we need new rules: This #FixHarrisburg chart comes from a report titled Dysfunction By Design

On Our Radar

One person, no vote: In a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette op-ed praising Pennsylvanians who participated in House Speaker Mark Rozzi’s workgroup hearings on legislative rules, Ballot PA chair David Thornburgh notes that 90% of last year’s General Assembly races were determined in primaries—primaries that aren’t open to PA’s million-plus nonaligned voters. Ballot PA wants to change that. Sign our petition. And read about last week’s Empowering the Middle event at Bucks County Community College.

A small step a long time coming: Almost a year after the conclusion of a four-month trial over a lawsuit that was filed in 2014, PA’s Commonwealth Court finally decided (in a 786-page ruling) that the state’s educational funding is unconstitutionally unbalanced, and ordered the governor and the General Assembly to fix it. But it didn’t say how and what comes next is unclear. As the AP reports: “The experience in other states suggests there’s no guarantee of swift, significant or longstanding change for the poorer school districts that sued in hopes of getting billions of dollars more for their budgets.”

Events

Member-exclusive Event: Trusting the Vote Count -Post-Election Audits in PA

Tues., Feb. 14, 12 noon-1 pm

Online

Join C70 in partnership with Verified Voting for a member-exclusive conversation with Pennsylvania’s Deputy Secretary for Elections and Commissions Jonathan Marks , and Verified Voting experts Pamela Smith and Mark Lindeman about risk-limiting audits and how RLAs can give PA voters confidence in the final election results. Sign up for C70's membership program to attend this and other important events on PA politics and elections.

Lunch With Lawmakers: Making Elections Work Better in PA

Fri., Feb. 17, 12-12:30 pm

Online

Business for America Pennsylvania kicks off its 2023 “Lunch with Lawmakers” series—discussions featuring legislators with different perspectives at the intersection of business and politics—with State Reps. Jared Solomon (D - Philadelphia) and Jesse Topper (R - Bedford/Fulton), who’ll discuss voter ID, pre-canvassing of mail-in ballots, election-worker protection, standardizing election procedures among PA’s 67 counties, clarifying the rules concerning mail-in ballots, and ensuring election integrity. RSVP.

Redboxing 101: How Campaigns & Super PACs Openly Undermine Democracy

Fri., Feb. 17, 11 am

Redboxing is the practice by candidates of indirectly communicating to friendly super PACs. One not-so-subtle technique is to post on a campaign webpage talking points and target audiences, enclosed in a red box and under a headline such as “voters need to know.” Join the Campaign Legal Center for a conversation about how redboxing undermines the integrity of our elections and how cities like Philadelphia are regulating it. The Virtual event features campaign finance and democracy experts Suarav Ghosh of the Campaign Legal Center, Jordana Greenwald of the Philadelphia Board of Ethics and John Marion of Common Cause Rhode Island. CLC's Aaron McKean will moderate. Register.

Philadelphia Citizen's Job Interviews with Mayoral Candidates

Feb. 21, 6:30-8:30 pm

Fitler Club Ballroom, 1 S. 24th St., Philadelphia

Join the Philadelphia Citizen as a panel with expertise in hiring—along with audience members—will interview 2023 mayoral candidates Helen Gym and Cherelle Parker using a job description created by the people of Philadelphia. RSVP.

Knight Media Forum, 2023

Wed., Feb. 22, 9 am-5:30 pm

Thurs., Feb. 23, 9 am-2:15 pm

Online

Join us at the 16th annual Knight Media Forum, the premier annual event for leaders in philanthropy, journalism and technology focusing on ways to overcome the financial and credibility challenges facing independent journalism, as reporters and editors provide citizens with accurate information and hold the powerful accountable. Together, we’ll learn from leading thinkers and practitioners, and foster efforts to strengthen, scale and sustain informed and engaged communities. Register.

Member-Exclusive C70 Policy Briefing

Thurs., Feb. 23, 12-12:30 pm

Online

Chief Policy Officer Pat Christmas will update C70 members on the local and state issues that Seventy is tracking, followed by a Q&A session. This event is just one of many that you’ll be able to access if you join C70's membership program. Reach out to C70 Civic Education Director Justin Villere (jvillere@seventy.org) for questions.

Conversation With Former Rep. Marjorie Margolies

Thurs., March 2, 5:30-7 pm

Temple University Center City

Room 320

1515 Market Street, Philadelphia

The League of Women Voters of Philadelphia and Temple's MPP program join C70 to host former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Margolies (D-PA). Marjorie will speak to her experiences as a mother of seven and a congresswoman, and will attempt to answer the question: "Can women have it all?" The event will be moderated by C70's Interim President & COO Lauren Cristella. Light refreshments will be offered and books will be available for purchase. The event is free to attend. Register

Get Involved

Come Work With Us! The Committee of Seventy Is Hiring a Western PA

Youth Civics Coordinator

C70’s Youth Civics Program brings a comprehensive Elections & Voting curriculum to classrooms across the Commonwealth. Lessons are supported by project-based activities like a mock election, student-candidate interviews, a 17+ poll-worker program and deliberative democracy activities for K-8th graders. C70 has received funding from Allegheny County, and we are pursuing additional funding in Greene, Washington and Fayette Counties. Learn More.

Seventy's membership program broadens, diversifies, and expands our community of champions of local democracy. Become a member and receive notification about Event signups, Annual Membership Impact Reports, C70 swag and Invitations to members-only experiences and receptions.

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