If today were election day and you were voting, do you know who you would vote for and what political seats are up for grabs?
I want to believe that all American adults, age 21 or over, know that this is a presidential election year and that the two main candidates are President Joe Biden, who is running for a second term, and former President Republican Donald Trump.
You would have to be dead, blind, or totally medicated not to see and hear all the Presidential campaign commercials that are airing on radio and TV right now. But what about the rest of the races? There’s a lot at stake, however, I wonder–who is paying attention.
If today were election day and you were going into your polling place to cast your votes in person, not only would you be deciding who you want to be the nominee for President from your political party, you would be deciding who you want to give your support to become the next PA State Attorney General, who will be our U.S. Senators from Pennsylvania, who will be our U.S. Congressman, who will be our State Representatives, and who will be our State Senators in odd-numbered districts.
Like I say in every election, a lot is at stake, and grown folk need to pay attention. When I say “grown folk,” I am referring to people who are of voting age. You have to be age 18 or over to vote in the United States, and you have to be a U.S. Citizen. If you are not 18 right now, however, you will be 18 by Tuesday, April 23, 2024, primary election day in Pennsylvania, then you can go ahead and register to vote right now.
If you have voted before but perhaps have moved to a new location or changed your name, you need to re-register to vote. Getting registered to vote is as easy as one, two, three. Honestly, it doesn’t take more than about 4 minutes to fill out a blank voter registration form.
You can pick up a blank voter registration form at local libraries, state liquor stores, libraries, and all elected officials’ offices. There are also a lot of nonprofit organizations (such as the one where I work), Allegheny West Foundation, that keep a stash of black voter registration forms on hand for people who might stop in our office space. Then, of course, you can always go to the City Commissioner’s office and ask for a blank voter registration form. Their offices are at City Hall. Call ahead at 215-686-3462. You can also always log on to the Philadelphia City Commissioner’s website and get all the latest information on election news you desire. Log on at www.vote.phila.gov.
Keep in mind you can also request a vote by mail form when you contact the Philadelphia City Commissioners office. You don’t have to go and vote in person on election day. You can vote in advance of election day, which I think is one of the best things that’s happened for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania voters in quite a while.
If someone asked you–what does a PA State Attorney General do? Here’s the answer.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General is the state’s top lawyer. The office can bring down drug rings, investigate public corruption, and defend the state when it is sued.
The attorney general is also a political figure, working with the Governor and the Legislature to reform state drug laws and its prison system and to combat the state’s heroin epidemic.
Most modern-day elected Pennsylvania Attorneys General have been former prosecutors — either District Attorneys or U.S. Attorneys.
In addition to investigating criminal operations, the Attorney General’s office looks into scams targeting seniors and violations of the state’s clean air and water laws and evaluates whether mergers break antitrust laws.
The Attorney General, in essence, runs a large law firm with a broad scope that includes investigating drug traffickers, Medicaid fraud, and prescription drug abuse. The office works on criminal, civil, and consumer protection cases and has 830 employees in offices across the state, according to the latest figures provided by the Attorney General’s office. More than half of those employees work on criminal cases.
The Attorney General doesn’t actually appear in court very often. They make key decisions on major cases, assist in local and federal investigations, and meet with legislators and constituents regularly. The Attorney General’s office investigates crimes or schemes that span multiple counties. It also works with federal investigators on cases that span multiple states. The information in today’s column about the Attorney General’s role comes from a website called Public Source.
In the upcoming weeks, we’ll take a look at the job descriptions of some of the other key political seats that are up for grabs. Stay tuned.
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