The ONLY Poll that Counts happens today May 16 Primary Election Day

As you read this edition of the SCOOP USA Newspaper, if you are one of the people who pick up SCOOP on the first day the new edition hits the streets, then more than likely, it is Tuesday, May 16, Primary Election Day in Pennsylvania.
For the last six weeks or so, the publisher of our newspaper, Sherri Darden, has allowed me to write about the various candidates running for office in today’s Primary Election (Tuesday, May 16), largely candidates from Philadelphia. Even though some candidates act as if they don’t understand the value of a newspaper like ours, we still, in an effort of fair and equal coverage, have written about 90 percent of the candidates running in the May 16 primary and have certainly mentioned all of them. In many cases, candidates have been so invisible you have to wonder if they really, truly want a political office.
If you can’t muster up enough money to afford a campaign office, a basic website, a few ads in newspapers such as the SCOOP, and some radio ads, if not TV, wow, maybe you’re not ready for primetime. Today’s political campaigns are highly competitive and way too expensive, but guess what? It is what it is. That’s the way this political process is played out in the 21st century. You gotta pay to play.
At any rate, since most of you are hopefully reading this column on decision day, May 16, 2023, let me run a few things down about today’s election one last time.
Voters will be deciding who the Democratic candidate for Mayor will be, that will face off against Republican mayoral hopeful David Oh in the fall. I will remind you 10 people are running on the Democratic side to replace Mayor Jim Kenney, who will have served his two full terms in December of this year.
You get to vote for one district city council person, whatever part of the city you live in. You also get to vote for five city council members at large. (Some 28 individuals are running for those five seats.) You can only pick five names.
There are 10 seats available on Philadelphia Common Pleas Court (15 attorneys are running for those 10 seats).
At Philadelphia Municipal Court, there are two seats available. A total of four people are in the race for those two seats.
The Sheriff’s Office is up for grabs. The incumbent is running for reelection, and she has two challengers.
Same thing with the Register of Wills office. The incumbent is up for reelection, and she has two challengers.
The City Controller’s office is up for grabs, and three individuals are running for that seat on the Democratic side.
The Philadelphia City Commissioners (all three of them) have no challengers, so it’s very safe to say they will all win on May 16; and when they run during the Fall General Election.
There are four questions on the ballot having to do with the Philadelphia City Charter, and there are two statewide races on the ballot, one for PA Supreme Court and one for PA Superior Court.
If you are a registered voter, but when you get to your polling place, you are told they cannot find your name in the book, ask for a provisional ballot. If you are denied a provisional ballot, call 215-686-3462 and ask for assistance. That’s the number to the Philadelphia City Commissioner’s Office. If you really feel like some shenanigans are going on, then it’s time to call the District Attorney’s Office at 215-686-8000. Stand up for your rights.
If on your way into your polling place, an over-zealous campaign worker gets all up in your face, trying to press you to take a ballot that promotes their candidates, and you already have a made-up mind, just kindly ask them to back up and give you your air space, and then keep it moving. You don’t have to get nasty. There is no need to curse out anyone. People are crazy out here, so I am not suggesting getting confrontational. However, voter intimidation is against the law. If an over-anxious or very pushy campaign worker crosses the line, speak up. You can also report election-day complaints to the Pennsylvania Department of State, which oversees elections in Pennsylvania. Log on at www.vote.pa.gov. If you are aware of election day fraud or irregularities, you should report it.
While you are still at your polling place, if you see something is wrong, the first thing you need to do is to report it to the Judge of Elections on site. If your issue is not resolved by the Judge of Elections, that’s when you need to report the concern to your County Elections Office, (The Philadelphia City Commissioners Office).
All I can say is I pray nothing comes between our SCOOP readers and all the voters of Philadelphia today that would keep you from exercising your right to vote. It’s your civic duty to vote. Please vote.
During a recent interview with me, PA State Representative Donna Bullock, also chair of the PA Legislative Black Caucus, had this to say about the importance of the Tuesday, May 16 Primary Election. Bullock stated, “Your vote matters. I hate when I hear folks say ‘My vote doesn’t matter.’ Go back to November of 2020 and think about people coming to Philadelphia in an attempt to stop your vote from being counted. They crossed state lines and brought guns with them in their truck to keep your vote from being counted. If they went through so much effort to stop your vote from being counted, you can take the steps to go down to your local polling place and vote — or vote by mail. Please vote. It matters so much. It can make a difference. If it didn’t, they wouldn’t try so hard to keep your vote from being counted.”