Ray’s Round Up: 2016 Elections Preview – Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Who would have known that the numbers 203, 105, 98, and 12 would play such an important role in the Pennsylvania elections this year? Of course 203 has an important role every two years – but there are 203 seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives up for election on November 8. However, only 105 of those races have two major party candidates on the ballot for State Representative, while 98 of them have one candidate on the ballot or have a major party candidate facing only a third-party candidate. Lastly, there are only 12 days until Election Day on November 8, so if you aren’t a “Numbers Person” now is the time to change your mind!

Voters in the 98 districts that only have one candidate on the ballot or only a third-party candidate running against a major party candidate will not get the opportunity to make a meaningful choice on who they wish to represent them in Harrisburg for the 2017-18 legislative session. This unfortunate situation is the result of a number of factors – legislative district boundaries that strongly favor one political party over the other, the influence of campaign contributions on the competitiveness of elections, the time-consuming process of running for political office, or the difficulty of running against an incumbent office-holder are among some of those factors. It also means that before the election, many Pennsylvanians will not get to hear both sides of the debate on many of the important issues the House of Representatives will consider in the next two years. I discussed a number of these issues in a previous Round Up that previews of the Pennsylvania State Senate elections.

The good news in this scenario is that voters in 105 State House districts do have a choice between major party candidates on the ballot this fall. We have compiled a guide to these races. The guide features the district number, the county or counties where the district is located, the names of the candidates, and a link to the candidates’ websites when available. Because our guide is intended to help voters choose between candidates for the office of State Representative, we have not included links to the official state websites of incumbents, which are intended to provide information for constituents of sitting legislators.

It is important to note that many counties in Pennsylvania contain multiple legislative districts, so the Pennsylvania General Assembly website contains a search function that allows you to type your address and find out what legislative district you reside in.

The other races on the 2016 General Election ballot – President, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Attorney General, Auditor General, State Treasurer, and in some districts State Senator – have higher profiles than State Representative. No one you will vote for on November 8 is as close to you as your State Representative, however. And your State Representative will have an important role over the next two years in debating and voting on issues, like caregiving or retirement security, which could have a critical impact on you and your family.

Please make your voice heard this year – cast your vote on November 8.

“Ray’s Round Up” features updates on current state and federal issues by Ray Landis, AARP PA’s Advocacy Manager.