What else will be on Pennsylvanians’
Primary Ballots on April 23?
Candidates Are Running for PA Statewide Offices
Who Will Have the Power to Defend Civil, Voting, Reproductive, and Consumer Rights
You know there’s a PA primary on April 23, 2024, and you know about the national political races, but what about the down-ballot statewide races? The importance of these PA state-level contests is critical. To vote in the Democratic primary, you need to be a registered Democrat, and you want to be aware of your choices.
The PA Attorney General, the PA Auditor General, and PA State Treasurer — each of these offices exercises a great deal of power. Whoever wins will have the potential to shape our daily lives and protect our rights in many ways. Read on for a description of each role, make your plan to vote, and come to our March 19th Neighborhood Mixer/Candidate Meet & Greet!
PA ATTORNEY GENERAL
Responsible for prosecuting crimes on behalf of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which can include taking on organized crime, public corruption, and consumer protection cases. Our state Attorney General should be:
An unflinching defender of our civil rights and voting rights.
A strong advocate for reproductive freedom and LGBTQ rights.
A defender of workers and consumers, protecting us against fraud and wage theft and upholding the right to organize.
A champion of healthy environments and preserving our natural landscape, prosecuting polluters who degrade Pennsylvania’s natural environment and create health hazards for its residents.
Candidates running for PA Attorney General in the Democratic Primary:
Keir Bradford-Grey, Eugene DePasquale, Joe Khan, Jared Solomon, and Jack Stollsteimer
PA AUDITOR GENERAL
The Auditor General runs our state’s accountability office. That means they have tremendous potential to look out for the people of Pennsylvania. An Auditor General who is looking out for all of us should do the following and more:
Protect the interests and well-being of young people by ensuring state services for children (including foster care and the family court system) are managed effectively and well.
Make sure designated public education funds reach students and teachers in classrooms. The PA Auditor should restart the bureau of school audits and prevent the siphoning of scarce public ed dollars to consultants & management companies.
Ensure that schools are safe and healthy for children and the adults that work in them by investigating conditions.
Protect retired veterans by auditing the performance of state-run veterans’ homes to make sure they are serving residents.
Protect patients and their families by investigating state-run hospitals to make sure patients are not bearing the brunt of inflated healthcare costs.
Candidates running for PA Auditor General in the Democratic Primary:
Malcolm Kenyatta and Mark Pinsley
PA STATE TREASURER
In addition to administering Pennsylvania’s payroll, making payments for state agencies, and evaluating state leases and contracts, the PA Treasurer fills other critical roles:
Helps manage state pension funds. The person who occupies this seat should safeguard the interests of Pennsylvania taxpayers and retirees over those of money managers and Wall Street financiers.
Supervises the tax-free PA 529 College Savings Program, which can be used for college, trade school and apprenticeship programs. The person in this role can make college savings accounts more accessible to all PA families.
The PA Treasurer oversees PA-ABLE, a tax-free savings program that enables people with disabilities and their families to save money for disability-related expenses.
The Treasurer can make low-interest loans available to municipalities, non-profits, and farmers.
Manages the Unclaimed Property Bureau.
Candidates running for PA State Treasurer in the Democratic Primary:
Ryan Bizzarro and Erin McClelland
Make your plan to vote on April 23rd, 2024. You can go to www.vote.pa.gov to:
register to vote,
check your registration information,
request a mail-in ballot, or
find out where your in-person polling place is.