The Philadelphia City Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity in partnership with The Philadelphia City Commissioners’ Office and Committee of Seventy, held a bilingual educational session on May 4 at the District 7 Satellite Election Office to help voters better understand what will appear on the ballot in the upcoming May 19 primary elections.
In these primaries, voters will select candidates within their own political party. In contrast, during the general election in November, voters may choose any candidate, regardless of party affiliation.
Brisa Díaz-Zorrilla, program manager for the Committee of Seventy, provided an overview of candidates in the Second Congressional District, which covers most of Northeast Philadelphia and approximately half of North Philadelphia.
She also noted that on the November 3 general election ballot, Democratic candidate Brendan Boyle and Republican candidate Jessica Arriaga will run for that congressional seat. For governor, the candidates are Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Stacy Garrity. Voters will also elect a lieutenant governor in that election.
Pennsylvania has 17 congressional districts, each representing approximately 765,000 residents. The state also has 50 state senators, each representing about 260,000 residents, and 203 state representatives, each serving roughly 64,000 constituents.
The state budget for Pennsylvania this year totals $53.3 billion.
To vote, individuals must be U.S. citizens and registered at least 30 days prior to the election. Voters must be at least 18 years old on Election Day and must have resided in Pennsylvania and in their electoral district for at least 30 days before the election.
Voters can cast their ballots at their district’s Satellite Election Office. The District 7 office is located at 2739 N. 5th St. and is open seven days a week: Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information, call 215-686-7807. The ten Satellite Election Offices were established by the Philadelphia City Commissioners’ Office to improve access to voting.
Election workers will be available to assist voters with any questions during the voting process.
The event counted on CEO’s awesome community partners, including Esperanza, Ceiba, Xiente, Congreso, Lulac, Taller Puertorriqueño, and HACE, demonstrating the broader CEO community’s continued commitment to preserving and strengthening our democracy every election cycle.
