The presidential election may be the Super Bowl, but the races people often overlook are the real game
Many voters focus only on the top of the ticket and skip one or more important races down the ballot, writes City Commissioner Lisa Deeley. Those are often the most pertinent to day-to-day life.
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On Nov. 5, hundreds of thousands of Philadelphians will cast their votes in the presidential election.
Presidential elections draw the highest turnout and garner the most excitement of any electoral contest. Rightfully so, since the outcome of that race can change the entire world. Since I first stepped into office as a Philadelphia City Commissioner in 2016, the presidential has always been our Super Bowl, but this year I want to ask more from our voters.
Historically, tens of thousands of voters will only focus on the top of the ticket and many skip one or more important races down the ballot. This is called undervoting, and it undermines Philadelphia’s influence in state elections and the influence of our constituents. Undervoting is skipping a contest on the ballot or, in the case of multi-candidate contests, selecting fewer choices than the maximum allowed. The sad irony is that the positions that are regularly skipped are often the most pertinent to your day-to-day life — and should be treated as such at the polls.
In 2020, some 37,867 Philadelphians skipped voting for the Attorney General’s race; 45,213 skipped the Auditor General, and 41,598 skipped the Pennsylvania Treasurer’s race — a statewide contest where the margin of victory was just 52,546.
Races like Attorney General, Auditor General, and Treasurer are sometimes skipped because constituents do not understand the crucial roles these positions play in the state, and in terms of their tax dollars.
City Commissioners are most often asked about — and judged, fairly or unfairly — on turnout. In other words, how many people are physically casting their ballot. To that end, I have spent hundreds of hours on various methods of voter outreach and I am proud to say that voting in Philadelphia is more accessible than ever.
» READ MORE: When it comes to voting, heed this straightforward advice: Show up and act right | Opinion
But instead of focusing on how many people show up to vote, we should focus on how many people are participating — not just by voting, but by voting in each race. Some people show up and will cast a blank ballot. They showed up, but they did not make any choices, did not voice an opinion, did not participate in the election.
The low-hanging fruit to increase participation is to educate voters, who are already showing up, to complete their ballots and vote in every contest. For example, we were all dismayed at the turnout of just 19.4% in this April’s primary. However, thanks to 21,469 undervotes the turnout for the Attorney General’s race was an even more depressing 17.3%, despite the fact that this race was the most contested race on the primary ballot.
The entire Pennsylvania State House will be on the ballot this year and as the most local form of representation, it is one of the most important.
State representatives have among the smallest districts of any elected position in Philadelphia and are therefore the most responsive. You can likely walk to your state representative’s district office. Your state representative knows your neighborhood, knows your street, and knows the aspects of your community you hold most dear. The President of the United States is worried about hurricane relief and what is happening in the Middle East — not the abandoned car on Byberry Road. Yet, in 2020, 101,556 Philadelphians did not vote for their state representative.
I encourage all readers to educate themselves on the candidates and the offices that are up for election this year. To help, I have posted a series of civics education videos on my social media pages as well as PHLgovTV (formerly Channel 64) on each office on the ballot.
Everyone deserves to have their opinions fully portrayed in their vote and everyone deserves to understand how the government they pay for works. When it is time to vote, please take the time to do your research so you are ready to vote up and down the ballot.
Whether you vote or not, you will be stuck with the bill — so it is best to show up and express your opinion in every contest on your ballot.
Lisa Deeley is the vice chair of the Philadelphia City Commissioners.