Voters to decide on nine legislative issues

Philadelphia voters will have 66 potential options on their ballots when they go to the polls tomorrow.

Nine of those options will be ballot questions, or propositions to make changes to state or city law, similar to the proposition system used in California.

"We don't have a general referendum law where you can go out and petition," Millersville University Government Professor and political analyst Terry Madonna said. "The questions on the ballot then become law. These are questions that get there to amend the government of the city."

Seven of the ballot questions are proposed amendments to Philadelphia's Home Rule Charter, which acts as a constitution for the city.

The other two deal with changes to Pennsylvania state law.

One of the proposed charter amendments would give Philadelphia-based companies bid preference for city contracts if they are within 5 percent of the lowest bid.

"I don't support it," Political Science professor Henry Teune said. "Like it makes Philadelphia more competitive. That is the union mentality that runs this town."

Another asks voters whether the City of Philadelphia Health Department should write up a plan for implementing universal health care in the city.

Additional proposed charter amendments deal with issues such as whether or not the contracts of agencies that receive city funding or have a publicly nominated board of directors should only be valid if audited by the city and the creation of an Insurance Public Advocate, among other changes.

The two state-sponsored initiatives concern protecting victims' rights. One suggests adapting state law to allow witnesses to testify in court without being face-to-face with the person accused of the crime.

The second specifically concerns increasing minors' protection from alleged criminals while testifying, namely by means of closed-circuit television.

The quantity of ballot questions appearing tomorrow is higher than in previous years.

"It seems to be more than last time," Teune said. "They put all this junk in the charter, for what?"

According to Madonna, as well as a member of the political watchdog organization the Committee of Seventy, while the issues have the potential to affect Philadelphia government to some extent, they deal mainly with trivial policy changes.

"They are important in a sense, but they are not the kind of things that are going to make or break the city of Philly," Madonna said.

Traditionally, ballot questions do get passed, according to both Madonna and the Committee of Seventy member. Madonna thinks this year will be no exception.

"Unless they involve real controversy or [are] about spending, which maybe means a rise in taxes, they customarily will pass," he said.

According to Teune, the primary problem with the ballot questions is that they deal with very specific policy changes that do not belong as permanent additions to the Home Rule Charter, and are difficult to rescind once passed.

"When you talk about constitutions, you talk about general principles," Teune said.

With the mayoral race monopolizing media coverage of the election, little attention has been paid to the nine yes-or-no propositions tacked on to the end of the ballot.

"People are really focusing on the mayoral race," Madonna said.

This means voters are more in the dark than usual concerning the real impact these sometimes cryptic amendments will have.

Some questions reference specific articles in the Home Rule Charter and are heavily influenced by legal jargon.

"I think overall they tend to be very legalese," Madonna said. "In this election I have not read much about them. Off and on there has been a story here and there. Most voters will know nothing about these."

Due to the complexity of the section, Madonna said some voters will simply avoid tackling it.

"The other thing is that far fewer people will vote on those questions, saying, 'I am not going to even bother to read them.'"

To be placed on the ballot, proposed amendments must be approved by two-thirds of City Council, or through a petition signed by 20,000 registered voters, then approved by a majority of City Council. Alternatively, City Council can, through a two-thirds majority vote, create a commission that can then sponsor the amendment.

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