Philadelphia residents vote yes on four ballot questions

In addition to propelling President-elect Joe Biden to victory, Philadelphia residents demonstrated overwhelming support for all four questions present on this year's ballot.

Each question garnered at least 75% approval from Philadelphia voters, Philly Voice reported. Three out of four questions asked voters about criminal justice and police reform, and another asked if the city should borrow money to be largely spent on infrastructure repairs.  

The first question, which asked if Philadelphia should make stop-and-frisk "unlawful," received approval from more than 82% of voters. Black Philadelphians are 50% more likely to be stopped by police without reason than white people, according to a report from ACLU Pennsylvania. 

The city will establish a new police oversight commission and amend city charter language to ban illegal stop-and-frisk still used by Philadelphia police officers, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The second ballot question targeted at police reform, which received support from over 86% of voters, asked if the city should create a city department called the Office of the Victim Advocate to work on behalf of crime victims. The Philadelphia City Council approved this ballot measure in July.

The third question, which received 79% of support from voters, asked if the city should create a civilian watchdog group for the Philadelphia Police Department. The Citizens Oversight Commission would rebrand the city's existing Police Advisory Commission, improve police conduct and enable civilian assessment of police proceedings.

Support of police reform measures is consistent among voters across the country, CBS News reported.  

More than 75% of Philadelphia voters approved the last ballot question, which is required to appear on the ballot for the city to borrow money, Philly Voice reported. Voters supported borrowing $134 million for infrastructure improvements across Philadelphia, which was approved in a City Council measure in June.