The Green Papers: State and Local Government
 
Copyright www.flags.net/UNST.htm Pennsylvania
Governor:1(Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms)
Senators:2(Electoral Classes 1 and 3)
2000 Representatives:21(4.83% of 435)
2002 Representatives:19(4.37% of 435)
2004 Electors:21(3.93% of 535)
1990 Census:11,882,842 (4.78% of 248,765,170)
2000 Census:12,300,670 (4.36% of 281,998,273)
Registered Voters (2000):7,781,997
Estimated Voting age population (2000):9,155,000
Capital:Harrisburg
 

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States Alphabetically    Current Pennsylvania Statewide Office Holders

Official Name/Status   All States
 The COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania
 Ratified Articles of Confederation: 9 July 1778.
 Ratified Constitution of the United States: 12 December 1787
  The 2nd state.
Traditional Sections and Regions   All States
 Section: NORTHEAST
 Region: Mid-Atlantic
 Survey: Metes & Bounds
Constitutions   All States     Links to State Constitutions
 Enabling Act (of the Congress of the United States): [None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776]
 
• 1st (1776-1790) [Adopted: 28 September 1776 Convention convened, 15 July 1776, Ratified: 28 September 1776 not submitted to the People]
• 2nd (1790-1838) [Adopted: 2 September 1790 Convention convened, 24 November 1789; this Adoption date reflects the date the Convention adjourned sine die after having declared this Constitution in force as a result of first having "shewn the work" to the People and thereafter reconvening on 9 August 1790 to work on suggested amendments before proclaiming this Constitution in force, Ratified: 2 September 1790 The Convention had submitted this 2nd Constitution to the People for purposes of discussion and then recessed on 26 February 1790 but the People were not called upon to ratify it by an actual vote at the polls]
• 3rd (1839-1873) [Adopted: 22 February 1838 Convention convened, 2 May 1837, Ratified: November 1838 ratified by a vote of 113,971 to 112,759; effective, 1 January 1839]
• 4th (1874--) [Adopted: 3 November 1873 Convention convened, 12 November 1872, Ratified: 16 December 1873 effective, 1 January 1874 (NOTE: This Constitution was recodified in three stages between 1966 and 1968: the General Assembly drafted two sets of amendments which were approved by the voters on 17 May 1966 and 16 May 1967, respectively; a limited Constitutional Convention then met from 1 December 1967 thru 29 February 1968 to work these 1966 and 1967 amendments- along with any amendments proposed by the Convention- into a recodified document which was approved by the voters on 23 April 1968. However, this recodification of 1968 is not generally considered to be a "5th Constitution" per se )]
Executive Branch   All States
 
Chief Executive
 • GOVERNOR
Successor to a Vacancy
 • Lieutenant Governor [elected on same ticket with GOVERNOR]
 
 
Major Executive Officers Elected Statewide   All States   2008 Office holders
 • Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
 • Lieutenant Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2002, 2006. Elected on a ticket with the Governor
 • Attorney General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2000, 2004
 • Treasurer: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2000, 2004
 • Auditor General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2000, 2004
Legislative Branch   All States
 
Legislature
 • GENERAL ASSEMBLY
 
Upper House
 • Senate
Lower House
 • House of Representatives
Judicial Branch   All States
 
Court of Last Resort
 • Supreme Court
Intermediate Appellate Court
 • Superior Court
 
Local Government
 
   
PRIMARY CIVIL DIVISION  All States
 • county [Type: Broad, Executive and Legislative: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS]
 MINOR CIVIL DIVISION  All States
  • township [Type: Limited, Executive and Legislative: Board of Supervisors]
 
Incorporated Municipalities  All States
   
Statutory Election Information   All States
 
General Election   All States
 • Tuesday next after 1st Monday in November of even-numbered years
[Unconsolidated PA Statutes 25-2751]
Presidential Primary   All States
 • at the same time as the State Primary in Presidential Election years (4th Tuesday in April... but see NOTE re: State Primary)
[Unconsolidated PA Statutes 25-2753(a)]
State Primary   All States
 • even-numbered years... 3d Tuesday in May of non-Presidential Election years;
4th Tuesday in April of Presidential Election years
[Unconsolidated PA Statutes 25-2753(a)...
(NOTE: the 2000 State Primary [and, by extension (see above), PA's Presidential Primary] was specifically set for 4 April, which was the 1st Tuesday in April of that year, in section 25-2753(b1))]
Polling times   All States
 • Polls open: 7 AM local time
Polls close: 8 PM local time
[Unconsolidated PA Statutes 25-3045]
Links  Links to other web sites
 
Constitution
 • http://members.aol.com/StatutesPA/Constitution.html (The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not maintain an online database containing this State's Constitution: rather, this is a portion of a private website maintained by the Hon. Thomas E. Martin, Jr., Esq.- a Pennsylvania District Court Judge in Chester County, PA- who operates this site on the "shareware model"; he asks [but does not demand]: "If after using this website you have found it to be helpful, we ask you to send a $10. contribution to share in the maintenance cost to MARTIN LAW OFFICES, LLP, Post Office Box 392, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania 19348.")
Election Authority
 • Pennsylvania Department of State
 • Pennsylvania Department of State - Bureau of Commissions, Elections, and Legislation
 • VotesPA.com - The Pennsylvania Department of State's online voting information center
Legislature
 • Pennsylvania General Assembly
 • Pennsylvania House of Representatives
 • Pennsylvania Senate
Democratic
 • Pennsylvania Democratic Party
 • Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus
 • Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus
Republican
 • Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus
 • Pennsylvania Senate Republican News
 • Republican Party of Pennsylvania
Third Party
 • America First Party of Pennsylvania
 • Communist Party of Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware
 • Green Party of Pennsylvania
 • Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania
 • Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation
 • Reform Party of Pennsylvania Affiliated with the Independence Party as of 22 October 2007
 • Socialist Party of Pennsylvania
 • The Constitution Party of Pennsylvania
Media & others
 • Altoona.com - State College
 • Centre Daily Times - State College
 • DC's Political Report - Pennsylvania
 • Gateway Newspapers - Aspinwall - Monroeville - Pittsburgh- Wexford
 • Gettysburg Times
 • Grassroots PA
 • I Love Altoona
 • Issues PA - The Pennsylvania Economy League
 • Jewish Exponent - Philadelphia
 • Keystonepolitics.com - Harrisburg - Philadelphia - Pittsburgh - Lehigh Valley - Northeast
 • KYW AM - Newsradio - Philadelphia
 • LancasterOnline.com
 • PA from Democracy
 • PennLive.com - Harrisburg
 • Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition
 • Philadelphia Daily News
 • Philadelphia Gay News
 • Philadelphia Inquirer
 • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 • Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
 • Pocono Record - Stroudsburg
 • Politics1.com - Pennsylvania
 • PoliticsPA.com
 • PoliticsPhilly.com - Philadelphia
 • Reading Eagle
 • Scranton Times Tribune
 • Sewickley Herald - Pittsburgh
 • The Beaver County Times
 • The Citizens Voice - Wilkes-Barre
 • The Daily Item - Sunbury
 • The Daily Local News - West Chester
 • The Daily News - McKeesport
 • The Daily Pennsylvanian - University of Pennsylvania
 • The Herald - Sharon
 • The Herald Standard -Uniontown
 • The Insider Archive
 • The Mercury - Pottstown
 • The Morning Call - Allentown
 • The Northeast News Gleaner - Northeast Philadelphia
 • The Pennsylvania Report
 • The Philadelphia Tribune
 • The REPUBLICAN & Herald- Pottsville
 • The Sentinel - Carlisle - Shippensburg
 • The Times-Tribune - Scranton
 • Times Leader - Wilkes-Barre
 • Times News - Lehighton
 • York Daily Record
 
 

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