![]() “In my mind, if they really wanted the public to be able to ‘choose their own laws’ then the public should be able to introduce them and have a say in the crafting of said amendments as well,” he said. ![]() I believe it just needs to be done more responsibly and judiciously. Now, I’m not actually against changing the constitution. “Our state constitution, like our federal constitution, is intended to protect individual rights and liberties while respecting the equal and independent work of each branch of government.” Our constitutional amendment process was never meant to be a workaround for failed legislation or to threaten the courts into doing the legislature’s bidding,” wrote Khalif Ali, the Executive Director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, in a column for Penn Live. “This is not how the system was designed to work. Legislating through constitutional amendments: a lousy way for Pennsylvania lawmakers to do business /PLdP5mzRFx- LehighValley Tweetup October 1, 2021 ![]() Over two-thirds of these types of ballot questions have been on years which don’t include a gubernatorial or presidential election.įurthermore, and not coincidentally, voters have only rejected six of 49 amendments dating back to when PA’s current constitution went into effect in 1968. A small silver lining is that both Bucks and Montgomery counties actually voted against this.īut, this targeting of off-year, low turnout elections isn’t a new phenomenon. This was largely a result of the politicization of pandemic responses and COVID-19 in general, not just in PA, but across the country. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that these Republicans target low turnout elections, like last May’s primary election, where about 12 percent of eligible Pennsylvania voters ultimately decided that a legislature largely filled with Republican QAnon, “Big Lie,” and COVID-19 tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists should be able to override Governor Tom Wolf’s emergency powers. This is no way to govern.- Senator Amanda Cappelletti ? January 25, 2022 The majority uses this process to bypass the governor's veto pen for proposals they know are not popular. Then, the measure goes straight to the ballot. In PA, constitutional amendments need to pass in two consecutive legislative sessions. “I think my biggest concern is that only one party is able to introduce constitutional amendments, there’s no public input on them throughout the process until they get to the ballot, and that most often occurs in an off-year election with low turnout.” “We see a legislature that is reaching to grab as much power as possible while they still remain in power,” said Nick Pressley, director of campaigns for the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. ![]() That’s why they recognize using constitutional amendments as a weapon to pass laws, pack the courts, and ultimately gerrymander their way into a permanent legislative majority. Pennsylvania Republicans, who hold majorities in the State House and Senate, apparently despise the practice of checks and balances the judicial, legislative and executive branches of state government provide each other - a bedrock of U.S. In Pennsylvania, that actually includes the state constitution. The GOP’s war on democracy has many battle fronts. ![]()
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