On or before November 4, voters will decide municipal positions and judicial retention. Usually, retention elections get little attention.

You probably received mailers from both sides of the judicial retention issue in Pennsylvania. The Vote Yes mailers are from groups like Pennsylvanians for Judicial Fairness and Planned Parenthood, and ask that the three Supreme Court justices be retained because of their support for reproductive health care, including birth control, contraception and prenatal care. 

The Vote No mailers are from Republican nonprofit Commonwealth Partners and its PAC, the Commonwealth Leaders Fund. One of this PAC’s mailers shows a gerrymandered map that Republicans created and was deemed unconstitutional by the PA Supreme Court. It has been redrawn to more fairly represent the voters. But the mailer does not explain that this was the Republican map, only implies that it was drawn by the Democrats to favor the Democrats.

Focus on the No mailers and the “catch phrases.” What are they claiming? There is no explanation of the three reasons to vote No: Defend our Democracy, Protect Women and Children, and Force a Fair Election. 

Take them one at a time:

Defend our democracy: From what? Thoughtful judges who follow the law and precedent?

Protect women and children: From what? Judges who rule to protect bodily autonomy and access to reproductive health care, including prenatal care? Judges who protect public education for our children?

Force a fair election: Why is this election not fair? There will not be a special election, and those three seats could remain open until 2027. How is that a good thing for PA?

As to term limits—will those words be included in mailers looking to retain Republican justices?

To preserve fair voting maps, bodily autonomy and public education, vote Yes to retain all five justices/judges on the back of the ballot, and vote for Democratic Judge Brandon Neuman for Superior Court and Judge Stella Tsai for Commonwealth Court. Thank you.

Julie Pease
Lake Ariel, PA