Op-Ed: Restore Accountability in Harrisburg by Voting “Yes” on May 18

Originally published in Delaware Valley Journal.

The May 18 election might seem unimportant at first glance. It’s only a primary election, and there are no gubernatorial or senatorial candidates on the ballot. Ignoring it, however, would be a mistake.

In addition to choosing nominees for some important local elections (e.g., school boards), Pennsylvanians will be deciding the answer to a critical question: Should the people’s representatives in the Legislature be able to keep governors from giving themselves extraordinary emergency powers for as long as they’d like?

Anyone who believes in the sanctity of our democracy should realize the importance of this question and go to the polls so they can vote “yes” on the two ballot questions that would curb a governor’s arbitrary powers.

If enough of us do so, two constitutional amendments will be enacted. One will limit the length of a governor’s emergency declaration to 21 days rather than the current 90. The second will allow an emergency declaration to extend beyond that three-week limit only with a majority vote in the Legislature.

A “no” vote would…

Read more at Delaware Valley Journal.