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What You’re Really Voting On (In Addition To President)

Less than 48 hours stand between the United States and its president for the next four years. No matter which party you cast your ballot for, more than the Oval Office is up for grabs.

In state and county elections, six offices could change hands in the coming year. The largest polling place in the state is at the HUB, so Penn State students could have a major impact on these elections, even if they seem secondary compared to the presidential race. Here’s a complete listing of the choices you’ll see on your ballot tomorrow.

Presidential Electors

Although Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump represent the country’s two major political parties, some say third party candidates could stand a better chance than previous years in this tumultuous election cycle.

  • Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine – Democratic
  • Donald J. Trump & Michael R. Pence – Republican
  • Darrell L. Castle & Scott N. Bradley – Constitution
  • Jill Stein & Ajamu Baraka – Green
  • Gary Johnson & William Weld – Libertarian

United States Senator

Senators shouldn’t be ignored — they can have huge influence in Congress on the day-to-day issues of the states they represent. The incumbent in this race is republican Pat Toomey.

  • Katie McGinty – Democratic
  • Pat Toomey – Republican
  • Edward T. Clifford, III – Libertarian

Attorney General

The Attorney General the main legal advisor to the government of Pennsylvania. If you haven’t been following along, this position needs an extensive upgrade after former Attorney General Kathleen Kane cast doubts on the integrity of the position.

  • Josh Shapiro – Democratic
  • John Rafferty – Republican

Auditor General

This office is basically the “fiscal watchdog” of Pennsylvania — it’s currently auditing Penn State on governance changes, reforms since the Sandusky scandal, and efforts to control tuition.

  • Eugene A. DePasquale – Democratic
  • John Brown – Republican
  • John J. Sweeney – Green
  • Roy A. Minet – Libertarian

State Treasurer

It’s pretty self-explanatory, but the Treasury Department manages Pennsylvania’s financial assets.

  • Joe Torsella – Democratic
  • Otto Voit – Republican
  • Kristin Combs – Green
  • James Babb – Libertarian

Representative in Congress

Incumbent Glenn “G.T.” Thompson has been the Representative from Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District (which includes Centre County) since 2009.

  • Kerith Strano Taylor – Democratic
  • Glenn Thompson – Republican

Representative in the General Assembly

Something tells us this race won’t be widely-contested.

  • H. Scott Conklin – Democratic/Republican

Proposed Constitutional Amendment

In addition to positional elections, this year’s Pennsylvania ballot also features a referendum, or a vote on a single issue.

Amending the Mandatory Judicial Retirement Age

Shall the Pennsylvania Constitution be amended to require that justices of the Supreme Court, judges, and magisterial district judges be retired on the last day of the calendar year in which they attain the age of 75 years?

All you need to do to vote on this one is fill in either the yes or the no oval. Currently, the maximum age is 70.

You can see the full Centre County ballot here. If you’re just trying to figure out where and when to vote, visit our guide to voting in State College.

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About the Author

James Turchick

James is a senior majoring in digital and print journalism, James enjoys writing about anything weird and is deadly allergic to bees. Onward State people are very nice to him.

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