ELECTION COVERAGE 11.6.2018 TO THE POLLS #

Philly Mural Exhibition To Excite Voters

A collaboration with StreetsDept, Mural Arts

Philadelphia, and 10 local street artists

Streets Dept’s Conrad Benner and Mural Arts Philadelphia are hosting To the Polls, a pre-election mural exhibition featuring the work of ten Philadelphia artists at 448 North 10th Street in Spring Arts. The exhibition is free and open to the public from September 26 through October 3, 2018, with viewing hours and on-site voter registration from 125pm. To the Polls aims to excite the electorate, encouraging civic engagement to counter historically low voter turnout for midterm elections.

Curated by StreetsDept.com’s founder Conrad Benner, all ten artists participating in To the Polls have a history of using their work to promote activism, empowerment, and engagement. The featured artists are Loveis Wise, Wit López, Willis “Nomo” Humphrey, Nilé Livingston, Marisa Velázquez-Rivas, YOMI, Blur, Joe Boruchow, Alloyius Mcilwaine, and Busta.

Each artist created an 8×8-foot temporary mural that rallies the community around civic participation through the act of voting, and explores the many complex issues affecting Philadelphians today. To the Polls will investigate whether art can effectively illustrate the stakes of national issues, and remind people of the power of collective action. The exhibition aims to encourage and excite Philadelphians about their capacity to influence the world around them.

Get involved or learn more at bicyclecoalition.org or visionzerophl.com

From The Artists

This is a political statement. A call to rouse. A spiritual expression. Not just lines and blocks of colors that were conceptualized, sketched, vectored, printed, and painted. It’s a visual utterance of the persistent battles and achievements the Latino community has experienced since before the Mexican–American War. In this message there is camaraderie, community, and leadership — it is a plea to realize the weight of our voices and fight the good fight. We are here, and we belong.

Marisa Velázquez-Rivas, @marisa.vr

We’re coming to a point in our history where a major paradigm shift could occur. During this shift, the momentum could swing towards growth, understanding, and prosperity…or we could fall down the rabbit hole. The midterm elections could change the face of American politics…so it’s incredibly important to let our voices be heard! My piece uses energy and historical benchmarks in American voting to show why voting is so important.

Alloyius Mcilwaine, @culturesclothing, #alloyiusmcilwaineart

The urgency is clear. Without true mass engagement our democracy will not survive. This election and every other, vote. Vote to protect your children. Vote to sweep away the rubbish. Vote to preserve your mental and physical health.

Joe Boruchow, @joeboruchow

~Each is captioned with the of the accident it commemorates~ Cover: Craig Murphey. Page 4: Matthew Brenner and Christopher Doyle. Page 5: Erica Abbott and Matthew von Ohlen. Page 6: Nicolas Djandji, Anna Rodriguez, Lauren Elizabeth Davis, Mathieu Lefevre. And we remember, Jonathan Neese.

Photos pages 7-10 are To the Polls behind the scenes photos from StreetsDept.com. See more on Instagram: @StreetsDept, @MuralArts. Thank you to all the artists who painted murals for the To The Polls Exhibition.

ELECTION DAY: WHAT’S ON THE PA BALLOT?

NOVEMBER 6, 2018, 7am — 8 pm

US House of Representatives US Senate Governor

WHAT’S ON THE LINE?

Lt. Governor

PA Senate (even-numbered districts)

PA House of Representatives

All 435 US House seats and 33 US Senate seats are up for election. Heading into the election, the Republican Party holds a majority in both chambers.

Ballotpedia.org uses the term wave elections to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. They ask: How many seats would Republicans have to lose for the midterm election to be considered a wave election?

Us House Of Representatives

The US House of Representatives consists of 435 seats total, 6 are currently vacant.

Republican Party holds the majority with 236 seats.

Democratic Party holds 193 seats.

For the US House, Republicans would need to lose 48 seats for 2018 to qualify historically as a wave election.

The Democratic Party is well-positioned to gain seats in the chamber in 2018 for the following reasons:

The party of a newly elected president is historically more vulnerable than usual in the following midterm.

The majority of seats in the closest races in the country are currently held by Republicans.

As of September 2018, there are more open seats in districts held by Republicans than Democrats.

Us Senate

The US Senate consists of 100 seats total, with two representatives from each state.

Republican Party holds the majority with 51 seats.

Democratic Party holds 47 seats.

Independents hold 2 seats.

For the US Senate, Republicans would need to lose 7 seats for 2018 to qualify historically as a wave election.

The Democratic Party is at a disadvantage to gain seats for the following reasons:

Democrats have 25 seats to defend (2 of which are held by Independents, while only 8 seats up for election are held by Republican incumbents.

The Democratic Party must defend seats in 10 states that Donald Trump won in 2016: Montana, North Dakota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Florida, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and only one state with a Republican incumbent that was won by Hillary Clinton in 2016: Nevada.

There are 13 states with a Democratic incumbent that have a Republican governor but no states with a Republican incumbent and a Democratic governor.

Pa Governor

PA Governor is the highest state office and head of the Executive Branch.

Serves 4 year terms, with 2 term limits.

PA has been a divided party state since 2014 when Democrat Tom Wolf was elected Governor. Since 2010 Republicans controlled PA’s government, Wolf won in 2014 by a margin just under 10 percent.

In 2018, Wolf is seeking re-election, against a 2016 presidential election state swing to Republican, and party seat changes in 6 out of the past 10 governor elections.

The winner in this election will be involved in PA’s redistricting process, which draws new maps for U.S. House seats following the [2020] Census. The governor has the power to veto these district map proposals.

2018 Governor and Lieutenant Governor Candidates & Parties:

Democratic: Tom Wolf and John Fetterman

Republican: Scott Wagner and Jeff Bartos

Libertarian: Kenneth Krawchuk and Kathleen Smith

Green: Paul Glover and Jocolyn Bowser-Bostick

Pa House Of Representatives

PA House of Representatives consists of 203 seats total, ALL 203 seats up in the 2018 election. 2 year terms.

In 2016, the Republican Party increased their majority seats from 119-84 to 121-82. 15 races were won by less than a 10-point margin: with 8 Republican and 7 Democratic wins.

In 2018, Democrats need 20 seats to take control of the chamber, Republicans need to gain 14 seats to secure the 2/3 majority to override Governor vetoes.

For the PA House, the 2/3 majority to override vetoes is up for election this year with a Republican win.

Pa Senate

PA Senate consists of 50 seats total, 25 seats up for 2018 election. Staggered 4-year terms.

In 2016, Republicans increased their majority from 31-19 to 34-16, giving them the 2/3 majority to override Governor vetoes.

In 2018, Democrats need to gain 1 seat to break the Republican 2/3 majority.

For the PA Senate, Republicans currently have the 2/3 majority. 2018 winning candidates will serve through 2022, playing a key role in PA’s redistricting process.

2018 Remedial Pa Congressional Districts

On January 22, the PA Supreme Court declared the PA congressional map unconstitutional The old map ranked as one of the decade’s most extreme partisan gerrymanders giving Republicans a 13-to-5 advantage

There is a new and fairer congressional map for the upcoming November 2018 elections — a majority of counties lie fully within a single Congressional District.

Philadelphia County falls within Districts 2, 3, and 5.