Photo by Melissa S. Finley.
Learn how to understand districts, ballots, and your choices when you enter the booth tomorrow.
No, you aren’t a dummy, and neither am I. I am a college-educated adult who has worked in journalism for more than 26 years. And I’ve covered my fair share of elections. But there is always one think that has somewhat eluded me: voting districts.
Perhaps because they are ever-changing, or perhaps because they really don’t make any “common sense” nor have any rhyme or reason to the average person, it can be tough to really get a solid grasp on them.
So, let’s face it: voting districts are confusing. Short of searching ballots directly by your home address (which you can do here, by the way), or by municipality here, they don’t make a lot of sense. If you can recall middle school civics courses, some of the roles are easy to understand.
We all get to vote, no matter your state or territory, for the United States President. Unless you’ve truly lived in isolation for the past years or so, we’ll assume you are well-versed on this race, no matter where you live.
Each state in our country then also selects two senators to represent them. In the case of Pennsylvania, our two sitting senators include Bob Casey Jr. and John Fetterman, both democrats. Casey is running for re-election in this, the 2024 election races come Nov. 5.
Fetterman, who is the “junior” senator, assumed his role on Jan. 3, 2023, removing Pat Toomey from the seat in 2022 elections. U.S. Senators are elected for six-year terms, which means he will be up for a re-election bid in the 2028 election year, and he does not have to face an election race this time around.
Casey, however, is running this year against Republican Dave McCormick. You’ve likely been bombarded with enough television, online, and radio advertisements to be pretty aware of that race. But, if you want a brush-up refresher on the biggest issues, review the CBS News report here.
After these fairly straight-forward races, but after that, the districts, and who votes for whom, and where gets a bit murkier. Let’s take the United States House of Representatives on next.
The state of Pennsylvania, since 2023, has been divided into 17 different districts. In some parts of the state, these lines are somewhat outlined by groups of counties. But, when it comes to Greater Philadelphia, the populations can cause some massive confusion (what some call “gerrymandering,” meaning they are less-than-coincidental in nature) and irregularly shaped districts.
For example, Montgomery County includes three different congressional districts: the First, Fourth, and Fifth. This means, depending on where you live, you will select from one of three races’ candidates. You only vote in your own district, meaning your ballot will only show a single race in this category.
When it comes to the state’s general assembly, or Pennsylvania’s level of legislature, there are even more confusing lines. The state’s senate includes 50 state senators, as divided in equally confusing, mismatched lines as the national districts. Let’s take Montgomery County again as an example. The county alone includes portions of districts including: 24, 44, 12, 17, 7, and 4.
So, where you live, really starts to matter when attempting to understand exactly who will be on your ballot, and which races you are able to vote in for the 2024 Election. Let’s break it down by each municipality covered by Wissahickon Now, and hopefully help you to narrow down the confusion.
Lower Gwynedd Township
If you reside in Lower Gwynedd Township, you’re lucky enough to have a some fairly clear borders. The entire township is a part of:
For this 2024 election, this will mean that your choices will include:
Current Rep. Madeleine Dean (D) v. David J. Winkler (R)
For more on this race, read on here.
Current Senator Maria Collett (D)’s term does not expire until 2026, meaning there is no election for this District this year.
Current Rep. Liz Hanbidge (D) v. Michelle Rupp (R)
For more on this race, read details here.
Ambler Borough
Much like Lower Gwynedd Township, the residents of Ambler Borough also have clear lines. However, they are not the same as their neighbor’s districts. Instead, Ambler Borough consists of:
For this 2024 election, this will mean that your choices will include:
Current Rep. Madeleine Dean (D) v. David J. Winkler (R)
For more on this race, read on here.
Current Senator Maria Collett (D)’s term does not expire until 2026, meaning there is no election for this District this year.
Current Rep. Melissa Cerrato (D) v. Allen Arthur Anderson (R)
For more on this race, visit each candidate’s site: Cerrato and Anderson.
Whitpain Township
When it comes to Whitpain Township, lines are not so cut-and-dry. While the township is united in two races, its Pennsylvania House districts are divided.
Current Rep. Madeleine Dean (D) v. David J. Winkler (R)
For more on this race, read on here.
Current Senator Maria Collett (D)’s term does not expire until 2026, meaning there is no election for this District this year.
Current Rep. Liz Hanbidge (D) v. Michelle Rupp (R)
For more on this race, read details here.
OR
Whitpain itself is divided into 12 districts itself. Districts 1 through 7, and 12, are a part of District 61, currently held by Hanbidge. Whitpain’s Districts 8, 9, 10, 11 are a part of District 70, currently a position held by Bradford.
As you can see on the pictured overlay map, these division lines roughly follow Route 73 to Union Meeting Road, slightly angling at Interstate 476.
