How to Start a Voter Registration Drive

12 steps to running a safe, legal and successful voter registration sign up by the general election deadline

By Claire Wolters

How to Vote in Philadelphia

Everything you need to know about voting in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania — including how to fix a flawed mail-in / absentee ballot

By The Philadelphia Citizen Staff
Citizen of the Year 2023 Awards

Michelle Belser

The Citizen’s 2023 Block Captain of the Year gets her neighbors to vote in record numbers, and makes sure the block isn’t just clean — it’s beautiful.

By Natalie Pompilio

A Humble Ask from The Citizen

Screw Giving Tuesday. We proclaim it Democracy Monday. Can you help us reach our $10,000 goal?

By Larry Platt

This Moment is Why Elections Matter

A former mayor on how last week’s Supreme Court rulings targeting Affirmative Action, the LGBTQ+ community, and student loan debt should remind us of the power of the ballot box

By Michael A. Nutter
The Fix

What If Everyone Had to Vote?

Is mandatory voting — the law in Australia, Belgium, Brazil and other countries — an idea we should steal to boost election turnout? (Also: Democracy sausage!)

By Roxanne Patel Shepelavy
Guest Commentary

A Mayoral Agenda for Older Philadelphians

More than 60 percent of voters are over 50. That’s just one reason, the AARP’s state director says, candidates should listen to them

By Bill Johnston-Walsh
Guest Commentary

Let every registered voter … vote

Pennsylvania is one of only nine states that denies independent voters from casting a ballot in the primaries. A Republican state senator has a plan to change that — and now is the time

By Dan Laughlin
Ideas We Should Steal

A Better Way to Select Judges

Pennsylvania is one of eight states that elects judges through partisan elections, inviting political cronyism and incompetence into our courts. Does Missouri offer a better way?

By Jemille Q. Duncan
Mystery Shopper

Registering to Vote in Pennsylvania

How hard is it for a first-time voter to register in PA? In the latest installment of our Mystery Shopper column, a Philly student finds out

By Citizen Mystery Shopper