Philadelphia Inquirer/Spotlight PA: Voters could be flooded with proposed changes to the Pa. Constitution in 2023

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters could face at least five ballot questions about changing the state constitution next year after House Republicans added four controversial revisions to a single proposal.

Republican lawmakers have increasingly relied on constitutional amendments to pursue policy initiatives that Gov. Tom Wolf would otherwise reject and that most Democrats don’t support. Bundling together several amendments represents an escalation of that tactic, as the combined measures eliminate the need to advance and pass separate proposals.

The resulting omnibus bill is packed with initiatives that Republicans hope to send directly to voters all at once as separate ballot questions.

“It’s very partisan in nature and really reflects the attempt to advance an agenda that was unsuccessful through typical, ethical democratic means,” said Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, a good-government organization. “It’s a process in place for a reason and to go around that erodes democracy.” …

Two of the proposed amendments would send voters ideas Wolf has already rejected and that Democrats and good-government groups have decried as unnecessary or potentially harmful to marginalized groups. One would require “government-issued identification” to vote, and another would require the state auditor general to review elections and voter rolls for accuracy.

“[The bill as amended] has very little if nothing to do with any factual issue that we’re facing as a state,” Ali of Common Cause said. …

Last year, voters approved two ballot measures that limit the governor’s power to declare and renew a state of emergency — advanced by Republicans angry over Wolf’s response to the pandemic — as well as another that guarantees equal rights to residents regardless of race.

“I would say that anytime that a branch of government circumvents the function of another branch of government, we have some real concerns about the constitutionality and legality of that move,” Ali said.

Presenting a measure as a ballot question nearly guarantees it will be approved. Voters have rejected only six of 49 amendments dating back to 1968, the year the current state constitution went into effect. The overwhelming majority were approved in off-year elections, when only a small fraction of eligible voters go to the polls.