Category Archives: Latest News

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Blogroll, Latest News

Election 2023: It’s almost here. Let’s get you ready to vote!

The Brandywine Creek Dems, representing East & West Bradford and East Fallowfield Townships, are preparing for the November 7 election. Here’s what you need to know, and how you can help:

First – do you need to check your voter registration?  And do you anticipate family or business activities may prevent you from voting in-person at the polls on November 7? If so, you can sign up here to receive a mail-in ballot. It’s easy and safe.

Who are we voting for?

In this election, we will elect State Judges, including one critical opening on the PA Supreme Court and Chester County Government officials, including three County Commissioners, District Attorney, Prothonotary, Recorder of Deeds, Register of Wills, and Sheriff. In addition, there are five openings this year for county judges in the Court of Common Pleas.

All are important races, but none moreso than the County Commissioners and judges. Anyone who has attended a County Commissioner or Election Board meeting since 2020 knows that there are many ‘election deniers’ here who would like to make it more difficult to vote; and one could argue they may even refuse to certify a valid vote if controlling the Election Board.

For a full slate of Democrat candidates for these offices, visit the Chester County Democratic Committee Voter Guide.

At the more local level, we are electing school directors for West Chester (East Bradford), Downingtown (West Bradford), and Coatesville (East Fallowfield) Area School Districts. Township supervisors and auditors will also be selected.

Look for us to publish sample ballots soon on this website, and we also plan to mail our annual Brandywine Creek Dems Newsletter, which will include a sample ballot. You can help us cover the cost of printing and mailing by donating here. But we also have an offer that you may prefer – to buy fall plants from Bloombox (September 1-30), with 15% of the price going to our organization to cover this expense.

Latest News

Thank you to East & West Bradford Voters!

The East & West Bradford Democrats are proud to have the best voters (and volunteers) in Chester County!

You came to the polls or submitted your absentee or mail-in ballots with votes for our candidates across this zone and the state. You volunteered to canvass your neighbors, phone bank, or text your neighbors. Together we helped send Christina Sappey back to Harrisburg in the (new) 158th General Assembly District, and elect Chris Pielli to the open seat in the also-redistricted 156th District, both winning handily.

And your votes for Josh Shapiro for Governor with his running mate Austin Davis for Lt. Governor helped ensure that Pennsylvania will have strong leadership  for the next four years. You also helped John Fetterman become the new junior Senator from  this state. This slate defeated Trump-backed candidates that would have sent PA and the country in the wrong direction.

Enjoy these wins, and the holiday season coming. Next year will see new races for county commissioners, row offices, and of course return us to working to elect strong school directors for DASD and WCASD as well as township officials. Then it’s back to work.

2022 Winners – Josh Shapiro, Austin Davis, John Fetterman, Christina Sappey and Chris Pielli. Congratulations!

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Redistricting Status (March 2022)

Here it is, March already, and we still do not have final resolution on the decennial redistricting. These decisions will result in the district maps and boundaries that we will be using until 2032, so it’s critically important that they be drawn fairly. Pennsylvania needs to finally replace the last 10 years of gerrymandered districts drawn by a Republican legislature and signed off by then-Governor Tom Corbett in 2011.

The good news is that we have finalized US Congressional maps, and Chester County will remain wholly in the US 6th District currently represented by Chrissy Houlahan, with parts of Berks County.

We are still waiting for court decisions that will decide district boundaries for the PA General Assembly (House and Senate seats). East and West Bradford currently reside in the 158th House district served by Christina Sappey and the 19th Senate district held by Carolyn Comitta. The ‘latest’ and most likely – but not certain pending PA Supreme Court rulings – indicate that East Bradford moves to the 156th and West Bradford remains in the 158th.  Both townships are likely to remain in the 19th Senate District.

In those races, Democrat Christina Sappey will be running for re-election in the 158th, and two Democratic candidates (Chester County Recorder of Deeds Chris Pielli and West Goshen Supervisor Ashley Gagne) have announced they are running for the 156th open seat since current Rep. Dianne Herrin is retiring.

We will continue to keep you posted on the progress with redistricting as court challenges are resolved.

Latest News

Redistricting Status (January 2022)

2022 is the year that new district maps for the US Congress and PA Senate and General Assembly are drawn and go into effect for this decade based on the decennial US Census. Since other states gained more population relative to Pennsylvania, we will be losing one Congressional seat (18 to 17). However, the population shifts towards Southeast PA and away from more northern and western rural areas also mean that district changes should be favorable to this area, and level the playing field somewhat.

The redistricting process is ongoing, but with significant partisan pressure by the Republican-majority legislature to put forward  gerrymandered Republican-leaning maps – although the state continues to lean Democratic.

The Legislative Redistricting Commission (LRC) can vote to adopt final state legislative maps any day now, but there’s a 30-day period to file legal challenges after they do that, which overlaps with the current February 15-March 9 petition-signing period for candidates to get on the May 17 Primary Election.

So, of course the Republicans are delaying final approval of fair maps and are insisting that the 2022 election should go forward with the 2010-based gerrymandered maps instead.  A lawsuit (by Democrats) has been filed in Commonwealth Court urging a change in the election calendar (possibly just a delay in petitions) to ensure new state legislative maps can be used for the 2022 election. So the election calendar remains volatile.

We will keep you posted. But it seems likely that the Bradford Dems will be knocking on doors later than the normal timeframe to ask for your signature on nominating petition forms for Dem candidates.