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Pennsylvania Democrats now have power to push forward on election reform, marijuana legalization and minimum wage increases
The Conversation • • nation
Key Points:
- Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro won re-election, and Democrats gained control of the state Senate, giving them a trifecta with control of the governor’s office and both legislative chambers for the first time in over 30 years.
- Key Democratic priorities likely include election reform measures such as ballot drop boxes, no-excuse mail-in voting, ballot curing, and open primaries without stricter voter ID requirements.
- Legalization of adult-use recreational marijuana is expected to advance, with debates ongoing about sales models, social equity measures, and expungement policies to address past drug law harms.
- Democrats plan to pursue regulations on artificial intelligence and data centers, affordability initiatives including tax rebates and wage increases, and protections for LGBTQ rights including same-sex marriage recognition and anti-discrimination laws.
- Despite broad ambitions, Democratic leaders will need to prioritize certain issues due to legislative constraints and competing demands in the newly unified Pennsylvania state government.
