This isn't much of a diary but I thought some might like to know what is happening or not happening in the northwest corner of Chester Co. PA. Chester County is the last county west of Philadelphia considered part of the metropolitan area. About 15 minutes from my house is Lancaster County. We have Amish farms in Chester County along the border of Lancaster County. The northwestern part is still rather rural with subdivisions plopped in between farms near the small municipalities.
Chester Co. is very republican but we Democrats are making small in roads, just not as fast as the other counties around Philadelphia. There are pockets of Democrats but not where I live. We do not have referendum available to us as citizens in PA nor do we vote on school millage (school boards have the unlimited ability to raise property taxes without a cap) so off year elections are not exciting and do not garner the turn out the way propositions or millage votes do in other states.
So I went to vote at about 12:30 pm at the church that serves as my polling place. There were the republicans at their table in the foyer and one lone kid handing out a flyer for the Democrat running for township supervisor. No table or literature for Democrats (could the party at least try to get some coverage?). I was voter 116 and my husband went to vote at about 2:30 pm after golf and he was 147. We have over 1000 registered voters in our precinct. Rather sad. But at least this time, we have Democrats running for most offices even in the township. I think there were only 3 uncontested offices on the whole ballot. That is a small improvement over what usually passes for an election around here. I wish the local county Democratic party was more in the Howard Dean mode, but it's not. I tried when I first moved here to become involved but they weren't that interested in new blood. I won't waste my time. So next year, I'll get involved in who ever is running against Gerlach or whatever other republican is in the district I end up in after redistricting.