Senate approves bill seeking to amend lieutenant governor election process
By Kaylee Lindenmuth
HARRISBURG, Dauphin County – With a nearly unanimous vote, Pennsylvania’s state senators voted to amend the state constitution to change how the commonwealth selects its lieutenant governor.
“In the past, we have seen a leadership team separate into two warring factions that spent weeks not talking to one another,” said Senator David G. Argall (R-Schuylkill/Berks), the primary sponsor of the bill, Senate Bill 133. “If we want to succeed in Pennsylvania, then the Commonwealth’s top two executive officials need to see eye-to-eye on the issues and not get distracted by petty rivalries.”
The bill would amend the constitution to permit candidates for governor to select their lieutenant governor, similarly to how the United States’ vice president is selected. Currently, the two gubernatorial positions are elected independently.
The senate approved the bill 46 to 2, and it now moves to the House of Representatives, and, if approved there, it will be voted on again by both entities in the 2021-22 legislative session, to fulfill the commonwealth requirement that a constitutional amendment be passed in two consecutive sessions, then, finally, by votes.
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