VOTE!

Listen to Election Kitty. She won't steer you wrong.

In case you haven't caught the ubiquitous advertisements on prime-time television in recent weeks, May 18 is election day in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. And yes, you should vote; democracies don't function well in the absence of an engaged citizenry. But we get it: You're not like us. We get paid to care about elections and politics. You have more important things to worry about — paying the rent, for instance.

We understand, and we're here to help. We've spent the last few months studying the politicians — reading their press releases and position papers, following their Twitter wars, examining their financial reports, separating the proverbial wheat from chaff — and issues that will impact this city and this state in the years to come. So, in the pages that follow, you'll find some recommendations to help you navigate Tuesday's ballot. A quick note: We have neither the space nor inclination to be comprehensive. Instead, we're focusing on the big ones — governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the four citywide referendums. And because this is Philadelphia — where there are, what, 11 Republicans — we'll focus on the Democrats. (The Republican races are uninteresting, anyway: Gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett, Senate aspirant Pat Toomey and U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach have their party's nominations all but locked down.)

Here's how it worked: The City Paper editorial board — Publisher Paul Curci, Editor in Chief Brian Howard, Senior Editor Patrick Rapa, News Editor Jeffrey C. Billman and staff writers Isaiah Thompson and Holly Otterbein — invited candidates down to our Old City offices for an interview. All but U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter accepted. And, after a period of study and introspection, the editorial board members gathered at a local watering hole, had a few beers, argued a bit, came to blows once or twice and finally reached a consensus. And then — though no one exactly remembers how or why — we created a mascot, Election Kitty. Listen to her.

But this election package isn't just about telling you how to vote. We also dig into campaign finance reports, a movement to encourage more Keystone women to run for office, under-the-radar legislative races and the, um, more eccentric candidates dueling for positions they have almost no chance of winning.

Let's get started, shall we?

(editorial@citypaper.net)