How Philadelphians Voted on Ballot Questions in 2026 – The Philadelphia Citizen

How Philadelphians Voted on Ballot Questions in 2026  The Philadelphia Citizen

Philadelphians voted on ballot questions to give hiring preference to small, local businesses and make the City's art department permanent On Tuesday, November 3, Philadelphians voted to adapt the Home Rule Charter (basically a user’s manual for our city government) by answering “Yes” to both ballot measures, aka ballot questions. Ballot measures can expand, contract or shift how things work in City Hall. Past ballot questions have run the gamut, from preventing municipal employees from working on political campaigns to outlawing acts that are already unconstitutional (like illegal stop-and-frisk encounters). The thing about ballot measures: They almost always pass, resulting in dozens of amendments to our Home Rule Charter. This year, as in most years past, voters answered in the affirmative, allowing the City to give hiring preference to small and local businesses for City contracts, and making the City’s department of arts and culture permanent.

Here’s what that means. Preguntas de la Boleta Electoral 2026 — Traducción al español Should the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to revise the City’s contracting procedures to allow for bid preferences and set-asides for small businesses; modify the threshold and standards for contracts that can be set aside for small and local businesses; and grant the Procurement Department and the City Solicitor discretion on bond requirements for certain construction projects? Statement: A