Editing Pennsylvania (section)

==State government==
{{Main|Government of Pennsylvania}}
{{See also|Commonwealth (U.S. state)}}
Pennsylvania has had five [[Pennsylvania Constitution|constitutions]] during its statehood:<ref name="jenkinslaw">{{cite web |author=Jenkins Law Library |url=http://www.jenkinslaw.org/collection/researchguides/publications/ann-constitutions.php |title=23 Pennsylvania Law Weekly 324 (March 27, 2000) |publisher=Jenkinslaw.org |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113203057/http://www.jenkinslaw.org/collection/researchguides/publications/ann-constitutions.php |archive-date=January 13, 2010 }}</ref> [https://www.paconstitution.org/texts-of-the-constitution/1776-2/ 1776], [https://www.paconstitution.org/texts-of-the-constitution/1790-2/ 1790], [https://www.paconstitution.org/texts-of-the-constitution/1838-2/ 1838], [https://www.paconstitution.org/texts-of-the-constitution/1874-2/ 1874], and [https://www.paconstitution.org/texts-of-the-constitution/ 1968]. Before that the province of Pennsylvania was governed for a century by a [[Frame of Government of Pennsylvania|Frame of Government]], of which there were four versions: 1682, 1683, 1696, and 1701.<ref name="jenkinslaw" /> The capital of Pennsylvania is [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]]. The legislature meets there in the [[Pennsylvania State Capitol|State Capitol]].

In a 2020 study, Pennsylvania was ranked as the 19th-hardest state for citizens to vote.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=J. Pomante II |first1=Michael |last2=Li |first2=Quan |title=Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal=Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date=December 15, 2020 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=503–509 |doi=10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid=225139517 |doi-access=free |issn = 1533-1296 }}</ref>

===Executive===
{{Further|List of governors of Pennsylvania|List of Pennsylvania state agencies}}
The current Governor is [[Josh Shapiro]]. The other elected officials composing the executive branch are the [[Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania|Lieutenant Governor]] [[Austin Davis (politician)|Austin Davis]],  [[Pennsylvania Attorney General|Attorney General]] [[Dave Sunday (politician)|Dave Sunday]], [[Pennsylvania Auditor General|Auditor General]] [[Timothy DeFoor]], and [[Pennsylvania Treasurer]] [[Stacy Garrity]]. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor run as a ticket in the general election and are up for re-election every four years during the midterm elections. The elections for Attorney General, Auditor General, and Treasurer are held every four years coinciding with a Presidential election.<ref>"[https://ballotpedia.org/Pennsylvania_state_executive_offices#Current_officeholders Pennsylvania State Executive Offices] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914040134/https://ballotpedia.org/Pennsylvania_state_executive_offices#Current_officeholders |date=September 14, 2016 }}", Ballotpedia, retrieved January 23, 2019.</ref>

===Legislative===
{{Main|Pennsylvania General Assembly}}
[[File:Flying the Pride Flag over the Capitol (50035197647).jpg|thumb|The [[Pennsylvania State Capitol]] in [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]]]]
Pennsylvania has a [[bicameral legislature]] that was established in the [[Pennsylvania Constitution]], which was ratified in 1790. The original Frame of Government of William Penn had a unicameral legislature.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/BAH/dam/rg/rg7.htm |title=Pennsylvania State Archives |publisher=Phmc.state.pa.us |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914201845/http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/rg7.htm |archive-date=September 14, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Pennsylvania General Assembly|General Assembly]] includes 50 [[Pennsylvania Senate|senators]] and 203 [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives|representatives]]. [[Kim Ward|Kim L. Ward]] is currently [[president pro tempore]] of the State Senate, [[Joe Pittman (politician)|Joe Pittman]] the [[majority leader]], and [[Jay Costa]] the [[minority leader]].<ref>[https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/senate/officers.cfm Officers of the State Senate], PA State Senate. Retrieved June 7, 2023</ref> [[Joanna McClinton]] is [[Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives|speaker]] of the House of Representatives, with [[Matthew Bradford]] as majority leader and [[Bryan Cutler]] as minority leader.<ref>[https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/house/officers.cfm Officers of the State House], PA State House of Representatives. Retrieved June 7, 2023</ref> As of 2025, the Republicans hold the majority in the State Senate (27–23) and the Democrats in the State House (102–101). Pennsylvania is one of four states that currently have divided party control of the state legislature.<ref>[https://documents.ncsl.org/wwwncsl/About-State-Legislatures/2023%20May%20State%20&%20Legislative%20Partisan%20Composi_Adam%20Kuckuk.pdf 2023 State and Legislative Partisan Competition], National Conference of State Legislatures</ref>

===Judiciary===
{{Main|Judiciary of Pennsylvania}}
Pennsylvania is divided into 60 judicial districts.<ref name="courts">{{cite web |url=http://www.aopc.org/T/CommonPleas/listofcounties.htm |title=Judicial districts |publisher=Aopc.org |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720213457/http://www.aopc.org/T/CommonPleas/listofcounties.htm |archive-date=July 20, 2010 }}</ref> With the exception of [[Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia County]], most have district justices and justices of the peace who preside over most preliminary hearings in felony and misdemeanor offenses, all minor (summary) criminal offenses, and small civil claims.<ref name="courts" /> Most criminal and civil cases originate in the Courts of Common Pleas, which also serve as [[appellate court]].<ref name="courts" /> The [[Superior Court of Pennsylvania|Superior Court]] hears all appeals from the Courts of Common Pleas not expressly designated to the [[Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania|Commonwealth Court]] or [[United States Supreme Court|Supreme Court]]. The Superior Court also has original jurisdiction to review [[probable cause]] governmental requests for [[Warrant (law)|warrants]] in [[Telephone tapping|wiretap]] surveillance.<ref name="courts" /> The Commonwealth Court is limited to appeals from final orders of certain state agencies and certain designated cases from the Courts of Common Pleas.<ref name="courts" /> The [[Supreme Court of Pennsylvania]] is the state's final appellate court. All judges in Pennsylvania are elected, and the [[chief justice]] of the state's Supreme Court is determined by seniority.<ref name="courts" />

===Local government===
{{Main|Local government in Pennsylvania}}
[[File:Pennsylvania-counties-map.gif|thumb|Map of [[List of counties in Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania's 67 counties]]]]
[[File:Pennsylvania Municipalities map.png|thumb|[[Local government in Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania Municipalities]]]]
Pennsylvania is divided into 67 [[county (United States)|counties]].<ref name="PA Manual 6-3">''The Pennsylvania Manual'', p. 6-3.</ref> Counties are further subdivided into municipalities that are either incorporated as cities, [[Borough (Pennsylvania)|boroughs]], or [[Township (Pennsylvania)|townships]].<ref name="PA Manual 6-5">''Pennsylvania Manual'', p. 6-5.</ref> The most populous county in Pennsylvania and [[List of the most populous counties in the United States|24th-most populous county]] in the United States 
is [[Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia County]], which includes the city of [[Philadelphia]], with a 2020 population of 1,603,797; the state's least populous county is [[Cameron County, Pennsylvania|Cameron]] with a population of 4,547.<ref name="pasdc.hbg.psu.edu" />

There are a total of 56 cities in Pennsylvania, which are classified by population as either first-class, second-class, or third-class cities.<ref name="PA Manual 6-3" /><ref>''The Pennsylvania Manual'', p. 6-46.</ref> Philadelphia, the state's largest city with a population exceeding 1.6 million, is Pennsylvania's only first-class city.<ref name="PA Manual 6-5" /> [[Pittsburgh]] (303,000) and [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]] (76,000) are second-class and second-class 'A' cities, respectively.<ref name="PA Manual 6-5" /> All of the state's remaining cities including [[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]], the state's third-largest city, and [[Reading, Pennsylvania|Reading]], its fourth-largest, to [[Parker, Pennsylvania|Parker]], the state's smallest city with a population of only 820, are designated as third-class cities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Pennsylvania |year=2010 |website=Population Estimates |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |url=https://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2009-04-42.xls |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709111603/http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2009-04-42.xls |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 9, 2011 |format=[[Microsoft Excel|XLS]] |access-date=July 4, 2010 }}</ref> First- and second-class cities are governed by a "strong mayor" form of [[mayor–council government]], whereas third-class cities are governed by either a "weak mayor" form of government or a [[council–manager government]].<ref name="PA Manual 6-5" />

Pennsylvania boroughs are generally smaller in population than the state's cities, and most of the state's cities were incorporated as boroughs prior to being designated cities.<ref name="PA Manual 6-5" /> There are 958 boroughs in Pennsylvania, all of which are governed by the "weak mayor" form of mayor-council government.<ref name="PA Manual 6-3" /><ref name="PA Manual 6-5" /> The largest borough in Pennsylvania is [[State College, Pennsylvania|State College]] (40,501) and the smallest is [[Centralia, Pennsylvania|Centralia]].

Townships are the third type of municipality in Pennsylvania and are classified as either first-class or second-class townships. There are 1,454 second-class townships and 93 first-class townships.<ref name="PA Manual 6-6">''The Pennsylvania Manual'', p. 6-6.</ref> Second-class townships can become first-class townships if they have a population density greater than {{Convert|300|PD/sqmi}} and a [[referendum]] is passed supporting the change.<ref name="PA Manual 6-6" /> Pennsylvania's largest township is [[Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Upper Darby Township]] (85,681), and the smallest is [[East Keating Township, Clinton County, Pennsylvania|East Keating Township]].

There is one exception to the types of municipalities in Pennsylvania: [[Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania|Bloomsburg]] was incorporated as a town in 1870 and is, officially, the only town in the state.<ref>''The Pennsylvania Manual'', p. 6-22.</ref> In 1975, [[McCandless Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|McCandless Township]] adopted a home-rule charter under the name of "Town of McCandless", but is, legally, still a first-class township.<ref>Title 302, [[Pennsylvania Code]], Section 23.1–101.</ref> The state has 56 cities, 958 boroughs, 93 first-class townships, 1,454 second-class townships, and one town (Bloomsburg) for a total of 2,562 municipalities.

===Taxation===
Pennsylvania had the 15th-highest state and local tax burden in the nation as of 2012, according to the [[Tax Foundation]].<ref name="Tax Foundation">{{cite web |title=Pennsylvania Tax Rates & Rankings {{!}} PA State Taxes |url=https://taxfoundation.org/state/pennsylvania/ |website=Tax Foundation |access-date=September 28, 2020}}</ref> Residents paid a total of $83.7 billion in state and local taxes with a per capita average of $4,589 annually. Residents share 76% of the total tax burden. Many state politicians have tried to increase the share of taxes paid by out-of-state sources. Suggested revenue sources include taxing natural gas drilling as Pennsylvania is the only state without such a tax on gas drilling.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://articles.philly.com/2011-07-03/news/29733315_1_shale-tax-extraction-tax-drilling-tax |title=Shale tax comes up dry for 3d year  |date=July 3, 2011 |access-date=September 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081641/http://articles.philly.com/2011-07-03/news/29733315_1_shale-tax-extraction-tax-drilling-tax |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Additional revenue prospects include trying to place tolls on interstate highways; specifically [[Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania|Interstate 80]], which is used heavily by out of state commuters with high maintenance costs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/4527 |title=Gov Rendell says all of Pennsylvania's transit agencies will get I-80 toll $s |publisher=TOLLROADSnews |date=January 6, 2010 |access-date=September 19, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405231239/http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/4527 |archive-date=April 5, 2012 }}</ref>

[[Sales tax]]es provide 39% of Pennsylvania's state revenue; [[State income tax|personal income taxes]] 34%; motor vehicle taxes about 12%, and taxes on [[Cigarette tax#Taxation|cigarettes]] and alcoholic beverages 5%.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.revenue.pa.gov:443/Pages/default.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515021138/http://www.revenue.state.pa.us/revenue/CWP/view.asp?Q=261929&A=208 |url-status=dead |title=PA Department of Revenue Homepage |archive-date=May 15, 2008|website=Pennsylvania Department of Revenue}}</ref> The personal income tax is a flat 3.07%. An individual's taxable income is based on the following eight types of income: compensation (salary); interest; dividends; net profits from the operation of a business, profession or farm; net gains or income from the dispositions of property; net gains or income from rents, royalties, patents and copyrights; income derived through estates or trusts; and gambling and [[lottery]] winnings (other than [[Pennsylvania Lottery]] winnings).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/personal_income_tax/11409 |title=Personal Income Tax |publisher=Portal.state.pa.us |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125171618/http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/personal_income_tax/11409 |archive-date=November 25, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Counties, municipalities, and [[school district]]s levy taxes on real estate. In addition, some local bodies assess a [[income tax|wage tax]] on personal income. Generally, the total wage tax rate is capped at 1% of income but some municipalities with [[home rule]] charters may charge more than 1%. Thirty-two of Pennsylvania's sixty-seven counties levy a [[property tax|personal property tax]] on stocks, bonds, and similar holdings. With the exception of the city of [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, municipalities and school districts are allowed to enact a local earned income tax within the purview of Act 32. Residents of these municipalities and school districts are required to file a local income tax return in addition to federal and state returns. This local return is filed with the local income tax collector, a private collection agency appointed by a particular county to collect the local earned income and local services tax (the latter a flat fee deducted from salaried employees working within a particular municipality or school district).<ref>{{cite web |title=Local Income Tax Information |url=http://dced.pa.gov/local-government/local-income-tax-information/ |website=PA Department of Community & Economic Development |access-date=November 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201022801/http://dced.pa.gov/local-government/local-income-tax-information/#.WD8AMuYrJEY |archive-date=December 1, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Philadelphia]] has its own local income taxation system. Philadelphia-based employers are required to withhold the Philadelphia wage tax from the salaries of their employees. Residents of Philadelphia working for an employer are not required to file a local return as long as their Philadelphia wage tax is fully withheld by their employer. If their employer does not withhold the Philadelphia wage tax, residents are required to register with the Revenue Department and file an Earnings Tax return. Residents of Philadelphia with self-employment income are required to file a Net Profits Tax (NPT) return, while those with business income from Philadelphia sources are required to obtain a Commercial Activity License (CAL) and pay the Business Income and Receipts Tax (BIRT) and the NPT. Residents with unearned income except interest from checking and savings accounts are required to file and pay the School Income-tax (SIT).<ref>{{cite web |title=Department of Revenue |url=https://beta.phila.gov/departments/department-of-revenue/ |website=City of Philadelphia |access-date=November 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201014425/https://beta.phila.gov/departments/department-of-revenue/ |archive-date=December 1, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The complexity of Pennsylvania's local tax filing system has been criticized by experts, who note that the outsourcing of collections to private entities is akin to [[tax farming]] and that many new residents are caught off guard and end up facing failure to file penalties even if they did not owe any tax. Attempts to transfer local income tax collections to the state level by having a separate local section on the state income tax return, currently the method used to collect local income taxes in [[New York (state)|New York]], [[Maryland]], [[Indiana]], and [[Iowa]], have been unsuccessful.<ref>{{cite web|title=Taking a Closer Look at Government: Pennsylvania's Local Taxation "System"|url=http://issuespa.org/content/taking-closer-look-government-pennsylvanias-local-taxation-system |website=issuespa.org|access-date=November 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201015143/http://issuespa.org/content/taking-closer-look-government-pennsylvanias-local-taxation-system |archive-date=December 1, 2016|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

===State law enforcement===
{{see also|Crime in Pennsylvania}}
The [[Pennsylvania State Police]] is the chief law enforcement agency in the Pennsylvania.