Everything you need to know about the 2021 Pennsylvania primary Patricia Madej, The Philadelphia Inquirer Mark your calendars — it’s time for another election. May 18 is Pennsylvania’s municipal primary, when registered voters across the state will cast ballots for their party’s favored candidates to run in November’s general election. In Philadelphia, voters will pick their party nominee for district attorney, city controller, and a slew of judicial seats. There are also plenty of local races to decide in Philly’s collar counties. Additionally, Pennsylvania voters will find four ballot questions. Voter turnout tends to dip during odd-numbered election years and is especially low during municipal elections when there isn’t a mayoral or City Council race, said Patrick Christmas, policy director at the Committee of Seventy, a Philadelphia-based nonpartisan good-government group. That doesn’t mean they’re not as important.