‘I just don’t think one man should have all that power’: In the Harrisburg suburbs, a onetime Wolf voter moves to limit emergency powers

LOWER PAXTON, Pa. — Turnout was at 10 percent in this well-educated, middle-income suburb of Harrisburg as of midday, with a small trickle of voters coming and going.

Among them were some younger faces, including Andrew Baer, a 22-year old voter in an off- year electorate that skews to older voters.

Baer said he was voting because he thinks all voters, young and old, will find it easier to be heard and get results from their local and state officials.

As for the ballot measures, Baer said he backed both to restrict Gov. Tom Wolf and future governor’s emergency powers.

Baer said he wanted to preserve the balance of powers between the governor, legislature, and courts, and feared an expansion of what could be classified as an emergency.

Another younger voter, a 19-year old who declined to give his name, said he only voted Tuesday to vote in favor of the emergency declaration.

This suburb, historically Republican, has begun lurching left under former President Donald Trump. Wolf’s strong performance here in 2018 helped him rack up a landslide reelection over Republican candidate Scott Wagner.

Randy, a 59-year old voter, said he backed Wolf then because he didn’t like Wagner.

Now, in 2021, he was voting to restrict Wolf’s powers, and said the term limited governor wouldn’t earn his support again.

“I just don’t think one man should have all that power,” Randy told the Capital-Star.