Pa. election 2026: What to know about Horsham and Lower Salford ballot questions ahead of the primary

Registered voters in two Montgomery County townships can weigh in on ballot questions for the May 19 primary election. 

Pennsylvania has closed primaries, meaning registered Democrats and Republicans can cast a ballot only for races within their party. Ballot questions, however, are open to all voters, regardless of party affiliation.

This election cycle, there are no ballot questions in any municipality in Bucks, Chester and Delaware counties. In Montgomery County, voters in Horsham and Lower Salford townships will consider ballot questions on charter amendments and open space expenses, respectively.

Here’s what you need to know.

Horsham Township

Ballot question

Shall the Horsham Township Charter be amended: (1) to amend all mentions of “Councilman” to “Councilmember” and replace all gender-specific pronouns with gender-neutral pronouns throughout; (2) to provide that no Councilmember may serve on Council for more than two consecutive terms in office; (3) to amend the term “District Justice” to “Magisterial District Judge” to reflect the change in name to that position under state law; (4) to align the Township’s advertisement requirements for proposed ordinances with applicable state law by providing that a general ordinance shall be advertised once no less than 7 days prior to the public hearing at which adoption thereof shall be considered, an ordinance relating to zoning or land development shall be advertised once a week for two consecutive weeks at least 7 days nor more than 30 days prior to such public hearing, and an ordinance relating to taxation shall be advertised at least once a week for three consecutive weeks not less than 7 days prior to such public hearing; (5) to provide that an ordinance may become effective immediately upon adoption by Council unless a later date is specified or required; (6) to repeal obsolete Section 402 so that the Township’s taxing ability may be consistent with authority granted under the Home Rule Charter and Optional Plans Law and Local Tax Enabling Act; (7) to clarify that the voters may petition Council for the adoption or reconsideration of any ordinance except for those relating to the budget or capital program, appropriation of money, levy of taxes, salaries of Township officers or employees, or any zoning, land use, or subdivision or land development ordinance; and (8) to eliminate all Councilmember recall provisions which have been deemed unconstitutional.

Interpretative statement

• (1) whether all gender-specific references to Councilmembers and other persons shall be changed to gender-neutral vocabulary;
• (2) whether term limits should be imposed on Councilmembers so that no member may serve more than two terms in a row;
• (3) whether the obsolete term of “District Justice” shall be updated to “Magisterial District Judge” consistent with state law;
• (4) whether the Township’s requirements to advertise proposed ordinances shall, consistent with state law, be amended so that: (i) general ordinances must be advertised once, no less than 7 days before the date the ordinance will be considered; (ii) zoning, subdivision, land development, and land use ordinances must be advertised twice over two weeks anywhere between 30 and 7 days before the date the ordinance will be considered; and (iii) tax-related ordinances must be advertised three times over three weeks not less than 7 days before the date the ordinance will be considered;
• (5) whether an ordinance may become immediately effective upon adoption if desired unless prohibited by law, removing the current provision in the Charter that provides that an ordinance is only effective once published in a newspaper;
• (6) whether to make the Township’s taxing ability consistent with authority granted to home rule municipalities under the Home Rule Charter and Optional Plans Law and Local Tax Enabling Act;
• (7) whether the provisions allowing voters to propose ordinances or reconsideration of ordinances should be amended to reflect that such voter proposals are not permitted under state law for certain types of ordinances, specifically those relating to the budget or capital program, the appropriation of money, levy of taxes, or salaries of Township officers or employees, or to any zoning, land use, or subdivision or land development ordinance; and
• (8) whether the sections providing for the recall of Councilmembers shall be eliminated because they are not allowed under the Pennsylvania Constitution and Pennsylvania Supreme Court decisions.

Context

Voters are deciding whether to approve a series of amendments to the Horsham Township Charter, which hasn’t undergone a comprehensive overhaul since it was first adopted in 1975.

Officials have described the changes as “housekeeping,” according to Horsham Now. The amendments call for using gender-neutral language, banning council members from serving for more than two consecutive terms, and updating ordinance proposal advertisement requirements and certain terminology to be consistent with state law.

The legislation would also make it so that ordinances become effective immediately upon adoption, without the delay required by the current charter before publication in a newspaper.

Other changes would update the township’s taxing authority, amend language on which kinds of ordinances voters can propose, and eliminate recall provisions for council members to bring the township into compliance with state law.

Lower Salford Township

Ballot question

Do you favor the imposition of an additional Earned Income Tax at the rate of one quarter of one percent (0.25%) by Lower Salford Township for the purpose of acquiring the Allebach property (460 Stover Road, Harleysville) and other lands and interests in real property for open space to protect the Township’s farmland, scenic views, historic sites, and rural character; to protect the woodlands, wetlands, and the Skippack and Perkiomen Creeks and their tributaries; to enhance and create community recreation opportunities; to retire indebtedness and to pay transactional fees incidental to such acquisitions; to pay other expenses for the preparation of resource, recreation, or land-use plans related to such acquisitions; and to finance the expenditure of up to 25% of annual revenue for the development, improvement, design, engineering, and maintenance of lands acquired for an open space benefit or benefits?

Interpretative statement

Under the authority of the Open Space Lands Act, the Board of Supervisors of Lower Salford Township is seeking voter approval to increase the current one half of one percent (0.50%) Earned Income Tax (EIT) already levied annually on residents of the Township by one quarter of one percent (0.25%). The EIT applies exclusively to earned income and does not apply to pensions, Social Security, or other fixed-income sources. If approved, the Township’s EIT would rise from 0.5% to 0.75%.

The revenue generated from the proposed increase in the EIT shall be used to acquire open space land and interests in real property in Lower Salford Township, including fee simple purchases, agricultural easements, and conservation easements or development rights, as well as to pay for related acquisition expenses, such as appraisals, legal fees, title searches, survey costs, and closing fees. The Township may incur debt to acquire open space land and the revenue from the tax increase can be used to pay off such debt. The Act allows up to 25% of the annual open space tax revenue to be used to develop, engineer, design, improve, and maintain property acquired for an open space benefit or benefits. The revenues from this earned income tax increase would be used only for the purposes provided for in the referendum question, which include  preserving the 62-acre Allebach Farm and other lands to protect the Township’s rural character, woodlands and creeks, and enhancing and creating recreation opportunities for residents. The open space land acquired shall be used for open space preservation and/or for both passive and active recreation purposes, in strict compliance with the Act. The Township would also be required to establish, by ordinance, procedures to review, rate, and value properties prior to acquisition.

The context

Lower Salford Township has reached a $21.5 million sale agreement with the Allebach family to purchase their 62.65-acre farm, in order to preserve it as open space. According to the township’s website, the “highly visible and historic property” will increase the municipality’s current preserved open space by more than 3%.

The township expects to fund $7.5 million of the purchase through grants. The remaining $14 would come from the township’s increase of its earned income tax by .25 percentage points, which would cost the average worker in the township an estimated $203 per year.

If voters pass the ballot measure, the township’s earned income tax will rise from 0.5% to 0.75%.

The township expects the tax increase would generate $2 million per year designated only for the purpose of open space preservation, with funds going towards the Allebach farm purchase and preservation of other open space properties, the purchase of agricultural or conservation easements, and any other related open space expenses.

The tax applies only to earned income and does not impact funds from Social Security, pensions and other fixed-income sources.