by the government of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

“ The Legislature may, by general law, provide a manner in which, and the time and place at which, qualified voters who may, on the occurrence of any election, be unavoidably absent from the State or county of their residence because of their duties, occupation or business require them to be elsewhere or who, on the occurrence of any election, are unable to attend at their proper polling places because of illness or physical disability, may vote, and for the return and canvass of their votes in the election district in which they respectively reside. ”

“ ADDED BY AMENDMENT OF NOVEMBER 6, 1951
Article XV Section 1: Home Rule. Cities may be chartered whenever a majority of the electors of any town or borough having a population of at least ten thousand shall vote at any general or municipal election in favor of the same. Cities, or cities of any particular class, may be given the right and power to frame and adopt their own charters and to exercise the powers and authority of local self-government, subject, however, to such restrictions, limitations, and regulations, as may be imposed by the Legislature. ”

“ The Legislature shall have power to classify counties, cities, boroughs, school districts, and townships according to population, and all laws passed relating to each class, and all laws passed relating to, and regulating procedure and proceedings in court with reference to, any class, shall be deemed general legislation within the meaning of this Constitution. ”

“ In Philadelphia all suits shall be instituted in the said courts of common pleas without designating the number of the said court, and the several courts shall distribute and apportion the business among them in such manner as shall be provided by rules of court, and each court, to which any suit shall be thus assigned, shall have exclusive jurisdiction thereof, subject to change of venue, as shall be provided by law. ”

“ The first election board for any new district shall be selected, and vacancies in election boards filled, as shall be provided by law Election officers shall be privileged from arrest upon days of election, and while engaged in making up and transmitting returns, except upon warrant of a court of record or judge thereof, for an election fraud, for felony, or for wanton breach of the peace. In cities they may claim exemption from jury during their terms of service. ”

“ The General Assembly may authorize cities to take more land and property than is needed for actual construction in the laying out, widening, extending or relocating highways or streets connecting with bridges crossing streams, or tunnels under streams, which form boundaries between this and any other State, but the additional land and property, so authorized to be taken, shall not be more than sufficient to form suitable building sites on such highway or streets ”

“ The power to acquire, own, construct, maintain, operate or contract for all kinds of public property, works, improvements, utilities or services, which shall be within the municipal division, and principally for the use and benefit of the inhabitants thereof, provided this power shall not be taken to include the construction and maintenance of through-traffic streets and bridges, tunnels, subways and appurtenances thereof, nor main or trunk lines for sewer, power and water service, running through more than one municipal division, and designated as such by the board of commissioners. ”

“ The General Assembly may provide, by law, during any session, for the continuity of the executive, legislative and judicial functions of the government of the Commonwealth, and its political subdivisions, and the establishment of emergency seats thereof. Such legislation shall become effective in the event of an attack by an enemy of the United States. ”

“ AMENDMENT OF MAY 16, 1967
Section 15: Disqualifications for Service as Election Officer. No person shall be qualified to serve as an election officer who shall hold, or shall within two months have held any office, appointment or employment in or under the government of the United States, or of this State, or of any city, or county, or of any municipal board, commission or trust in any city, save only notaries public and persons in the National Guard or in a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States ”

“ The General Assembly shall maintain by law a system of competitive bidding under which all purchases of materials, printing, supplies or other personal property used by the government of this Commonwealth shall so far as practicable be made. The law shall provide that no officer or employee of the Commonwealth shall be in any way interested in any purchase made by the Commonwealth under contract or otherwise. ”

“ Term of Present Officers All persons in office in this Commonwealth at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, and at the first election under it, shall hold their respective offices until the term for which they have been elected or appointed shall expire, and until their successors shall be duly qualified, unless otherwise provided in this Constitution. ”

“ After so much of the land and property has been appropriated for such highways or streets as is needed therefor, the remainder may be sold or leased and any restrictions imposed thereupon which will preserve or enhance the benefit to the public of the property actually needed for the aforesaid public use. ”

“ The said charter shall be submitted to the electors of said county at a special or general election to be provided for therein. If the majority of the electors voting thereon in the county as a whole, and at least a majority of the electors voting thereon in each of a majority of the cities, boroughs and townships thereof, vote in the affirmative, the act shall take effect for the whole county. If rejected, the said charter may be resubmitted by the county commissioners to the electors from time to time, but not oftener than once in two years, until adopted. ”

“ The number of judges in any of said courts, or in any county where the establishment of an additional court may be authorized by law, may be increased, from time to time, and whenever such increase shall amount in the whole to three, such three judges shall compose a distinct and separate court as aforesaid, which shall be numbered as aforesaid. ”

“ The method of determining such amount, so to be excluded or allowed as a credit, may be prescribed by the General Assembly. In incurring indebtedness for any one or more of said purposes of construction, improvement, or reclamation, the city of Philadelphia may issue its obligations maturing not later than fifty years from the date thereof, with provision for a sinking-fund sufficient to retire said obligation at maturity, the payments to such sinking-fund to be in equal or graded annual instalments. ”

“ In the case of the death, conviction on impeachment, failure to qualify or resignation of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor shall become Governor for the remainder of the term and in the case of the disability of the Governor, the powers, duties and emoluments of the office shall devolve upon the Lieutenant Governor until the disability is removed. ”

“ Laws may be passed providing for a system of registering, transferring, insuring of and guaranteeing land titles by the State, or by the counties thereof, and for settling and determining adverse or other claims to and interest in lands the titles to which are so registered, transferred, insured, and guaranteed; and for the creation and collection of indemnity funds; and for carrying the system and powers hereby provided for into effect by such existing courts as may be designated by the Legislature, and by the establishment of such new courts as may be deemed necessary. ”

“ The General Assembly shall not delegate to any special commission, private corporation or association, any power to make, supervise or interfere with any municipal improvement, money, property or effects, whether held in trust or otherwise, or to levy taxes or perform any municipal function whatever. ”

“ No appropriation shall be made for charitable, educational or benevolent purposes to any person or community nor to any denominational or sectarian institution, corporation or association: Provided, That appropriations may be made for pensions or gratuities for military services, and to blind persons twenty-one years of age and upwards, and for assistance to mothers having dependent children, and to aged persons without adequate means of support. ”

“ No bill shall be passed giving any extra compensation to any public officer, servant, employe, agent or contractor, after services shall have been rendered or contract made, nor providing for the payment of any claim against the Commonwealth, without previous authority of law. ”

“ The General Assembly may make appropriations of money to institutions wherein the widows of persons who served in the armed forces are supported or assisted, or the orphans of persons who served in the armed forces are maintained and educated ”

“ No bill shall become a law, unless on its final passage the vote is taken by yeas and nays, the names of the persons voting for and against it are entered on the journal, and a majority of the members elected to each House is recorded thereon as voting in its favor. ”

“ In matters arising in and under the operation of such system, judicial powers, with right of appeal, may be conferred by the Legislature upon county recorders and upon other officers as designated. Such laws may provide for continuing the registering, transferring, insuring, and guaranteeing such titles after the first or original registration has been perfected by the courts, and provision may be made for raising the necessary funds for expenses and salaries of officers, which shall be paid out of the treasury of the several counties. ”

“ The General Assembly shall meet at twelve o'clock noon on the first Tuesday of January of the year following such adoption, and shall meet at such time annually thereafter, and at other times when convened by the Governor. At regular sessions convening in even-numbered years the General Assembly shall not enact any laws, except laws raising revenue and laws making appropriations. ”

“ Gasoline Taxes and Motor License Fees Restricted. All proceeds from gasoline and other motor fuel excise taxes, motor vehicle registration fees and license taxes, operators' license fees and other excise taxes imposed on products used in motor transportation after providing therefrom for (a) cost of administration and collection, (b) payment of obligations incurred in the construction and reconstruction of public highways and bridges shall be appropriated by the General Assembly to agencies of the State or political subdivisions thereof ”