Today's election offers voters a chance to begin to change the composition and, more importantly, the attitude of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court so that it requires state lawmakers to follow the provisions of the state constitution. While time remains before polls close, voters who have not yet marked their ballot should help send a message to Harrisburg by voting "no" on the judge retention question.

Voting "no" on the retention of Supreme Court justices Russell Nigro and Sandra Newman, who have served 10 years on the court, will send a clear message to Harrisburg that voters expect the Supreme Court to uphold the law and force the legislative branch to obey the law when crafting and passing laws.

Specifically, the state's high court has failed the citizens of the state by giving the legislature the benefit of the doubt — when it was clearly not deserved — in terms of following the requirements of the constitution in the law-making process.

The state constitution requires that laws be considered for three days in both the House and the Senate before being voted on. The legislature routinely violates this provision, yet the Supreme Court has looked the other way.

The state constitution also requires that bills must not be altered from their original purpose, and state lawmakers clearly violate this provision — most notoriously with the slot-machines gambling legislation and the controversial July 7 pay-raise vote.

Nigro and Newman were not directly involved in these violations of the state constitution by state lawmakers, but they and the rest of the Supreme Court allowed them to continue. Nigro and Newman and other justices on the high court have failed the citizens of the state by giving the legislature, particularly a handful of legislative leaders, an unwarranted level of power, while at the same time ignoring the clear requirements of the constitution and overlooking the rights of citizens.

Late last week, lawmakers hastily proposed legislation to repeal the controversial pay raise. Differences between the Senate and House versions have, so far, prevented a final bill from being crafted and approved. Voting "no" on the retention of Nigro and Newman will add to the pressure already being felt in Harrisburg to change the current, corrupted culture that has been allowed to exist for too long.

Further pressure can be applied next spring in the primary elections by supporting challengers and working to defeat incumbents across the entire state. Specific and extraordinary efforts must be directed at defeating the leadership of both parties, which maintains the corrupt, constitution-bending system.

To a large degree, Harrisburg is not a place where Democrats and Republicans operate to advance their respective political agendas. This state's legislature is more a place where incumbents routinely abuse their powers and appear more concerned with staying in office than working for the people.

The outrage over the July 7 pay-raise vote has not only continued since mid-summer, but it has grown, as voters learn more about the lawmakers' generous compensation packages and about how the state constitution is routinely violated by legislative leaders.

Last week's unexpected flurry of activity to repeal the pay raise was a start — but only a start. The rejection of Nigro and Newman is another important step in sending a clear message to Harrisburg that the time of business as usual is over.