Pennsylvania spent nearly $1 million holding special elections last year — about half of it in Allegheny County — and while complaints persist about disruptiveness, cost, and candidate-choosing methods, their profile has never been higher.

That’s because special elections decided control of the Pennsylvania House on three different occasions in 2023. It will happen again on Feb. 13, when voters in a portion of Bucks County make their choice to fill the vacant 140th District seat, and in the process break the current 101-101 tie in the House.

Big-time political interest will focus on the actual contest between Republican Candace Cabanas and Democrat Jim Prokopiak because the majority party in the House controls how the chamber runs.

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