It’s pretty much of a sure bet that the bill introduced by state Sen. Dave Argall, R-Schuylkill, that requires the governor and lieutenant governor to run as a team in the general election will be approved by us voters when it shows up on a ballot.

Argall’s bill calls for a constitutional amendment that would permit gubernatorial nominees to pick their lieutenant gubernatorial running mates right after the primaries. This means that there would no longer be an election for lieutenant governor.

But last month, something odd happened. Argall’s bill was amended by Republicans to now contain four constitutional changes, not just the lieutenant governor measure. Not surprisingly, while Republicans overwhelmingly favored the move, Democrats overwhelmingly did not.

The three add-ons would: (1) require government-issued identification to vote, another idea that has strong public support; (2) require the state auditor general to review elections for accuracy and confirm voter rolls, and (3) allow the Legislature to override a gubernatorial executive order or administrative regulation with a simple majority rather than a two-thirds vote, an obvious GOP power grab.

If both houses of the state Legislature approve the bill this session, the question is likely to be on the 2023 ballot.

Pennsylvania is one of those quirky states where the governor and lieutenant governor run for election separately in primaries rather than as a team as one would expect. This can lead to some embarrassments, most notably like the one that occurred in the 2014 election when then-newcomer Tom Wolf won the Democratic primary, handily beating battle-tested veterans such as state Treasurer Rob McCord and former U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz.

Michael J. Stack III, a four-term state senator from Philadelphia, and part of the nearly unbeatable Philadelphia Democratic political machine, won the 2014 primary for lieutenant governor, besting four other candidates.

The air was chilly between Wolf and Stack even before the primary, and after their respective wins put them on the same ticket for the general election, the unpleasantries grew even frostier.

Stack pulled a lot of stupid boners, requiring Wolf to march him off to the woodshed and told him in words of one syllable that he’d better shape up. To back up his strong warning, Wolf put restrictions on some of the perks Stack and his wife were enjoying, so Wolf and Stack didn’t speak for months.

Recognizing that these issues between the top two executives running our state are not a good thing, Argall introduced Senate Bill 133. At the time, Argall, now chair of the Senate State Government Committee, said the two execs “need to see eye-to-eye on the issues and not get distracted by petty rivalries.” While the Wolf-Stack disconnect was his prime motivation, Argall also cited the less than super dynamics between former Gov. Ed Rendell and his Lt Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll.

This proposed change of procedure mirrors the way that the winners of the presidential primaries choose their vice presidential running mates.

Some question why we even have a lieutenant governor, who is largely a figurehead. Proponents say the lieutenant governor plays a complementary role to the governor, and it is up to the governor to assign meaningful duties to his or her No. 2. Of course, the lieutenant governor’s main role is to preside over the state Senate but can cast only tiebreaking votes. One of these has not been needed since 2015, ironically on an Argall-sponsored bill. Should the governor die in office or become incapacitated, the lieutenant governor would take over.

The present lieutenant governor is Democrat John Fetterman, who earns about $160,000 annually. He and Wolf have forged a strong partnership, and Fetterman is the Democrats’ leading candidate for U.S. Senator to replace Pat Toomey, a Lehigh County Republican who is retiring at the end of the year.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.