Every Vote should be Counted. But the reality in Pennsylvania is that Not every Vote is Counted. In fact, if past patterns hold, more than 2,000 Absentee Ballots cast by Pennsylvanians this November won't be Counted, and the Voters won't know it.
The Problem is the Deadlines. Outdated Election Laws set Timelines that are too compressed. Would-be Voters who wait until the end, have almost no chance of getting their Votes Counted if they use Standard Mail service. Just Three Days separate the Deadlines for Requesting a Mailed Absentee Ballot and for Returning it to County Officials.
"We're in the 21st century and we're relying on a 19th-century system," said David Thornburgh, Head of the Philadelphia-based Good-Government Group 'Committee of 70'. It's just absurd in 2018 to be basically back in the Pony Express era."
In 2010, Election Officials reported 2,162 Absentee Ballots were Rejected for coming in too late; 2,030 were Rejected in 2014. And given all the Cuts endured by the Postal Service in recent years, Election Officials say that if Lawmakers don't act, the Problem is going to get worse. The Numbers might not be enormous, State and County Election Officials say, but it matters that Thousands of Voters end up Disenfranchised, and without their Knowledge, in especially Close Elections those Votes might just make a difference.
Pennsylvania, with Deadlines more Restrictive than many other States, is a National Leader in Absentee Ballots Invalidated because of missed Deadlines. "It stinks. It is the law. The only way we can change it is have legislation passed," said Timothy Benyo, the Election Director in Lehigh County who Heads the Association of Eastern Pennsylvania County Election Personnel. "That has to go through Harrisburg."
In 2012, the Financially troubled U.S. Postal Service undertook a massive Restructuring, Shuttering numerous Distribution Centers across the State. "So it takes a couple of days longer for absentee ballots to get from one place to another, and counties are very sensitive to that," said Jonathan Marks, Pennsylvania's Elections Commissioner.
With a move to No-Excuse Absentee Voting, more people will Vote Absentee, and the number of Rejected Ballots almost certainly will increase, unless the Deadline Rules are Changed. Pennsylvania's Election Code gives Voters until the Tuesday before an Election to Request a Mail Ballot, and County Officials have to receive them by 5 p.m. Friday to be Counted. Ballots that arrive after that, but before the End of Election Day, don't Count.
"There's nothing we can do about it," said Shari Brewer, a Butler County Election Official who heads the Western Pennsylvania Election Personnel Association. "We have to abide by the laws that we have." Brewer and other Officials said all they can do is warn Voters about the Deadlines. The Pennsylvania Department of State recommends putting Ballots in the Mail a full Week before the Deadline. As the Deadline approaches, several Election Officials said, they'll remind Voters that they can Hand-Deliver Absentee Ballots.
In Presidential Elections, Pennsylvania Absentee Ballots that come in after the Deadline but before 8 p.m. Election Day are Counted.
"Local numbers of uncounted absentee ballots are small compared with the total votes cast, but they matter," said Wanda Murren, Spokeswoman for the Department of State. "It seems to be minor, but it's really not," she said. "If you think about someone going through all of the necessary steps for getting an absentee ballot and giving a reason for why they need one … it really is a shame for people that that happens to."
"In addition to the matter of principle — every vote counts, which is why people have fought so hard for the right — there is a practical consideration," said Al Schmidt, a Philadelphia City Commissioner. "We do have elections that are close," he said. Especially in smaller Local Races, the Results can be so tight that a handful of Votes is Decisive. "You never know until the election's over. You never know if it's going to be decided by one vote or 100,000 votes. So it's too late after the fact. So that's why: Every one counts, and you also practically have to treat it like every one could count."
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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