Staging primary like none other is great feat

Tuesday’s primary election in Pennsylvania truly was an occasion like none other in the history of this state’s politics, both in terms of the campaign and the process used to decide the outcome.

It amounted to a dress rehearsal for what is sure to be a very challenging November election.

We knew from the start that things would be different. A new state law allowed all voters to request mail-in ballots. Previously that option was limited to those who had an excuse for not being able to visit the polls. And this was going to be the first time many voters had a chance to use new machines. While they made their debut last year in many counties, it was during an election with light participation.

When the coronavirus pandemic struck in March, it turned the elections, along with everything else in our lives, upside down. The primary had been scheduled for early April but was pushed back two months to allow time to make adjustments due to the coronavirus.

Candidates had to abandon some traditional tactics. No rallies or pressing the flesh. While door-to-door campaigning was possible, there was heavy dependence on social media and other online tools, along with phone calls.

The biggest challenges were faced by elections officials, who had to make major changes on the fly. They deserve the public’s thanks for doing what it took to stage this primary.

Perhaps the most significant challenge had to do with mail-in ballots. Local elections officials were worried about the logistics of counting them even before the pandemic hit. With COVID-19 in the picture, those concerns only grew. Requests for mail-in ballots exploded as voters rightly were eager to avoid going to a polling place in the midst of a pandemic.

There were some problems getting ballots to the people who requested them, which resulted in the state allowing extra time to submit ballots in a few counties. But for the most part, things seemed to go well.

Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar reported that about 1.8 million voters statewide received mail-in ballots, an astonishing number when one considers that this was the first time the option was available.

Of course people still had the option of voting in-person as usual. One of the biggest concerns leading up to the election was whether there would be enough people willing to work the polls at a time when we’re being warned to avoid contact with the public. We’re not surprised that the community answered the call, but we’re proud nonetheless.

Elections staff did an outstanding job making all the adjustments required, including changing polling places to reduce the need for poll workers and to adjust to the loss of some locations that were not available due to the pandemic.

There will be much that state and local leaders can learn from what happened Tuesday. It amounted to a dress rehearsal for what is sure to be a very challenging November election. Five months from now they won’t have the luxury of being able to work out the kinks amid a fairly light turnout as they did this week.

With the presidency on the line, there are certain to be far more mail-in votes submitted and infinitely more people turning out at the polls.

We urge state leaders to heed the warnings of county officials about making sure local jurisdictions have sufficient resources to handle the crush. It worked out OK this time thanks to admirable cooperation across county lines. That’s not going to be possible in the next round. America’s eyes will be on Pennsylvania in November. If there are problems with the vote here, it could be disastrous.

We can breathe a sigh of relief at the conclusion of this difficult primary, but there’s no time to celebrate. A much bigger challenge awaits.