COVID-19 presents election challenges
EAGLEVILLE » The upcoming June 2 primary election will present some challenges for election officials and changes for Montgomery County voters casting their ballots, thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We will have a number of polling locations. We do not know where they are yet. We are working on a plan for that,” county
Commissioners’ Chairwoman Valerie Arkoosh said during a news briefing at the county Emergency Operation Center.
“In fact, it will be very important for everyone who does want to vote in-person to keep an eye on their mail because it’s quite likely you will not be voting where you are used to voting,” Arkoosh added. “Many of our normal polling places are in long-term care facilities or other senior congregate centers. None of those places are allowing us to come in.
“Many of our poll workers have declined to participate in this election and I want to be very clear, I support their decision. Many of these individuals are older and understandably don’t want to put themselves at personal risk and I fully support that decision,” Arkoosh continued.
Arkoosh predicted there will be “a smaller number of polling places” than usual for in-person voting during the primary.
“I can’t tell you what that’s
going to look like, but our team is working on that plan. So, everyone who’s focused on voting in-person please be sure to watch your mail in case you get a notice of a new polling place,” Arkoosh said.
“I will tell you that we are planning to have social distancing at our polling sites. The secretary of state has promised that we will get kits that have hand sanitizer, masks and gloves for the polls workers and wipes to keep the surfaces clean. These are the cards we’ve been dealt, so we will do our absolute best to serve our constituents, to create as many safe polling places as we can,” Arkoosh added.
However, Arkoosh said, those who are “comfortable with voting by mail” can go to www.votespa.com to request a mail-in ballot.
“And that would be the safest thing. You can do that from the comfort of your home. You won’t have to stand in line or anything like that,” Arkoosh said.
Arkoosh said she and commissioners’ Vice-chairman Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr., who are Democrats, recently sent a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf and Kathy Boockvar, who leads the Pennsylvania Department of State, requesting an all vote-bymail election in the county.
“That is just not going to happen. It would actually require legislation to effect that change and that is just not in the cards,” Arkoosh explained.
Wolf has drafted a colorcoded plan to reopen the state, which will be conducted in phases. Wolf has said if Southeast Pennsylvania continues to have a higher number of positive COVID-19 cases, then reopening there will be slower than in places where the case counts have been lower.
Wolf added some target reopening dates also could be delayed and some regions might be required to shut down again if there’s a new outbreak of COVID-19.
“So we are doing everything we can to encourage people to vote by mail,” Arkoosh said. On March 27, Wolf signed Senate Bill 422, which rescheduled the 2020 primary election from April 28 to June 2 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Voters have the option to vote by mail-in ballot rather than going to their polling place on election day.
Mail-in ballot applications will be accepted through Tuesday, May 26. The deadline to return your voted mail-in ballot is 8 p.m. June 2.
The last day to register to vote for the primary election is May 18.
During a recent commissioners’ meeting, Republican Commissioner Joseph C. Gale indicated he is “strongly opposed to a total all vote-by-mail election.”
“It’s my belief that every registered voter deserves the opportunity to cast their vote privately in person on election day without fear of their ballot being lost or manipulated,” Gale said.
Gale cited past “total mail-in ballot” elections “elsewhere” where “there was corruption in the process” and “inaccurate” counting of votes.