This could be the messiest primary election ever
As Pennsylvania prepares for its June 2 primary election, voters have a lot more to consider than who to vote for. It’s shaping up to be an election like no other. Some people may be voting in unfamiliar places, using unfamiliar systems, with help from the military. They may be worried whether everyone will wear masks, or worry what others will think of them if they choose not to wear one.
They have to decide whether to wear gloves and to take their own pens, and whether to trust that elections workers can keep polling places clean amid the coronavirus outbreak, as well as space people sufficiently apart.
That’s a lot to chew on. But none of it should deter you from voting. Because there’s an easy way to avoid all of those hassles and worries — vote by mail from home.
This is the first election since a law was passed last year allowing all Pennsylvanians to vote by mail. Previously, the only people who could vote by mail, using an absentee ballot, were those who were out of their voting district on Election Day, or who were sick or disabled and couldn’t get to the polls.
The timing couldn’t have been better, because voting in person could be challenging. Here’s why: up all of their replacement sites yet. They need to nail that down, and then let voters know where to go. Some polling places may be combined, and that could lead to larger crowds. take them longer to do their jobs, which means lines could be longer. debate has become over whether personal freedoms are being unfairly restricted.
The state is requiring all businesses that serve the public inside a building or defined area — with the exception of health care providers — to require customers to wear masks while on their premises, unless they have a medical reason not to.
But the state is not going to step in if masks are not worn by voters inside voting locations.
Each polling place will set its own rules, Gov. Tom Wolf said.
“The commonwealth is not doing anything to force anybody to do anything,” Wolf said when asked at a news conference Monday about whether voters must wear masks.
He said wearing masks is “the right thing to do, and it’s a good thing to do to protect the people around us.”
It’s unlikely that those who don’t wear them will be challenged.
Turning away someone from voting is a legal hornet’s nest. Parties, candidates and their lawyers always are looking for excuses to challenge elections they lose, and voting officials aren’t going to give them any ammunition.
Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure said Monday that no voter would be turned away. Lehigh County officials said rules would be determined by the places that agree to host polls.