Lawrence offers election information
Today is last day to request an absentee ballot
NORRISTOWN » While the deadline to register to vote for the upcoming primary election has passed, Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr. reminded voters of ways they can cast their ballots during Thursday’s board meeting.
Several candidates are on this year’s ballots including school district board members, municipal positions as well as judgeships at the local and state levels.
Lawrence, who also serves as the chairman of the county’s election board, said people can submit their votes by mail, absentee ballot or in-person.
Anyone interested in voting by mail must have their ballot requested by 5 p.m. on May 11, according to Lawrence.
He added that the established 11 secure ballot drop boxes will remain open “24/7 until May 18 when [the] polls close” on Election Day.
More than 70,000 ballots have been mailed out, according to Lawrence, who said that approximately 23,380 ballots have been returned as of 12 p.m. on May 4.
For those who’ve previously requested a ballot in the mail but want to instead vote in-person should bring their ballot and envelopes to their designated polling place, and the judge will “void [the] ballot,” allowing the voter to vote at the polls.
All adjustments made to polling place locations have been finalized, according to Lawrence, who noted that voters would “receive a new registration card from voter services” informing them of the change and the new address.
During the meeting’s public comment portion, Lower Merion resident Adrian Seltzer stressed that the upcoming election has questions up for vote on the ballot.
“These ballot questions will be voted on by every registered voter,” Seltzer said.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, the following topics are being considered as ballot questions:
• Statewide referendum ACT 2020-91: Making municipal fire and emergency medical services companies eligible for loans
• Proposed Constitutional Amendment Article III, section nine: Relating to termination or extension of disaster emergency declarations
• Proposed Constitutional Amendment Article IV: Disaster emergency declaration and management
• Proposed Constitutional Amendment Article I: Prohibition against denial or abridgement of equality of rights because of race or ethnicity
“Now just to make it easy for all us voters, these questions are written somewhere around a PHD level,” Seltzer said, adding that anyone interested in learning more about the ballot questions should visit vote411.com.