Guest Opinion: For next year, a primer for PA Primary voting
The Pennsylvania primaries are over. Yes, we did have a good bit of intrigue. So now might be a good time to review and clarify the primary process in PA. Most notably — Pennsylvania does not have an open primary ("open" meaning anyone registered to vote can vote).
In PA primaries, only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote. If you’ve registered with any other party (eg: Independent, Green, etc.) your name will not appear in the books as eligible for voting (unless your district has a ballot question. If your name appears as a non-affiliated registered voter, you'll be issued a special ballot with only the ballot question. Please note. In this 2022 primary, Montgomery County with its many districts had only one district — Whitemarsh — with a ballot question.)
If you’re uncertain as to how you’ve registered (under which party), call the county election services office to find out if you are registered, under which party, and in which ward and precinct, based on your current address. Should you want to change party for the next election, call to change. And should you marry, change your name or address, again — check with county services, make the change, then follow up later to ensure the change was made.
Love them em or hate them em, voting machine booths are a thing of the past in Pennsylvania. A few years back PA changed to a paper ballot system. Your ballot may be printed on both sides: be sure to turn it over to fill out every position. You’ll be given a black Sharpie to fill in your choices. Fill completely but do not overfill. Have no fear that your markings will go thru to the other side and contaminate your votes. Alignment of all copy is specifically designed to prevent that from happening. If you mess up your ballot, return it to the issuing table. The poll worker will void out your first ballot and then issue you a new one.
This part disheartens so many yet there is no reason to be disheartened (protections are in place). If at the time of election, you are registered with a party not of your current choosing, take the ballot of the party for which you are registered and write in the candidate of your choice. With each office, fill in the box that says "Write-in." In the larger same space provided neatly print the name of the candidate you would like. The box must be filled and a name imprinted.
If you were mailed a ballot but now choose to vote in person, bring all three parts of the mailing with you to be turned in. Upon remittance, you’ll then sign the book, be issued a ballot and be able to vote on site.
If you cannot get to your ward but can get to one nearby, please go. Go straight to the judge and identify your situation. He’ll enter your name and issue you a provisional (green) ballot. This ballot goes separately to your county seat to be checked for positions that coincide with your district for which your votes can then be tallied.
Important. Be sure to follow directions for each office. If you are only permitted to vote for three candidates and you vote for four, all of your votes for that office will be disqualified. Remember a while back we had a box you could check that said “Choose not to vote”? Confusing, yes, but an important security measure for you. Should you belong to a union or company that is strong-arming you to vote, you simply show up, take the ballot, check the box and solve the dilemma without compromising yourself and your vote. Today with paper ballots you can do much the same in a different manner. Take the ballot, do not fill anything out, let the machine operator know when you go to scan the ballot that it is as you wish. The machine scans absolutely no votes for any candidate. Remember no one can dictate your vote.
Any questions? See your judge of elections. We’ll work you through it all. And if you need help voting, one of the workers can be assigned to help you. We really are there to serve and do all we can to get your votes counted.
I’ve worked both ends of elections for many years — Election Day at the polls and in the following days and weeks tabulating results in Norristown. Very committed people do this job — committed to you the voter and to the integrity of elections.
So please come out. We want and need your vote(s) for our democracy to work as intended.
Lyn Alexander lives in Willow Grove. She's an inspector for Ward 4 in Upper Moreland Township and a Montgomery County Tabulator.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Guest Opinion: For next year, a primer for PA Primary voting
