PA Preparing For 'Unprecedented' 2020 Primary Election
PENNSYLVANIA — As Pennsylvania continues to prepare a primary election unlike any other in history, nearly 1 million voters have applied for mail-in ballots, Gov. Wolf announced Tuesday. Officials are continuing to urge residents to vote by mail to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus at polling places, while also working with the counties and health experts to make the polls as safe as possible.
Moving to mail-in ballots only was not feasible for the June 2 primary, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said in a news conference Monday. Voters with certain disabilities are unable to vote by mail without assistance, and there were fears that too many residents simply would not be aware of how to vote by mail. (See also: Gov. Wolf Encourages PA To Vote By Mail In Primary)
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"There is not enough time to adequately ensure participation in our democracy with mail-in voting alone," Boockvar said.
Because of the "unprecedented" number of Pennsylvanians who will vote by mail this year, it's likely that there will be some delay in the counting of ballots, she added.
"Voters should be prepared. 100 percent of the counting might not be done on election day," Boockvar said, noting that some counties had been provided with special machines to open the ballots and count votes more efficiently.
Meanwhile, widespread preparations are being made to prepare polling places. Counties will receive some part of $13 million in federal funding to help handle the additional costs of the election. In addition, the state has ordered protection kits: masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, cleaners for voting system, floor marking tape, and more to help facilitate social distancing at the polls.
The Pennsylvania National Guard may be called on to help volunteer as poll workers. Leaders are currently in preliminary conversations with the National Guard about the possibility. Boockvar noted that guardsmen have been critical on the front lines of the virus in numerous capacities. Voters should not expect service members in military uniforms; any guardsmen working the polls will be in plainclothes.
Typical polling places may not be available due to the pandemic, as many are simply too small to allow for social distancing, while others are located in places with at-risk populations, like senior centers. Both Boockvar and Gov. Wolf urged both public and private facilities who may be called on as polling places to work with the counties in any way that they can.
"Help serve democracy," Boockvar said.
When Gov. Wolf was pressed on whether individuals who refuse to wear masks or properly socially distance themselves would be kicked out of polling places, he said the state would not have a hand in that.
"That will be up to the polling place," he said, stating his oft-repeated mantra regarding personal responsibility. "This whole thing, if it's gonna work, it's gonna work because people recognize they don't want to infect their fellow Pennsylvanians....the Commonwealth is not doing anything to force anyone to anything"
>>The latest coronavirus updates in Pennsylvania.
This article originally appeared on the Montgomeryville-Lansdale Patch
