25 Responses

1. I missed responding to the poll. I strongly recommend only main-in voting for PA’s primary. We already have absentee voting, so it is not a new practice, and PA should be able to implement an all mail-in primary.

   My concern is that we have been slow to decide about mail-in balloting, that we will end up with limited polling places, inadequate safety measures ( we can not even protect hospital workers), and cramped quarters that will not allow for social distancing.

   Additionally, many election board members will not participate ( the election board members should not have to risk their lives because of politics and inertia)

   My recommendations: Mail-in ballots should be sent to every registered voter in Pennsylvania. Delay the primary by another 30 days. How can we advocate for health district counties that are still in the red phase to have open polling places?

2. simple answer NO

3. My answer is no to mail ballots! If you can social distance and grocery shop, you can social distance and vote

4. I too am an elected Inspector of Elections. I feel it is my duty to work, BUT I will put my elderly mother at risk by working, my husband who has asthma as well. Plus I am at risk because I’m over 60. Elections should be all mail in until the pandemic is over

5. I’d like to see a predominantly mail-in ballot but with some option for those who really want to go to a poll. All those folks in Wisconsin wanted to vote in person – they had a mail-in option. To some people it’s such an important right that they want to do it in person. Somehow we have to make sure those people vote. Maybe have a few polling places in urban areas.

6. Exactly! People – of all ages – out and about. If they can go out for groceries, carry out, et al they can go out to vote!

7. I am the Judge of Election in my polling place. Three of the election board are over 60 years old-and, of those three, I am the youngest-72 years old. My polling place will have over 700 live voters in a contested election. People over 60 have the highest fatality rate if they catch COVID-19. Do I want to serve-and possibly die? Nationally, 56% of election workers are over 60 years old. Unless we have only mail-in voting, you are saying you don’t care if people like me risk death if we serve.

   1. I too am an elected Inspector of Elections. I feel it is my duty to work, BUT I will put my elderly mother at risk by working, my husband who has asthma as well. Plus I am at risk because I’m over 60. Elections should be all mail in until the pandemic is over

8. No! If people are able to leave their homes for shopping, they can show up to vote! In 2018, we received 6 non-requested mail in ballots for the 2 of us, who have always voted in person.

   1. right on !!!

9. Make it super easy to get an advanced ballot and encourage it, but allow for in-person voting while following social distancing procedures.

10. Let it be a choice. If we can make grocery stores and Walmart safe for shopping, we are capable of doing the same for voting. What are the protocols for securing the mail-in ballots?

    1. none…good call

11. John Wayne wasn’t real and neither is the cry from those who want to see others die to vote!

    It is time to yield to the reality of the virus that presents a danger to our voting. That virus is heightened by voter apathy and the way to break both is to have vote by mail as the new standard.

12. Stay safe and well and vote from home.

13. If our ancestors were willing to die for the rights we have today we can at the very least show up to vote

    1. When I was active duty in the US Army, I did not show up at the polling place to vote – I used an absentee ballot. BUT, I DID SHOW UP!

       1. Thank you for your service. That’s great that you voted by absentee ballot while serving for our country. But mail in ballots are completely different. They can be manipulated. We must show up in person to vote.

          1. Absentee ballots and mail-in ballots are literally the exact same thing. There is no difference. They are ballots that you mail in when you are absent from the polls. Good enough for our soldiers, good enough for the rest of us too.

14. The election could be over when people get caught abusing the mail in vote.Keep doing what works why change a good system.

15. All-mail elections is the fiscally conservative thing to do. No sense wasting a bunch of taxpayer dollars for elections that can be done cheaper and more efficient. We shouldn’t just do it now, we should do it for every election.

    Some of us work for a living and getting out to vote on a workday is money lost. If I can take my time and vote on my day off while saving money that’s just common sense.

    1. Amen, brother! We should not have to risk our health to vote!

16. Remember when there was such a cry to move the March 17 special state Rep. elections to April 28 because it would be safer?. Now, June 2 not even a safe time.

17. Are they going to mail out ballots to every registered Republican and Democrat?

18. Wisconsin was an utter debacle and the Republicans pushed for a vote that suppressed the vote but where they still lost a Supreme Court seat. Technology is moving so fast that soon self driving cars will be commonplace. So, why this intensity toward mail in vote? If people get caught abusing mail in vote then legally punish them but let’s not allow fear toward change like mail in vote stop logical progress. It’s like legalizing pot, sooner or later it will be the norm.