Politics
Pennsylvania Voters Face Election Night Delays Amid Mail-In Ballot Processing Laws
Clear Facts
- Pennsylvania law prohibits the processing of mail-in ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day, causing delays in election results.
- Former President Trump and Vice President Harris have both made recent visits to Pennsylvania, highlighting its importance in the upcoming election.
- Efforts to pass pre-canvassing legislation in Pennsylvania have repeatedly stalled due to political disagreements.
Pennsylvania voters should brace themselves for a delay in knowing the outcome of the high-stakes presidential race this November. State election officials are preemptively warning that results will not be ready by Election Night due to existing state laws.
The battleground state has garnered significant attention, with Vice President Harris visiting on August 18 and former President Trump making two appearances on August 17 and 19. This underscores Pennsylvania’s critical role in the upcoming election.
Secretary of State Al Schmidt, a Republican appointed by Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro, has been vocal about the issue.
“The terminology is normally called pre-canvasing,” Schmidt explained.
He noted that other states allow the processing of mail-in ballots before Election Day, but Pennsylvania only permits it starting at 7 a.m. on Election Day.
In stark contrast, states like Florida, with a much larger population, manage to report preliminary results on election night.
“It is baloney that Florida, which has more citizens, Texas, which has more citizens and more voters by millions, are able to have their elections counted all in one day. But Pennsylvania is not,” Scott Pressler, a conservative activist, stated.
Pennsylvania is one of seven states, including Wisconsin, where pre-canvassing is prohibited, a situation that became problematic in 2020.
Dr. Dan Mallinson, a political science professor at Pennsylvania State University, explained that mail-in ballots were initially for special circumstances but surged due to the pandemic.
“There was a huge inflow of mail-in ballots in both the primary and the general in 2020,” Mallinson said.
More than 1.2 million Pennsylvanians voted by mail in the 2022 governor’s election. The Shapiro administration has even made mail-in ballot applications available two months earlier than in 2020.
For any change to occur, the state legislature would need to pass pre-canvassing legislation.
Schmidt has advocated for this change, but political gridlock has stalled progress.
“We knew this was an issue in 2020,” Schmidt said. “It’s a technical problem with a technical solution that does not benefit any candidate. It does not benefit any party.”
Mallinson added, “The option is either the Republican-controlled Senate passes the clean bill and the governor signs it, or the Republican-controlled Senate does what has happened in the past, and they add things that they want to it, and then it probably gets rejected in the House.”
The state legislature came close to passing a clean pre-canvassing bill in 2020, but a measure to ban drop-boxes was added, causing the bill to fail.
“They were close in 2020 at a much later point than right now,” Mallinson said. “There’s time, but I don’t know if there’s the political will or push.”
Republicans have shifted their strategy from emphasizing voter fraud concerns to encouraging mail-in voting. Scott Pressler is leading efforts to get Republicans to vote early in Pennsylvania.
Pressler has been proactive, asking county election offices about measures to ensure non-citizens are not registered to vote and that paper ballots are adequately stocked.
Since the 2020 election, Pennsylvania has seen significant turnover among election administrators.
“In Pennsylvania, we’ve lost more than 80 senior election directors or administrators since 2020,” Schmidt said.
The Shapiro administration has taken steps to prepare for the election, including setting up a training team for new election directors and an election threat task force.
“It’s important to be prepared for the coming election,” Schmidt said. “I’m confident that we will have a free and fair and safe and secure election in Pennsylvania in 2024.”
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Robert Pashka
August 28, 2024 at 11:32 am
Hahahahaha
Disgusted Patriot
August 29, 2024 at 6:51 am
How about eliminating all mail in ballots except for absentee ballots (the way it used to be for years). Fewer ballots to count 7am on election day. Pretty soon mail in ballots will be accepted all year long (vote early, vote often was the old motto). What could possibly go wrong?
Maxx
August 29, 2024 at 9:49 am
Nothing that has been changed regarding voting in the U.S. in the past 20 years has done anything to improve anything. It has simply made the “cheating” far more easy. France, not the brightest country in Europe, experimented with mail-in-voting back in 1973. By 1975 it was banned because every election at every level was found to be “tainted”. This is exactly what the demonRATS have been lusting for since the party of socialism appeared on the scene.
Charles
August 29, 2024 at 7:28 am
Until we get some common sense voting and election laws the elections will always be fraught with voter and election fraud. I for one would like to see the return of paper ballots signed by the individual in front of a witness Thumbprint to ensure that the person executing the ballot can be verified and also photo ID to Identify the person. The only reason for mail-in ballots should be for military serving overseas and Persons who can be verified as having legitimate reasons not because I can’t make it to the polls because I have to work. Failing that lets return to In-person voting only
Robert G. Caplette
August 29, 2024 at 9:05 am
Agree,can’t get off your asses no vote. 90 years young see you at the your polling place.
Anna DeBlanc
August 29, 2024 at 9:46 am
In my county in Ga, there are set people to open and count Mail in ballots. One Republican, one Democrat and member of our county election board. Ballot envelopes will be verified and opened and straightened.The ballots are run through machine to count. This doesn’t take long. Ballots can be hand verified if necessary.
Maxx
August 29, 2024 at 10:02 am
absentee ballots are the only mail-in ballots that should be allowed. Absentee ballots should only go to military members serving away from home and (age and verified health related issues) as before. Many “blue” states make mass mailings of ballots to everybody on the voter rolls. That is not only nonsense but inviting vote fraud. Return to one election day, paper ballots in-person mandatory voter ID. Drivers licenses must carry U.S. citizen
certification code similar to CDL, MC and other amendments.
Good Luck
August 29, 2024 at 10:14 am
Do not use Mail in , go to the polls and Vote in person.
Donald Bergan
August 29, 2024 at 10:47 am
Having boxes of mail in ballots just piled in a corner waiting for weeks to be counted on 11/5 at 7 AM lends itself to voter fraud/manipulation. I blame the PA Senate and House for doing nothing when they know that this was a big problem in 2020. It is also ridiculous that PA allows any voter 5-6 weeks to vote by mail when the candidates have not even put out what they stand for. A good example is Harris who has not said what she stands for now. We know what she stood for in 2019 and for the past 4 years but according to anonymous staff she has flip flopped on all of her previous policies.