Pennsylvania has postponed its April 28 primary election until June 2 and is promoting voting by mail and by absentee ballot.
Pennsylvania is one of 16 states and one territory that have postponed their primaries because of stay-at-home orders and social distancing recommendations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Three states — Alaska, Hawaii and Wyoming— have switched entirely to mail-in ballots.
In a virtual press conference on April 1, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar encouraged voters concerned about the coronavirus to consider voting by mail or absentee ballot.
“If voters wish to avoid going to the polls, they can still easily vote in the privacy of their own home or the county election office,” Boockvar said during the press conference.
Laura Bucci, Ph.D, assistant professor of political science, said she requested her ballot on March 2 and has been approved, but has yet to receive the ballot nearly eight weeks later.
That makes Bucci wonder about logistical issues with large numbers of voters switching to mail-in ballots in a short period of time.
“Who is voting and who is ready and able to vote by mail? How will volunteers count [ballots]? What if [ballots] are contaminated?” Bucci asked.
Christine Reuther, a council member for Delaware County, Pennsylvania, said the county has seen an increase in requests for mail-in/absentee ballots.
“Photos and publicity from the Wisconsin primary and the problems that could arise have galvanized that effort,” Reuther said.
The amount of absentee ballots has already exceeded the number Delaware County usually receives, and Reuther said she expects this number to continue to increase before June 2. Delaware County is working to meet these growing numbers, while observing social distancing guidelines, she said.
“We’ve had to go to staggered shifts, moved non-computer based operations [to larger spaces],” said Reuther. “Recognizing that nonessential functions have stopped, we are basically designating our election staff as essential.”
Reuther said her hope is to use funds from federal and state grants meant for COVID-19 election assistance to purchase additional high-speed ballot scanners to meet the increased number of mail-in and absentee ballots. Currently, the county has only two of these scanners.
When it comes to counting the ballots, Reuther said, “We might be going to a location like a college or something that might have a large facility to maintain social distancing, while counting ballots and having [election officials] observing.”
All mail-in ballot applications for Pennsylvania’s primary on June 2 must be received by a resident’s county election office by 5 p.m. on May 26. To apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot, visit votes.pa.
