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Election fliers confuse some
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BY DAVID SINGLETON
STAFF WRITER
Thirty-five states permit early voting of some sort in the Nov. 4 presidential election, and 28 states require no excuse to cast an absentee ballot.
But if you’re in Pennsylvania, you still have to do things the old-fashioned way.
Some election officials are fretting over a push by candidates and others to encourage “early voting” in Pennsylvania, fearful that no-holds-barred efforts to squeeze out every possible vote in the state are creating confusion over what is allowed and not allowed.
For example, to cast an absentee ballot in the general election, you have to have a valid reason — usually, that you’ll be out of town on Election Day or you have a verifiable illness or disability that will prevent you from making the trip to the polling place.
The Lackawanna County Voter Registration Office has been fielding five or six calls daily from voters who received political fliers containing absentee ballot applications in the mail, director of elections Maryann Spellman Young said.
The problem, she said, is the flyers can be short on detail.
Some county residents recently received a mailer from Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain with a pair of absentee ballot applications already addressed to Ms. Young’s office attached. The flier includes the appeal, “Vote early by mail — it’s as easy as 1-2-3.”
“Well, it’s not (that easy) everywhere — 1-2-3 is different from state to state,” Ms. Young said. “People are calling and asking, ‘Is this OK?’ ”
Although many other states have moved to give voters the right to cast their ballots in advance of Election Day, either in person or by mail, there is no provision for it under Pennsylvania law.
Similarly, while a growing number of states allow “no-excuse” absentee voting, Pennsylvania places limitations on absentee eligibility.
When a Pennsylvania voter signs an absentee ballot application, Ms. Young said, “You are signing an affidavit that there are circumstances that will not allow you be at your polling place on Election Day.”
An absentee ballot cast under improper circumstances — by someone who just didn’t want to be bothered to leave the house, for instance — could be subject to challenge and disqualification, she said.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.comWho can vote absentee?
■ Individuals who expect to be absent from their municipality during the entire time the polls are open.
■ People who are unable to visit their polling place because of illness or disability.
■ Members of the armed forces.
■ County employees whose Election Day responsibilities preclude them from going to the polls.
■ People who will not go to the polls because of the observance of a religious holiday.
But if you’re in Pennsylvania, you still have to do things the old-fashioned way.
Some election officials are fretting over a push by candidates and others to encourage “early voting” in Pennsylvania, fearful that no-holds-barred efforts to squeeze out every possible vote in the state are creating confusion over what is allowed and not allowed.
For example, to cast an absentee ballot in the general election, you have to have a valid reason — usually, that you’ll be out of town on Election Day or you have a verifiable illness or disability that will prevent you from making the trip to the polling place.
The Lackawanna County Voter Registration Office has been fielding five or six calls daily from voters who received political fliers containing absentee ballot applications in the mail, director of elections Maryann Spellman Young said.
The problem, she said, is the flyers can be short on detail.
Some county residents recently received a mailer from Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain with a pair of absentee ballot applications already addressed to Ms. Young’s office attached. The flier includes the appeal, “Vote early by mail — it’s as easy as 1-2-3.”
“Well, it’s not (that easy) everywhere — 1-2-3 is different from state to state,” Ms. Young said. “People are calling and asking, ‘Is this OK?’ ”
Although many other states have moved to give voters the right to cast their ballots in advance of Election Day, either in person or by mail, there is no provision for it under Pennsylvania law.
Similarly, while a growing number of states allow “no-excuse” absentee voting, Pennsylvania places limitations on absentee eligibility.
When a Pennsylvania voter signs an absentee ballot application, Ms. Young said, “You are signing an affidavit that there are circumstances that will not allow you be at your polling place on Election Day.”
An absentee ballot cast under improper circumstances — by someone who just didn’t want to be bothered to leave the house, for instance — could be subject to challenge and disqualification, she said.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.comWho can vote absentee?
■ Individuals who expect to be absent from their municipality during the entire time the polls are open.
■ People who are unable to visit their polling place because of illness or disability.
■ Members of the armed forces.
■ County employees whose Election Day responsibilities preclude them from going to the polls.
■ People who will not go to the polls because of the observance of a religious holiday.
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