Elections should ensure that every eligible voter’s voice is heard. But too many ballots are rejected over small, fixable mistakes like a missing date or signature. Ballot curing — allowing voters to correct these mistakes — protects voters from being silenced by paperwork.
Across Pennsylvania, 36 counties let voters cure ballots, and another 10 counties update the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors system, which alerts voters so they can cast a provisional ballot if needed. But in Westmoreland County, voters get no notice, and their ballots can simply be discarded (“Westmoreland commissioners decline to consider ballot curing for November election,” Sept. 11, TribLive).
Ballot curing is a bipartisan solution. Our Board of Elections and county commissioners should adopt ballot curing and add more secure ballot drop boxes. These are simple, commonsense steps that make voting more accessible and ensure that every valid vote counts.
Voters want their ballots counted, and we deserve a fair process that makes that possible. I urge our commissioners and Board of Elections to put voters’ needs first.
Karen Primm
Smithton
The writer is a member of Smithton Borough Council.