Eric Falk: Not all Westmoreland residents want mail-in voting eliminated

Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew’s statement before the Pennsylvania Senate committee on election integrity and reform is a classic case of starting with a valid point and then wildly overswinging to argue that no-excuse mail-in voting must be limited if not eliminated.

He begins with the need to educate voters and election officials on the no-excuse mail-in voting reforms, passed with the substantial support of Pennsylvania Republicans in the autumn of 2019, in both houses of the Legislature. That is laudable, as echoed by one of the comments he appended to his statement. Chew calls upon the Pennsylvania State Department “to undertake a campaign for the next year to educate the electorate on the many changes to the election code and to educate Precinct Election Boards (e.g., judges of election, inspectors) on the statute governing voting” and he urges the Legislature to provide funds for this “educational objective.”

It is not surprising that the changes in Act 77, when combined with the extraordinary crisis of covid-19, created confusion, delays and systemic stresses in 2020. Educating voters and officials on the “ins and outs” of no-excuse mail-in voting, including when and how to apply for ballots and the use of provisional ballots when the voter, for whatever reason, does not receive a mail-in ballot in a timely manner, etc., is clearly warranted.

However, Chew then uses the 2020 confusion to call for limiting/eliminating no-excuse mail-in voting. He cites concern over potential delays caused by the U.S. Postal Service as an argument for shorter deadlines for receipt of applications or completed ballots. He fails to acknowledge that the most significant delays in the mail-in process in 2020 were at the county’s end, because of failures on the part of the vendor chosen by the county, and the lack of proper staffing due to the flood of applications caused, in part, by covid-19. The county needs to look in the mirror and deal with its own role in causing the delays. If the time frame is to be shortened at the back end, it should be enlarged at the front end, and the county must be properly staffed for timely processing. Simply shortening the time frame guarantees stress and confusion.

Chew also calls for the elimination of the option to request a permanent mail ballot for the election year. He cites in support the very confusion over provisional ballots he claims can — and should — be addressed by the education of voters and officials he specifically requests! He also avoids mentioning how many provisional voters were voting in person because they did not receive their mail-in ballots, which again, appears to have been largely caused at the county level.

Chew implies, if not expressly states, the problem is with no-excuse mail-in voting itself. However, other states have successfully used this for several years before Pennsylvania adopted it. Chew disingenuously states “most of my constituents” want no-excuse mail-in voting “eliminated.” The reference to “my” is a backhanded insult to those residents in the county who clearly do not. It is a sly trick to say “my constituents” want it eliminated while not expressly calling for it himself. It is clear from the totality of his statement what he means by “his constituents,” i.e., only those who voted for him and not all citizens of the county.

Perhaps instead of blaming no-excuse mail-in voting, he needs to examine the processes used by other states and make a serious effort to educate himself on how those states have made it work.

Eric Falk, an attorney, is chairman of the Norwin Area Democratic Committee and a member of the Westmoreland County Democratic Committee.