by PublicSource Staff
Between the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd, a brand new statewide mail-in voting system and a last-minute deadline extension, the Pennsylvania primary election on June 2 faced unprecedented challenges.
Some voters felt confident with their experience voting by mail, while others worried if their vote would be counted. For some in-person voters, the process didn’t differ much from normal; others were frustrated over changes in polling locations and worried about a lack of social distancing.
Anrica Caldwell of Penn Hills called mail-in voting “easy, safe and a convenient way to continue to exercise your right to vote.”
Ethan Boyle of the Strip District also said he voted by mail without any issues. “I think the process went smoothly,” he said. He finds voting in person easier though and said he’d likely vote at his local polling place in November if the pandemic allows.
Anrica Caldwell said her vote-by-mail experience went smoothly. (Courtesy photo)
Allegheny County and state officials have stressed that they’ve gone to great lengths to make the election go smoothly and safely. The county consolidated polling places from a typical 850 locations to 147, encouraged mail-in ballots and pulled in additional staff to process ballot applications around the clock, while Gov. Tom Wolf extended the mail-in ballot deadline by a week for six counties, including Allegheny.
But some voters found themselves caught in the wrinkles of a new system and other procedural changes. A number of local voters expressed frustration over not receiving their mail-in ballots or troubles in processing them, leaving some worrying if their vote would be counted.
Albert Tanjaya, a polling place leadman at Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Hill District, said he made dozens of calls throughout Election Day to the Downtown voter registration office with complicated questions about how to help residents whose polling locations had been moved or who hoped to vote in person because they hadn’t received their mail-in ballots.
“I don’t think it was as smooth as everyone wanted it to be,” he said.
A sign pointing voters to the mail-in ballot drop-off box in the lobby of the Allegheny County Office Building. (Photo by Jay Manning/PublicSource)
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Allegheny County voters identify 5 issues to address before November presidential election
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