Why is there a sustained effort to get rid of a state’s right to allow mail-in ballots for elections held for Primary as well as General Elections?

     Primaries are elections that political parties use to select candidates for a General Election. Then each party’s candidates run against each other in the General Election held in November. Most states have what are called “Closed Primaries” where voters can only vote in the Primary of the party they are registered in.

     Pennsylvania holds three types of elections: Primary, Elections, General Elections and “Special Elections.” Special Elections are held when someone resigns, dies, or is removed from office. Voters select someone to replace them.

No Excuse Needed to Mail-In Your Vote in Pennsylvania

     All states allow for some sort of absentee/mail-in voting. Some require voters to provide an accepted excuse -such as being away from their home county on election day, being required to work during polling hours, or having a disability.

The “no excuse” mail-in practice makes voting more accessible to everyone and does not benefit one political party. Opponents to expanding the no-excuse voting argue that it increases the risk of fraud.

The SAVE Act that is being debated in Congress would require American citizens to show documents like a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. You would need a photo ID to vote and the use of student IDs will not be valid anymore.

     

Pennsylvania Mail-In Vote Comment:

Officials from Pennsylvania have investigated possible fraud claims and have provided the following statement:

“Mail ballot fraud has been proven to be exceptionally rare. Claims of systemic voter fraud are devoid of any sporting evidence and have been consistently rejected by judges, government agencies, and election experts across the political spectrum.”

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  I am 77 years old and have difficulty walking a great distance. I have a 100 percent disability from the Veterans Administration for PTSD I got after serving in the Vietnam War. I am grateful to my country for allowing me to vote by mail rather than stand in a line for who knows how long on election days. I see mail-in voting as part of the American Way.