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Pennsylvania Primary
Produces Problems With an unprecedented national spotlight shining on Pennsylvania's Presidential Primary, statewide reports of multiple election problems emerged on April 22. Incidents trended around several major issues including polling place problems, voting machine malfunctions, and most notably many complaints of voter registration errors and difficulties. A common problem involved voters coming to the polls only to learn that they were not listed as registered, or were not listed as registered in the party of their choice for the Primary. Some voters were told that they had changed parties, but they had no recollection of ever having done so. One of the most disturbing reports came from Allegheny County, where multiple voters were told that their party affiliation had been automatically stripped due to failure to vote in recent primary elections. The Pennsylvania Election Code contains no such law. Large numbers of voters with registration problems were turned away from the polls without being offered a provisional ballot. Voting machines in many locations failed to start up correctly or malfunctioned during the day, with long lines of voters and accompanying confusion by pollworkers as to when and how to issue emergency paper ballots. In Philadelphia, representatives of several election protection groups headed to Court with a petition for extended voting hours due to the machine difficulties, but their request was refused. Election protection volunteers from many diverse local, state, and national organizations were working through the Pennsylvania Voters Coalition to assist voters wherever possible, respond to reports called in to two national hotlines, and to document incidents. The national election protection hotlines both reported a very large volume of calls. Their data shows Pennsylvania leading all other state primaries in several types of election incidents, particularly voting machine problems and registration issues. Our April 22 Primary pointed out many areas that need attention and shoring up before the November General Election. Among these are clarification on the use of provisional and emergency ballots, improved training for pollworkers and county officials, stronger voter education as to how to check registration and polling places, and wherever possible, improvement of voting machines and systems. With Pennsylvania likely to
be a key swing state in November, it is imperative that every
possible effort be made in the coming months to prevent problems,
improve procedures, and ensure every eligible Pennsylvanian a
smooth, accurate, and accessible voting experience. |