Reform of the state election process long overdue
Recent discussions by state legislators to reform the election process in Pennsylvania is long overdue, but some proposals bandied around won’t do much to make voting easier or get more people to the polls. Perhaps the legislators simply want to protect themselves or their political parties under the guise of reform.
Yes, it’s vital for legislators to meet and talk with county election officials who are responsible for running elections, making sure that voting machines are tamper proof so that everyone’s vote is counted and that no voter is intimidated. But don’t ignore the voters. Talk to the people who stand in line to vote, who sometimes wonder if the provisional ballot they have to cast, for example, will be counted because of a question about their voter registration.
And yes, elections are costly to conduct, but worth the price of democratically deciding who represents us. Some of the so-called reform proposals, though, would be expensive to enact and perhaps even unlikely to achieve. The proposal to amend the constitution to allow state and federal employees to function as poll workers is one example.
Not only would it cost taxpayers a lot of money to amend the constitution, and with questionable chances of such an amendment being passed, allowing government employees to work as poll watchers only increases the chances of mischief favoring their employer, who may be seeking re-election, or their political party.
Another proposed reform would reduce the number, and thus cost, or printing paper ballots for every registered voter. But eliminating paper ballots can suppress voting. What’s more, if voting machines malfunction, a back-up paper ballot is a viable solution.
If election reform is truly the legislators’ goal, to encourage higher voter participation and assure that elections are fair and that every vote counts, here are a couple of other ideas legislators ought to consider:
n Expand early voting, including “souls to the polls” voting following Sunday religious services
n聽Permit election day voter registration
n聽Ease barriers to voting, including not requiring ID each time someone votes
n聽End gerrymandering so that voters elect their representatives rather than representatives pick their voters
Richard Ringer
Uniontown