Every registered voter in Allegheny County will be receiving a mail-in ballot application for the June 2 primary, along with a postage-paid return envelope. In fact, Allegheny has joined Philadelphia, Montgomery and Chester County in urging Governor Tom Wolf to use his emergency powers to direct that election be conducted exclusively by mail. You'd think this would be a no-brainer for Wolf, who has shut down the entire state's economy to avoid the spread of Covid-19. But while he';s been quick to order you to shelter-in-place and don face masks when you sally forth for toilet paper, he's been strangely quiet about making the now noneventful primary a mail-in exercise only.
Wisconsin recently conducted its election, and 70% of the turnout was by absentee ballot. It's pretty clear voters have no desire to crowd into the polls.
Executive Lamont McClure told NorCo Council on April 16 that an all mail election would have to be decided that week in order to conduct it. I frankly see no reason why it has suddenly become impossible to actually take a measure that might promote public health without throwing 1.3 million people out of work, but that's me.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
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Tuesday, April 21, 2020
34 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
Would you please stop the exaggerations, Bernie? It is not helpful, and you sound like a politician. Wolf has not shut down the state's "entire economy". If that were true, you could not buy gas or diesel, and we would be scrounging around in the woods to find plants we can eat.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of your post, I agree. I received my mail-in ballot on Monday, and I am looking forward to filling it out at my leisure and popping it in the mail. No driving to the polling place, no worry about the germs I would be exposed to. No having to pass by people hawking their candidate in the parking lot.
Everyday it’s the same Dem shill spewing the party line with the same punctuation and cadence.
ReplyDeleteTotally predictable.
Yawn.
Paid flack?
DeleteDedicated volunteer?
Granted it’s entirely predictable.
The video of the last county meeting shows that McClure wants people to come and vote. In fact it shows your buddy Cusick saying something incredibly stupid. He stated he does not support a mail=in primary because he paid millions for the new voting machines. So I guess he is part of the money is more important than the public safety. What a dumb thing to say. Since you love the guy, you ignore it. People need to come first.
ReplyDeleteMail-in ballots = crooked voting! Something's rotten in Denmark!
ReplyDeleteCozze is quoted as naysaying a county wide mail in vote. Why?? Lehigh County is all for it and their director of elections is the chair of the state wide directors' group. What's her problem?
ReplyDeleteoff topic.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cnn.com/2020/04/20/us/coronavirus-workers-go-home-trnd/index.html?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark
"Never let a crisis got to waste"
ReplyDeleteWhile the virus is real and potentially deadly to a small segment of the population. so is the flu. The end game has always been to use this "crisis" to remove Donald Trump from office by a combination of crashing the economy and harvesting mail in ballots California style.
Sorry, if you can go buy your booze and shop the extensive array of non food items in the big box stores, you can safely vote. Oh, and show an ID. It should be the law. That little old lady that everyone is always afraid will be disenfranchised has already been carded at Wegmans as she checks out her booze.
ReplyDeleteI don't see how conducting the June 2 primary by mail can in any way remove Donald Trump from office. It is an uneventful election. The flu analogy has been debunked so many times that you diminish your own intelligence in making it. I get why you, with limited brain cells, would want an in-person race. I don';t get why Wolf would want it. If he is telling everyone to stay home and shutting down the economy, and is really sincere about believing this is for our own good, then he should want the election to be exclusively by mail.If he is willing to use his emergency powers to shut down businesses with no notice, he can use his emergency powers to schedule an election by mail. If he can't then why is business shut down?
ReplyDelete" Wolf has not shut down the state's "entire economy". If that were true, you could not buy gas or diesel, and we would be scrounging around in the woods to find plants we can eat."
ReplyDeleteWhen one ion five Pennsylvanians are out of work, I'd say he has shut down the entire economy. The only ones working are government workers, health-related and those who feed us. Noi exaggeration. You just don't like me pointing it out.
"The video of the last county meeting shows that McClure wants people to come and vote."
ReplyDeleteI think Cuisck's statement is idiotic but he probably does not buy the argument that this pandemic is that serious. My argument is directed at those who do. Actually, McClure said what I said he did. He said the county is not pushing for a mail-in primary. If you think this virus is a real issue and is important enough to close county parks and ban the public from the courthouse before the Governor does, why wouldn't you be demanding a mail-in primary?
Mail in voting is the end our democratic process. If you cant get up, get out, be registered to vote, have ID and go to polls, too bad. We may have lower numbers, but at least we can believe it is an accurate honest number.
ReplyDeleteI can think of lots of ways to misuse mail in voting, I actually have in front me several mail in ballot applications. I can go look at the recent obituaries, I can check to see if they are registered, I can fill out as many as myself and a few other activists can mail in. We can check the mail of these addresses, if we work hard we can do a hundred easily. We can also solicit all the registered voters in our party of choice and have them fill out applications. Maybe even offer them rewards. Then we can harvest all these votes on election day. If anyone doubts this will be going on you are either dishonest or naive.
With the shenanigans we have seen the political activists will stop at nothing.
If one side does it, then the other side will need to counter, this will become an escalation of dishonesty.
We need to keep voting simple, secure and honest.
I don't get the desire to disenfranchise people who want to vote in person.
ReplyDeleteMail in voting is available to those who want it, so it would seem we have the best of both worlds.
In addition, if you want the economy to get open soon, I think closing the polls would send a terrible message.
As you mentioned turnout in Wisconsin was light, and it will likely be light here as well.
I would think there is much that could be learned by our election officials for the coming General Election by conducting normal voting under social distancing guidelines. Unless you are laying the groundwork to cancel in-person voting in the General Election as well.
BOH @ 7:39: “The only ones working are government workers, health-related and those who feed us.”
ReplyDeleteCome on Bernie, at least be accurate in your comments and state facts. Gas stations, landscape services, delivery drivers, car washes, home improvement stores, roofing contractors, etc., etc. are open for business.
Federal Data: 28.4M Mail-In Ballots Have Gone Missing Since 2012 Election
ReplyDeletehttps://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/04/20/federal-data-28-4m-mail-in-ballots-have-gone-missing-since-2012-election/
What could go wrong?
Mail-in voting does slightly increase the possibility of voter fraud. I see that argument, especially coming from someone who thinks we are over-reacting to Covid-19. But if you're Governor Wolf, and honestly believe this pandemic justifies a shutdown of the entire state economy, you would insist on a mail-in primary.
ReplyDeleteThis is where the cure will be worse than the disease.
ReplyDeleteNo mail-in voting at all. Its bad enough that we have absentee voting. Too many possibilities for voter fraud. I believe one must go to the polls to vote. If your afraid then stay at home. If not--wear a mask; gloves; and whatever else you feel you need to wear. If you can go to the grocery store then you can go to a polling place.
ReplyDeleteIt is time to stop Voter Suppression and the expansion of absentee voting does not breed voter fraud. If anything it would devastate the conservatives and that is what we need in PA.
ReplyDeleteFrom Pa Post: "Northampton County Voting Registrar Amy Cozze says “switching gears now … would be another massive procedural change for our county, which has already implemented several new changes this cycle.”
ReplyDeleteBut if that’s the direction dictated by the pandemic, state officials need to heed that with a “decision this week so that we could adequately prepare,” Cozze wrote in an email Thursday afternoon.
“Other states that have shifted to this type of voting took several years to implement it properly – just over a month’s time would make it difficult for any county to implement flawlessly,” she wrote.
A few hours later, Northampton County council members echoed Cozze’s sentiments as part of an extremely brief discussion during their meeting. They noted that the public push by some counties for an all-mail primary has continued discussion of the possibility among state officials in Harrisburg.
“Yeah, well, they’re all talk out there,” said council president Ron Heckman. “Who knows where it will end up.”
Heckman, who’s in his 60s, joked at one point that “it’s no secret” he is in the age group most vulnerable to the coronavirus. But he said he intends to vote in person June 2.
For now, county elections officials are waiting for a signal from Gov. Tom Wolf, who so far hasn’t tipped his hand about whether the primary will go ahead per usual."
https://www.bctv.org/2020/04/21/counties-home-to-more-than-a-third-of-pa-voters-calling-for-mail-only-primary/
I have deleted a few comments that make sweeping generalizations about a party or ideology. I have noted many times now that those comments will be deleted, so you're as nutty as the Sam Murray hater when you keep posting them. If you are unable to make an argument without doing that, then you probably shouldn't bother making any arguments.
ReplyDeleteI, for one, am grateful that Gov. Wolf has taken so many steps to protect public health. This should be the next one.
ReplyDeleteMail voting is nothing but FRAUD and not to be trusted. We have seen enough crap with absentee ballots across the country. One can only imagine what will happen here. Wonder if my late father can vote 10 or so times? I don't trust the big cities. We know how they vote. lol
ReplyDeleteDog whistle much?
ReplyDeleteI deleted two anonymous slurs at Amy Cozze. She is not an elected official or exempt. She is career service. If you want to attack her, stop being a coward and say who you are or face deletion.
ReplyDeleteI think that the shameless political hack Wolf should go far far far away.
ReplyDeleteFREE ED!
It is sweet and predictable you wish to protect the political McClure registrar pf elections. You were not so sweet when your old pal Stoffa engineered the firing of the then Registrar. You assisted him in the public tar and feathering of the poor woman
ReplyDeleteNot too hypocritical,now is it.
Stoffa never fired Debbie DePaul and made very clear he had no intention of doing so. Your statement is a flat-out lie. He did convene a panel to look into elections that were not going well. This panel made recommendations that were subsequently adopted. None of them had anything to do with removing her or anyone.
ReplyDeleteI will stand up for Cozze bc she is intelligent and dedicated, as are most county employees. Unfortunately, some people have had the knives out for her long before she became registrar. They must feel threatened by competence.
Stoffa arranged her demise with his fake panel and that is a fact well-known in the courthouse. Your loving Stoffa does not change the facts.
ReplyDeleteMcClure had to fire a political employee hired in the election office, Why no mention on your county blog?
ReplyDeleteAssume all mailings are loaded with virus. They're incapable of taking proper precautions at any level.
ReplyDeleteHi Bernie, back in March (?) before the primary date was even changed, when you had suggested doing the mail-in voting due to the uncertainties of what things could be like in April with the Covid-19, I applied. I have not voted by mail since 1982 when I was a freshman in college. Anyway, I wanted to ask why there are 7 delegates committed to Sanders, but only 5 committed to Biden. Is it just because more Bernie folks circulated petitions before the deadline? If so, I'm a little surprised at the lack of early ground game in PA. Since we are to vote for not more than 7, it still guarantees that even if a lot of folks only vote for 5, that 2 will be committed to Sanders. Should be a moot point, as Sanders has openly endorsed, but it has been such a crazy year, nothing can be said to be certain about anything; disease, heart attacks, lone gunman, and that could be said about either party's presumptive nominees. I pray none of the above, but just think how different life seemed just last Christmas.
ReplyDeleteOvem, I do not know the answer to your question, but know a person who does. I will talk to him tomorrow and get back to you.
ReplyDelete