On Election Day, I invite readers to make their last-minute picks for their favorite candidates. Who knows? You might sway one voter.
In addition to making picks, I 'd appreciate any comments about your experience at the polls. Where did you vote? What time? What was turnout like? Did you notice any problems? I took advantage of early voting so I have no reason to go to any polls, but weather permitting, might cycle by a few.
The greeters who hand you palm cards outside the doors are party or candidate volunteers. They are permitted to campaign so long as they are 10' away from the polling place. I know it's annoying to be accosted as you vote, but these people are volunteers who put in a long day.
You are allowed to wear whatever you want and you can say whatever you want UNTIL you step inside the polling place. Once inside, no active electioneering is permitted.. So while you can wear a T-shirt for your candidate, you have to stop talking about politics inside the polling place.
No police officers are permitted within 100' of a polling place unless they are there to vote or are called by elections officials. You may see a uniformed person, but that's a constable. He's expressly permitted to be there
If you are told you are not registered and know you are, ask to vote by provisional ballot. You ALWAYS have the right to vote by provisional ballot, even if an elections judge tells you otherwise.
If you received a mail-in ballot but decided you want to vote in person, be sure to bring your mail-in ballot with you. It will be voided and you can vote in person.If you've lost your ballot or never received it, you can still insist on voting provisionally. During the official canvass, elections officials will determine whether you already voted by mail-in ballot. If not, your provisional ballot will count.
As for my own recommendations in the Dem primary, I have none. I feel particularly unenthusiastic about the choices.
If I lived in Allentown, I'd certainly be picking Nick Miller in the state senate race and Saeed Georges in the State House. But then again, Allentown voters have repeatedly voted for Ed Pawlowski.
In the GOP primary, I think Lisa Scheller will clobber Kevin Dellicker in the LV Congressional race. He started out strong and had lots of grass roots support, as evidenced by the number of people who signed his nomination petition. But he failed to capitalize on a good start. He strikes me as more conservative than Scheller, but the tea party hates him and actually refused to allow him to speak at one of their meetings.
This is good news for Democrats. In a bad year, for Democrats nationally, incuimbent Susan Wild will be able to slam Scheller for her business ties to China. I can see the ad now. "Haven't we learned it's a mistake to do business with our enemies? Scheller will be doing it from the Halls of Congress. Will she represent you or Xi Jinping?"
Since there are several openings for state committee, I expect Steve Lynch to have enough support from party extremists to snag a slot. This is good news for Dems. I'm sure the Lynch mob will put their foot in their mouths several times, as they've already done.
Bernie, I thought that you work the polls? I don't blame you if you aren't. That seems like a long and boring day for not too much $$$.
ReplyDeleteThe presidential election was my last stint as an elections judge. I would do it if I could do a half day. I don't know how Dertinger, Amy Hess, Jenna and the others on the elections office do it. Their day is much more stressful and they are up for more than 24 hours.
ReplyDeleteyeah working 2 days a year is way too much and the pay rate stinks....it's easier to sit behind a computer, being a shill, and getting paid "for title searches" at morganelli real estate. do you get a 1099, or is it cash in a bag?
DeleteWhy does Dertinger have anything to do with elections. His job depends upon the outcome most likely. Is this not a conflict Bernie especially invite last Nov elections
DeleteI like Nick Miller for State Senate as well. He seems to have a level headed grasp of the issues and would be the better regional broker. Nick made himself accessible, I posed some District minded questions and he provided sensible answers.
ReplyDeleteBernie
ReplyDeleteA vote for Wild is a vote for a more efficient postal system. She even pledges as much on her most recent campaign posters.
Fox News is broadcasting from a Milford diner this morning. Folks are mixed on their picks but either Oz or Barnett seem to be the choices.
ReplyDelete"The greeters who hand you palm cards outside the doors are party or candidate volunteers. They are permitted to campaign so long as they are 10' away from the polling place. I know it's annoying to be accosted as you vote, but these people are volunteers who put in a long day."
ReplyDeleteI don't care if they're Buddha, Jesus, and Mother Theresa all wrapped up in one. 10' is too close. It's more than annoying. It's intimidating and should be extended to 100' at minimum.
"In the GOP primary, I think Lisa Scheller will clobber Kevin Dellicker in the LV Congressional race. He started out strong and had lots of grass roots support, as evidenced by the number of people who signed his nomination petition. But he failed to capitalize on a good start."
ReplyDeletePrimaries are almost always low turnout, so I'm not so sure she'll clobber him, but I do expect her to win.
Dellicker did have a strong start, but then chose to go negative against his opponent instead of focusing on the failures of Wild and the democrats. I'd like to think he's smarter than that and just getting bad advice from consultants, but either way he's responsible for what his campaign does. To me, he just seems to be following the negative playbook that hasn't worked for Republican primary candidates for Congress in the last few elections.
The mail I've gotten from Scheller has been focused on contrasting herself with Wild and speaking out against what the Democrats are doing. That's something I can support. I could be wrong, but I'm not even sure that she's mentioned Dellicker in any of her pieces.
I guess we'll find out if Republican voters are more accepting of negative campaigning this time around, but I don't think so.
Even if it does work and he manages to win the primary, I think it hurts him in the general. He'll have to work hard to win over a large swath of voters (for Scheller) that he's just gone scorched earth on. Those are voters that he should have, voters that he needs and voters that he'd now have to work really hard for (in addition to independents and cross-over dems). So he'd already be another step behind.
I think there's need to be a fair distinction of what is meant by negative campaigning. The Dellicker campaign is hammering Scheller, true. But they are hammering that her business has ties to China and that that is a conflict of interest for a US Congressman. And they are hammering the differences between him and Scheller on pro-life issues. You may disagree with how these are being characterized by the Dellicker campaign or how legitimate the criticisms are, but they are legitimate distinctions to be made in a primary. Dellicker is the underdog and would need to distinguish himself from her in some way.
DeleteTwo years ago, Dean Browning mailed out obnoxious fliers with little pictures of Scheller looking like Nancy Pelosi and calling her names. That is a very different (and off-putting) type of negative campaigning. Attacking your opponent on conflicts of interest or policy positions is not attack campaigning. I think the things the Dellicker campaign is doing are fair game.
Republicans will go hard today for anyone parroting the MAGA verses.
ReplyDeleteDems will then successfully use "MAGA" like a club for 8 weeks in September and October to distract voters from the economy/inflation. Republicans will lose both PA Governor and Senate races by 1-2% and Wild will hold by 2-3% because of Allentown/Lehigh County.
In 2020 Biden/Dems won Pennsylvania independent voters by 8%, the moderate vote by 17% and first time voters by 23%. There will be some natural regression in those #'s because they'll sit 2022 out, but overall Trump/MAGA has little appeal to those voters.
fetterman
ReplyDeleteThe Dems will lose the Governor's race if Uncle Fester is their candidate. He may not survive until November!
ReplyDeleteI voted at 7:30AM at the Lower Macungie library. Everyone was pleasant and businesslike. The line moved quickly, though every cubicle was occupied when I arrived. There was a woman handing out Ryan Mackenzie literature, and she thanked me for my participation when I told her that I could not vote for her candidate since I'm a Democrat.
ReplyDeleteTurnout was extremely low in Allentown. Voted for Nick Miller for PA Senate and John Fetterman for US Senate. I was put off by Lamb's ads where he panders to a crowded room of African-Americans and claims that "Republicans are attacking the right to vote". Even as a fairly liberal Democrat, I don't believe that nonsense and it irks me that he is treating African-American voters that way.
ReplyDelete3:20... Fetterman is running in the SENATE race not the governor. Nice show of intelligence with your 1st sentence and a worse show of class with your 2nd sentence.
ReplyDeletepedofile scumbag
ReplyDeleteFetterman declared the winner..
ReplyDeleteDertinger is the Administrator,and elections falls under his orbit. I agree there is a conflict in county elections.
ReplyDeleteabsentee ballot lost in the mail :(
ReplyDeleteDid you cast a provisional?
ReplyDeleteHey 4:22, I am also a Fetterman supporter, but Lamb is actually right that Republicans are attacking voting rights. They have been fairly successful in the courts this redistricting cycle, despite some pretty clear gerrymanders, and in a SCOTUS case last year (Brnovich v DNC), the conservative majority further limited the Voting Rights Act. Not to mention attempts by Trump's continued support for candidates who baselessly think the 2020 was stolen. Anyway, don't see how any of that would have been relevant in the Lamb-Fetterman race, but it actually is a major issue.
ReplyDeleteYou're full of shit. Republicans are not "attacking voting rights." We just want fair and honest elections- to know that only legally eligible and registered citizens vote.
DeleteNo, I am in another country, so provisional wasn't an option, and when I called the county last week they said a replacement ballot wouldn't get to me fast enough. That's partly on me for not calling earlier, but it sucks that the ballot didn't get to me the first time (this is a USPS issue, not a county issue, as the ballot was actually sent with plenty of time).
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked and appalled to learn that Melanie Hellman won a state committee seat. I can’t think of anyone less properly equipped for the job. Her lack of professionalism and improper use of the English language are further concerns. I suspect she only got in because of her connection to Steve Lynch.
ReplyDeleteI just hope she doesn’t embarrass our county in front of the rest of the state.
She only got in due to her alignment with the Lynch Mob & his alignment with the LV Tea Party & Schellers $$$$. Heilman doesn't have a brain in that lil head....merely does what the boss instructs her. They all will be an embarrassment to NORCO.
DeleteIs it legal for the Election Office to email people to come in and fix their mail in ballot? we had more than a few come in after the Office emailed them and advised them they made a mistake. People are so stupid, they can't even fill out a simple ballot
ReplyDelete"You're full of shit. Republicans are not "attacking voting rights." We just want fair and honest elections- to know that only legally eligible and registered citizens vote."
ReplyDeleteHey bud, when you decide whether an election was "fair and honest" by whether or not your guy won, you aren't actually for fair and honest elections.