Why is Early Voting a Problem?

  First of all, the biggest problem with early voting is that people could vote more than once–early and on election day.  Second, early voting makes it difficult to ensure that voters are not intimidated or harrassed outside the polling place and that election materials are not placed in voting booths.  ACORN workers targeted drunk college students for registration in PA: what would stop them from “helping” these drunk college students vote?

And The Chaos Continues…

Here are a few stories that have gone under the radar in the last few hours:

In Georgia, it appears that 100,000 residents who are registered to vote in their own state are also registered to vote in either Ohio or Florida, both key swing states (Georgia isn’t). Also in Georgia, it appears that three people who cast early ballots voted twice. The Secretary of State has launched an investigation.

Problems continue in Pennsylvania as it election materials have been found inside voting booths in Philadelphia.

And in Louisiana, names of people who registered through the Baton Rouge Department of Motor Vehicles are not showing up on the voter registration lists.

  So, why make voter fraud easier?  “Shorter lines”.  Voting is important enough for most people who follow the news to wait in those “long” lines.  Why not just increase the number of polling locations?  Oh, yeah, money: and how much money would it cost to pay the poll workers to man the polls for early voting?

Pa. lawmakers want to allow early voting

 

PITTSBURGH (AP) Several state lawmakers plan to introduce legislation that would allow voters to cast their ballots before elections, a move that proponents say would make it more convenient to vote and help avoid long lines at the polls.

”We want to make it more flexible for working families, for senior citizens, and for avoiding long lines on Election Day,” said Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York. ”We need to make it easier for qualified voters to vote in Pennsylvania.”

Early voting is allowed in more than 30 other states, including Arizona, California, Colorado and North Carolina.

Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre, said early voting in other states helped ease lines in the last presidential election.

”Advance voting has grown in nationwide popularity and value,” he said. ”Unfortunately, in Pennsylvania, while absentee ballots are permitted under a limited set of circumstances, advance voting is not an option. We should make voting more convenient for those whose schedule or circumstances present a challenge to getting to the polls on Election Day.”

Absentee ballots are available to voters who will be of town, incapacitated, or hospitalized on Election Day.

Rep. Mike McGeehan, D-Philadelphia, plans to sponsor a related bill that would expand absentee ballots.

Charlie Gerow, a political consultant with Harrisburg-based Quantum Communications, said he thinks early voting will grow in popularity. But he said it carries potential drawbacks if done too early.

”Suppose an important issue developed late in a campaign, one that would impact the voting, such as a financial meltdown occurring just before an election, and people had already voted,” he said.

Find your representatives at http://www.votesmart.org/ with just your zip code.  You can also find their contact information as well.

Representative Scott Conklin:
Capitol Address
101B East Wing
Post Office Box 202077
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2077
Phone: 717-787-9473
Fax: 717-780-4764
Representative Eugene DePasquale:
Capitol Address
111A East Wing
Post Office Box 202095
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2095
Phone: 717-787-7514
Fax: 717-780-4765
Representative Mike McGeehan:
Capitol Address
221 Irvis Office Building
Post Office Box 202173
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2173
Phone: 717-772-4029
Fax: 717-787-4923