With the primary election less than a month away, Pa. and Centre County officials urge mail-in ballots
With the primary election less than a month away, state and local officials are encouraging residents to cast their vote by mail, but they should apply for a ballot as soon as possible.
Rescheduled due to COVID-19, the primary election is now set for June 2. But its new date still poses a number of challenges for state and county officials to overcome, including consolidating precincts and preparing for a decline in volunteers. Despite the mail-in option, Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said the state is working to ensure Election Day is safe for those who turn out to vote in-person.
“From where we stand today, it is unlikely that we will eradicate COVID-19 from our commonwealth by June 2, but we still need to hold a primary election,” Wolf said Monday. “Free and fair elections are essential to who we are as a country, and democracy is perhaps even more important than ever during times of crisis.”
This year marks the first election where voters can vote by mail in Pennsylvania.
As of Monday, 11,500 voters — out of 109,206 total — were registered to vote by mail in Centre County, Director of Elections and Voter Registration Joyce McKinley said.
Though anticipating an increase in mail-in ballots, the county is still preparing to host voters in June, but some of them might be going to a different polling location.
The Oaks at Pleasant Gap, Elmcroft of State College and Foxdale Village served as Centre County precincts in previous years, but due to the coronavirus, the senior living facilities will not be used on Election Day. Residents will be notified by the elections office if their polling place changes.
McKinley said the county has not decided on replacement locations or how many sites will need to be consolidated. She does expect to see a decline in 40-50 volunteers.
Wanting to avoid a “deficit” in poll workers, Centre County is asking for volunteers to work the polls on Election Day. Commissioner Michael Pipe said all precincts are set to receive voter protection kits, which will include sanitizer, gloves and wipes. Still, the county is encouraging all residents to vote by mail.
“We would love it if every ballot is cast before the election, and our poll workers set up shop (and) nobody comes in to vote because everybody voted by mail,” Pipe said. “That would be terrific.”
Wolf said he expects Pennsylvanians will do the right thing by wearing masks as protection and social distancing if they choose to vote in-person.
Electors have until 5 p.m. on May 26 to apply for a mail-in ballot at votespa.com, but the state recommends applying as soon as possible to avoid delays in processing.
This story was originally published May 5, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
