Pa. Secretary of State encourages voter registration

Before you SHOULD vote, you should familiarize yourself with the issues.

Before you CAN vote, you need to register.

Speaking before a gathering of the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Pedro Cortés thanked the PANO members for the collective work of nonprofits across the state to improve the quality of life for everyone in the commonwealth.

Cortés reminded the group that the Department of State also oversees elections in the state, and encouraged all organizations to continue to share the word that every Pennsylvanian should be registered to vote.

“We want to give everyone a meaningful opportunity to register and participate in every election,” Cortés said.

With less than a month until registration deadline, Cortés described new methods in which eligible residents can register to vote. He encouraged voters to visit everyone.votespa.com, where new voters can register, check their statuses, find polling places and find a voter’s guide.

Voter registration deadline is Oct. 11. The election is Nov. 8.

More conveniently, voters can also access a wealth of information through their smartphones, he said, by texting “pa” to 2vote (28683). The voter will get a link in return that provides direct access to the online voter registration application. Also included are links to check registration status and locate polling places.

There are even guides on the different types of voting systems used at the polling places, he said.

“A good election hinges on two primary factors,” he said. “First, you need well-trained poll workers. (Centre County office of elections and voter registration Director) Joyce McKinley does a great job, and there is a good team in this county.

“Second,” he said, “are well-informed poll workers.”

Cortés made a visit to the county office of elections following his talk with PANO. McKinley said the visit was pleasant, as Cortés is making an effort to visit every county office of elections and encourage voter registration.

McKinley also noted that registrations continue to flow into the office, and staff are expecting no hiccups this election.

According to the last voter registration report at the Sept. 6 county commissioners meeting, there are 112,868 registered voters in Centre County, breaking down to 47,098 Democrats, 253 Green Party, 669 Libertarians, 44,110 Republicans and 17,422 non-affiliated.

This story was originally published September 12, 2016 at 7:53 PM with the headline "Pa. Secretary of State encourages voter registration."