HARRISBURG, Pa. — Election preparation is in full swing at both the state and county level, as officials ensure a fair and accurate count in Pennsylvania.
With less than two months away from the Nov. 8 election, officials are expecting a large voter turnout.
The Wolf administration is urging members of all communities to cast a ballot.
“Voting is your livelihood. Voting is your duty,” said Luz Colon, executive director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs.
This election is one that many say has a lot at stake, with several key contests, including the race for governor and Senator Pat Toomey’s open U.S. Senate seat.
“There’s a lot of interest in this election, so I’m guessing we’re going to see a lot of participation from our voters,” said Lisa Schaefer, executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.
One group that has already shown an increased interest? Pennsylvanian women.
That trend comes as reproductive rights in the Commonwealth have become one of the biggest issues this election cycle.
“I know many women are aware of this because thousands of them have registered to vote since the Dobbs v. Jackson decision that occurred on June 24th which overturned the federal right to an abortion in the United States,” said Moriah Hathaway, executive director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission for Women.
With high turnout expected at the polls, Schaefer said the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania is gearing up to make sure all 67 counties are prepared.
“They’re taking the time to start preparing their polling places, getting poll workers to run those, working on processing all those voter registrations coming in as well as the mail-in and absentee applications,” she explained.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, nearly 8.8 million Pennsylvanians are registered to vote, but officials say there are another 1.7 million eligible residents who are not registered.
With less than two months to go until Election Day, state officials are urging them to do so.
“Regardless of their political affiliation, what corner of the Commonwealth they live in, where they were born, or whether they have a disability, we want to encourage them to participate in our civic life,” said Pennsylvania’s acting Secretary of State, Leigh M. Chapman.
Chapman encouraged eligible voters to stay on top of the upcoming election deadlines:
- Oct. 24: All paper voter registration forms must be received by a voter’s county board of elections by 5 p.m., and all online voter registration applications and changes to pre-existing registrations must be made by 11:59 p.m.
- Nov. 1: Applications for a mail-in or absentee ballot must be received by a voter’s county election board by 5 p.m.
- Nov. 8: Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for in-person voting. Voted mail ballots must be received by county election offices by 8 p.m.; ballots postmarked by then but received after that deadline will not count.
More information can be found on the official Pennsylvania Department of State website.