Was anyone else poll-watching Tuesday? I have some concerns.... [View all]

[DebJ]

I am greatly concerned about the number of people who came to the small polling place (1484 registered voters) where I was working
and who were UNABLE to vote. Our poll judge was on the phone the entire day. Funny things are happening when people move and
attempt to change their polling places....only one member of each family was given the change of polling place, time after time after time. We had to tell the other family members that, at 630 at night, they needed to drive to other counties to vote because Pennsylvania 'dropped the ball'. (A provisional ballot must be done in the county of registration, so we were unable to help them vote.) Did Pennsylvania drop the ball? Or bury it?

At least one other voter was simply dropped from the rolls between the primary and the general for no apparent reason.

Also, I saw at least 15 young people who wanted to vote turned away because, somehow, they didn't know they had to register to vote and should get a voter ID card in the mail to confirm this. I find this astonishing given all the efforts at voter registration over the past 8 years here in York, but it clearly shows that the job is never over.

Overall, at least 1.5% of the people who wanted to vote, could not vote last Tuesday. In a close election, 1.5% is all it takes to win or lose.


We need to get the word out, everyone of us, to everyone, that everyone over 18 needs to have the actual voter ID registration card in their hands at least 40 days before the next election. We need to refocus efforts before the next election on voter registration again, preferably with some sytematized, ongoing basis. And we need to hold the current government of Pennsylvania responsible for this mess and insure that it is cleaned up. I myself would be delighted to work with some type of group of volunteers who would work with say, real estate agents or using sold listings in the paper, to register people on an ongoing monthly basis AND follow up to insure that they DO get voter ID cards.

I need ideas on how to work with the large percentage of our rental population that moves rather frequently.