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Early voting and this election season have raised important questions for Catholics
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D
Dovekin
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While I agree with many of the questions, I think he has too narrow of a focus. Almost all these questions can be asked about walk in voting, and more.
How much signature matching happens when one shows up at the polling place? That is in effect the only identification requirement in PA if the poll worker does not know you.
Is some kind of ID requirement better? Mail in ballots may do this better, since they often link voter registration with driver registration. With secure ID this can be an easy way to keep registration lists accurate. But that will not work with walk in voters; the lines are long enough already, we do not need more complications.
Walk in voting was fine when poll workers knew everybody in town. It is less practical when administrators have only four sites for a city of several hundred thousand, as happened in Milwaukee for the primary.
Multi hour waits are unacceptable, especially if they happen more in poorer districts than in richer, or vice versa. This really calls out for some better way to harvest ballots, so that getting to the polling place does not become a qualifying factor.
We need to rethink voting, and not just mail in voting. The whole system needs to be fixed so that every legal voter is able to vote, and not deterred by awkward locations or lack of postage.
How much signature matching happens when one shows up at the polling place? That is in effect the only identification requirement in PA if the poll worker does not know you.
Is some kind of ID requirement better? Mail in ballots may do this better, since they often link voter registration with driver registration. With secure ID this can be an easy way to keep registration lists accurate. But that will not work with walk in voters; the lines are long enough already, we do not need more complications.
Walk in voting was fine when poll workers knew everybody in town. It is less practical when administrators have only four sites for a city of several hundred thousand, as happened in Milwaukee for the primary.
Multi hour waits are unacceptable, especially if they happen more in poorer districts than in richer, or vice versa. This really calls out for some better way to harvest ballots, so that getting to the polling place does not become a qualifying factor.
We need to rethink voting, and not just mail in voting. The whole system needs to be fixed so that every legal voter is able to vote, and not deterred by awkward locations or lack of postage.
J
JimG
Guest
When I go to my polling place to vote, I show the poll worker my drivers license. It has my photo on it so he can confirm it’s me. He scans the license, and it pulls up my voter registration, confirming that I am in the correct polling place and haven’t already voted elsewhere. He hands me a ballot; I take it to a voting machine and vote. Prety straightforward, and there’s no chance for the ballot to get into someone else’s hands.
D
Dovekin
Guest
That is not the case in Pennsylvania, whose regulation of mail in voting seemed to be the focus for this opinion piece. Here there is only a signature match for walk in voting, which is less security than for mail ins.
How secure is your drivers license?
Are you allowed to use it for voting?
How long are the waits to vote? Are they equal for everybody?
How are poll workers treated?
An example of a well functioning polling place does not mean that there are no failing ones around the country.
How secure is your drivers license?
Are you allowed to use it for voting?
How long are the waits to vote? Are they equal for everybody?
How are poll workers treated?
An example of a well functioning polling place does not mean that there are no failing ones around the country.
J
JimG
Guest
Driver’s licenses are pretty secure; they can be used for identification and domestic air travel. If a person doesn’t drive the state will issue a State ID card with the same features. Every time I’ve voted in person the process has been pretty quick. There’s no ballot harvesting, and the ballot remains in the polling place.
My brother has worked as a poll worker, and it goes well except for the long hours. The most troubling aspect is that some people come into the wrong polling place to vote; it’s not their precinct. So they get a provisional ballot. It has to be checked later to make sure that they or somebody else did not also vote in the other precinct.
My brother has worked as a poll worker, and it goes well except for the long hours. The most troubling aspect is that some people come into the wrong polling place to vote; it’s not their precinct. So they get a provisional ballot. It has to be checked later to make sure that they or somebody else did not also vote in the other precinct.
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