Be Local by exercising your right to vote
It’s Election Day and the midterms are receiving more attention this year.
Be Local means being sure to vote and be prepared when you go to the polls.
“It’s a freedom a lot of people take for granted,” said Larry Blosser, director of Fayette County Election Bureau. “A lot of people put their lives on the line for you to have that right. In some countries, they stand in line for days to vote. It just takes a little time out of your daily schedule to vote.”
“You’re electing people who make the laws for you,” said Tina Kiger, director of Greene County Election Bureau. “They make decisions for your country or your municipality or state.”
Voting is important so make sure you do your homework before you go. Information is available at www.votespa.com as well as the website for your county election bureau.
If it’s been a while since you voted, you can check your registration status at www.votespa.com, but Kiger said Greene County residents can also call the election bureau. Blosser said more than 78,000 people are registered in Fayette County while Kiger reported 21,849 are registered in Greene County. Kiger noted some people were removed because they moved. Both officials said their counties have received new registrations and that absentee ballots are up.
If you want to make sure you know where to vote, you can also find your polling place at www.votespa.com when you check your registration status. It will also have the address and directions. Remember you cannot vote anywhere. You have to vote at your designated precinct.
That’s because in addition to federal and state offices, Kiger explained, “You are electing officials for your local area.”
Kiger said Greene County has 44 polling places and they remain the same from the previous election.
Blosser said Fayette County has 78 polling places with one moved this fall: New Salem, Menallen 3 was moved from the fire station due to water damage to the roof. Voters in this precinct will now vote at First Christian Church of New Salem, a temporary move because it is outside the boundary lines.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day so make sure you have time to get to your polling place.
Blosser said, “As long as you’re in line by 8 o’clock, you will get to vote.”
If you are a first-time voter or voting for the first time in a new precinct, you will need to bring identification. That includes both photo and non-photo ID. Information provided by the state explained registered first-time voters who do not bring ID to the polls can return with identification or must be offered a provisional ballot.
Identification is anything with your name and current address, including a driver’s license, utility bill, check stub or the voter identification card that is sent to you when you first sign up or make changes to your voter registration.
Pennsylvania voters are permitted to wear campaign apparel, such as T-shirts, hats and jackets, inside the precinct, but Kiger said, “Only if you’re going in to vote. You can’t campaign while you’re in there.”
Blosser noted, “You can’t be electioneering inside the precinct.”
Election watchers or anyone working for the board of elections are not allowed to wear campaign material.
Robert Torres, Pennsylvania Acting Secretary of State, said in a press release, “Voters enjoy certain protections under state and federal law as they carry out their constitutional right to vote. They should be aware of those rights.”
According to the state, they include:
n If a voter’s name is not in the poll book, poll workers should call the county board of elections to see if the voter’s name was left out of the poll book inadvertently. Registered voters who are in the wrong precinct polling place should go to the correct polling place to vote. A voter who believes he or she is registered in the precinct and should be listed in the poll book may cast a provisional ballot.
n Voters who have moved within Pennsylvania, but did not update their address in time before the election, may vote one more time in their previous precinct, as long as they update their address at the polling place.
n If 50 percent or more of the voting machines at a polling place are not working, voters have the right to use an emergency paper ballot. Poll workers should immediately offer the ballots, but if they do not, voters should request one.
n If a voter is challenged on the basis of identity or residency, the voter may vote normally by signing a challenge affidavit and producing a witness who is also a registered voter in the precinct to vouch for them. If the voter cannot or does not want to produce a witness, the voter may cast a provisional ballot.
n Voters have the right to assistance at the polling place, including foreign language or literacy assistance. A voter may select any person to assist as long as the person is not their employer, union representative or the judge of dlections. Voters do not need to be designated as “assistance permitted” in the poll book to receive help. A person who wants assistance will be asked to sign an Assistance Declaration at the precinct, unless the poll book already indicates “assistance permitted.”
n Voters have the right to refuse assistance.
n Voters have the right to vote without being subjected to intimidation, harassment or discriminatory conduct. A vote who experiences intimidation should report it to the county board of elections and the district attorney’s office. Voters can also call the Department of State at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772) or the U.S. Department of Justice’s Voting Section at 1-800-253-3931.
Those interested in joining the Be Local Network can contact Ted Flowers at 724-425-7231 or by email at tflowers@heraldstandard.com. Discount cards are available at the Herald-Standard, 8 E. Church St., Uniontown, and at the Greene County Messenger, 82 W. High St., Waynesburg.