Voters urged to return ballots
All elections are about numbers.
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar predicted last week that the number of Keystone State registered voters would hit the 9 million mark, and she turned out to be correct.
In a Zoom press conference Wednesday, Boockvar noted 9,050,870 Pennsylvanians are now registered voters, including 4,229,397 Democrats, 3,526,857 Republicans, 904,440 with no affiliation and 399,176 members of other parties.
Washington County now has just over a thousand more registered Republicans than Democrats. Republicans have also surpassed Democrats in Greene County, while in Fayette County, Democrats still outnumber Republicans.
As Election Day nears, another deadline looms.
Tuesday, Oct. 27, is the last day to apply for a mail-in or civilian absentee ballot.
“Even though the deadline is Oct. 27, do it today,” Boockvar urged.
“If you’re not going to vote in person on Election Day, do not wait. Drop off your ballot in person if you can.
“Please don’t return a naked ballot, because it won’t count.”
A ballot marked with votes must be placed in the secrecy envelope that reads “Official Election Ballot.” This envelope is then placed in the larger ballot-return envelope and sealed. The voter must fill in the voter’s declaration on the ballot return envelope, and it must be signed and dated.
“If they’re going to be mailed, they need to be mailed this week,” Boockvar said.
“To make sure it’s counted, it should be mailed by Nov. 3. That’s the fundamental message.
“Cast your ballot if possible in person before Nov. 3. Just get it in before Nov. 3.”