The federal SAVE Act would impose barriers to voting that could effectively disenfranchise millions, particularly married women, and disproportionately Black and brown people across the country. The anti-voter bill, teetering on a poll tax, has already passed in the U.S. House. Now we await the U.S. Senate’s vote to determine if our freedom to vote is under unprecedented assault. It’s time for our state government to take swift action and ensure that all eligible Pennsylvania voters have full access to the ballot box.
There are simple and effective ways that we could dramatically expand access to the polls. The state Legislature should work to establish an early voting period where voters can go to an early voting location, sign in as quickly and easily as they would at their normal polling place on Election Day, and cast a ballot in a way that is convenient, safe, secure and fits into their busy lives.
Last year’s election showed how much appetite there is for early voting across the commonwealth — and also across party lines. The current law allows counties to set up election offices prior to Election Day where people can fill out their mail ballot application in person, wait for it to be approved, and then fill it out and submit it.
This is a nice step in the right direction, and one that people clearly want, and because the process isn’t as smooth as voting in-person on Election Day, there have been long lines in multiple counties across Pennsylvania. President Trump even intervened to force Bucks County officials to extend their early voting time to ensure that everyone who wanted to, could actually cast their ballot.
All of this chaos could have been avoided if our elected leaders in Harrisburg had listened to what the people have wanted, and delivered a true and convenient early voting option for Pennsylvania voters. Last session, Speaker Joanna McClinton introduced a bill that would do just that, and the General Assembly needs to get it over the finish line during this current legislative session.
Another aspect of this critically needed legislation, which we have been proud to stand in support of from the beginning, is ending the practice of having an arbitrary cutoff date to register to vote in advance of an election. The New PA Project Education Fund has been doing voter registration drives and site-based engagement across the commonwealth for years.
What we see consistently on the ground in our communities is that the vast majority of everyday voters have lots of other things they’re focused on other than politics. They’re worried about things like putting food on the table, keeping an affordable roof over their family’s heads, getting the kids to after school activities on time and taking care of aging relatives. The average Pennsylvanian simply doesn’t have the time to tune into elections until the very end.
If we allowed eligible citizens to register to vote at any point, up to and including Election Day, we could bring more of communities’ voices to the table and increase voter participation. Democracy only truly functions for all people when every single voter is heard and every single ballot is counted.
These are commonsense policies that our organization has advocated for over several years, and there are also other worthy proposed reforms that would serve to bring more people out to vote and fundamentally strengthen our democracy. Last year, a bill was introduced to allow voters who consider themselves independent and are not registered with either major political party to vote in primary elections, and it has been reintroduced this year.
Opening up our primary elections are the exact kind of commonsense, non-partisan reforms we should be incorporating. Much like early voting and same day voter registration, implementing open primaries would encourage more people to participate in our democratic process, and that is always a good thing.
Open primaries would be particularly beneficial in so-called “off years” like this one where turnout is generally lower and the primary is, in effect, also the general election for some cities and municipalities. With Pittsburgh hosting critically important municipal elections this year, open primaries would ensure Pittsburghers have leaders who truly reflected the will of all its residents.
There is a reason the preamble to the U.S. Constitution is centered around the notion of working to “form a more perfect union.” Democracy is, always has been, and always will be a work in progress for all to fully realize. And in the state where American democracy was born, it’s high time our elected officials put the will of the people first and move forward in this journey towards a more perfect union.
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Kadida Kenner is the founding chief executive officer of the New PA Project Education Fund, a nonpartisan statewide voting rights organization with a primary focus on voter registration, civic education and engagement. Born in Pittsbugh, she currently writes from Chester County.