By Wenda Kincaid<\/p>\n
President, League of Women Voters of Berks County<\/p>\n
On Nov. 3, voters across Pennsylvania will cast their ballots to decide who will represent them in 2027 and beyond. While plenty of voters will head to their polling location on Election Day, many others will choose to vote by mail. Voting by mail remains a convenient, safe and reliable way for Pennsylvanians to participate in elections, and voters should have the freedom to choose the method that works best for them.<\/p>\n
But choosing to vote by mail only works when voters have meaningful access to the process. That means making it easy to request a ballot, providing clear information about how to complete it and ensuring voters have convenient options for returning them. This is where our county elected officials have a responsibility to act.<\/p>\n
As a judge of elections and the president of the Berks County League of Women Voters, I know that the availability of drop boxes and satellite elections offices could be the difference between someone successfully casting their ballot and sitting an election out. This is particularly true for our seniors, people with disabilities, working people, caregivers, and rural residents who may face transportation challenges or difficulty getting to their designated polling location or post office.<\/p>\n
Since 2020, dropboxes and satellite election offices have been implemented across Pennsylvania with great success. These voting mechanisms help voters who\u2019d otherwise struggle to access the polling place. Drop boxes are convenient. Voters can use them to return their ballot as soon as they\u2019ve filled it out. Satellite election offices give voters additional opportunities to receive assistance from county officials and election workers, submit their ballots and participate in the democratic process.<\/p>\n
A lack of drop boxes leaves voters with fewer options to safely cast their ballot and complicates the process. For someone without reliable transportation, who works long hours or who can\u2019t travel to a designated polling location, that can become a significant barrier to voting.<\/p>\n
Holding elected office means upholding and defending the Constitution, advancing American democracy and protecting civil rights and liberties. Placing barriers on our ability to vote betrays public trust and casts doubt on our electoral procedures at a time when it is crucial to protect and expand access to the ballot. Protecting democracy remains an American ideal, and casting our vote in the face of opposition remains one of the best ways to hold our leaders accountable and display our power and make our voices heard.<\/p>\n
Our county commissioners have an obligation to do everything they can to remove any barriers to the ballot box. That means expanding the number of secure ballot drop boxes and satellite election offices.<\/p>\n
These are not partisan demands. These are practical, commonsense steps that help voters exercise a fundamental right.<\/p>\n
Voting by mail should be a realistic option for every eligible voter who chooses it. And that requires more than simply allowing mail ballots on paper. It requires the follow-through of building an election system that makes the process accessible from beginning to end.<\/p>\n
It is high time that we make voting accessible in Berks County and give voters the options they both need and deserve. The health of our democracy depends on ensuring that voting is safe, secure, and convenient for every eligible voter, no matter where they live.<\/p>\n
It is up to our local officials to use every tool available to expand access to the ballot. The best way to do that is to add as many mail ballot drop boxes and satellite election offices as possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Wenda Kincaid President, League of Women Voters of Berks County On Nov. 3, voters across Pennsylvania will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":279505,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1559,56385,128,130,129],"class_list":["post-279504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-opinion","tag-opinion-columinists","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279504"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279504\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/279505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}