State having ‘conversations’ with counties over counting mail-in ballots
Gov. Tom Wolf speaks during a recent news conference.
Kathy Boockvar
When Gov. Tom Wolf was competing in Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial contests in 2014 and 2018, his winning margins were so convincing he was declared the victor almost immediately after the polls closed.
“At 8:01 or 8:02,” Wolf recalled at a Thursday afternoon media briefing.
Will the winner of Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes in this year’s presidential race be declared as quickly?
“Ain’t gonna happen this time,” Wolf said.
A large part of the reason is the enormous number of Pennsylvanians who have opted to vote by mail this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A little more than 2 million ballots have already been received out of about 3 million sent. The fact that county elections offices cannot start counting those votes until Election Day has sparked concerns about how long it will take before we know whether former Vice President Joe Biden or President Donald Trump has carried Pennsylvania.
A handful of counties, including Greene, have reported they will not even start counting mail-in ballots until the day after the election, which could slow the process even further. Wolf was joined at a media briefing by Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar, who said her office has been having “conversations” with those counties to see if they can start counting their mail-in ballots sooner.
“I want every one of them starting on Election Day,” Boockvar explained. “It’s an ongoing conversation. I think there’s a real premium on getting the count done as quickly as possible.”
With Pennsylvania increasingly the focus of national attention, Wolf and Boockvar urged voters who had not yet mailed in their ballots to sidestep the U.S. Postal Service and instead hand-deliver the ballots to their county elections office, drop box or other designated location.
“Don’t wait, and deliver your ballot today,” Wolf said. “That will give you peace of mind that your voice will be heard in this election.”
The governor added, “Everybody take a deep breath and stay calm. We will have a safe and secure election. We are in the final stretch of what will surely be a historic year.”
Boockvar also responded to a report that Butler County officials were asking for identification and checking signatures when people dropped off their mail-in ballots. They are not allowed to do that according to Pennsylvania law, and “we’re making it very clear that’s not authorized,” she said.