Pennsylvania’s new law allowing mail-in ballots for the first time may cause problems for the people who count the votes.
The mail-in ballots, part of an election reform law signed in October by Gov. Tom Wolf, now allow all voters to vote by mail for any reason.
“We normally have about 1,000 absentee ballots,” Cindy Callihan, Clarion County’s director of elections and voter registration, said Tuesday at a county commissioners meeting. “We are anticipating 2,000 to 3,000 mail-in ballots.”
“We will have to utilize other county staff,” Commissioner Ed Heasley said.
“We can either have some of the admin staff stay over or adjust their schedules,” Commissioner Wayne Brosius added.
“We may not even begin to count those ballots until Wednesday,” said Callihan. She said it is unlikely the unofficial results of the April 28 primary election would be available that night.
Chief clerk Taylor Kriebel attended a seminar recently on the impact of the mail-in ballots.
“No one is happy about it,” she said. “Sixteen counties attended the seminar and many of them were talking about using additional staff on election night.”
While Pennsylvania did contribute toward the purchase of new voting machines, the state won’t pay for any additional personnel needed to tabulate the ballots.
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar told the Associated Press her agency is working with county election officials and studying counting procedures used in the approximately 30 other states that allow votes by mail.
The primary election will also be Clarion County’s first using new voting machines.
Paper ballots will be used at the precincts, and the votes will be stored on a thumb drive and recorded at the county administration building in Clarion on election night.
Callihan has been receiving training on the use of the scanners and will be conducting training sessions for the precinct workers in the coming weeks.
Voters who use the new mail-in ballot will need to follow guidelines established by the state.
Online applicants must supply a driver’s license number or an identification card number issued by the PennDOT, as well as their name, address, phone number and email address.
Prospective voters can also use the site to apply for an absentee ballot, and they will be asked questions to determine whether they qualify for one. Those questions include whether they will be traveling on election day or whether they are ill or have a physical disability that prevents them from voting in person.
The deadline for county election offices to receive applications is 5 p.m. April 21, and the deadline to receive a mail-in or absentee ballot in the primary election is when polls close at 8 p.m. April 28.
Voters can also download and print the application and mail it to their county election office, or apply in person.