Acting Secretary of State of Pennsylvania Leigh M. Chapman described the procedures the state would follow for counting votes in the next election and predicted that it will take several days for results to be finalized and certified. Chapman staged a virtual press conference in an effort, according to her, to stop the dissemination of false information as the election day on November 8 draws near.
Due to Pennsylvania’s ban on pre-canvassing of mail-in ballots, there may be a delay in the announcement of the results. Following allegations of threats to Pennsylvania’s elections, the state is coordinating with the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Voters are urged to submit their votes back as soon as they can.
“It’s crucial that we receive accurate information regarding Pennsylvania’s electoral process, “added Chapman. “Voters and the general public are informed that delays in counting don’t always indicate criminal activity. It’s exactly how Pennsylvanian law is.
There will probably be delays in posting the full results since poll workers cannot pre-canvass or count mail-in votes before election day.
In addition, Chapman addressed two issues that, in her opinion, are related to the dissemination of false information: demands to postpone the mailing of mail-in votes and threats to disrupt voting.
Chapman said there have been reports of threats against the voting process around the state, however she did not go into detail about any specific instance. She issued a commitment that her office will look into any danger to a free and fair election.
Since I took office in January, we have regularly met with Homeland Security and the FBI to discuss the threat landscape and the resources we can provide to our counties to provide both physical and cyber security protection, according to the official.
“Therefore, collaborating with both the federal and state law enforcement agencies has been fantastic. We are in frequent contact with them, and we are keeping an eye on the issue, said Chapman.
When questioned about recent Republican advertising encouraging voters to send in their mail-in votes to their local board of elections on election day rather than mailing or depositing them in an election drop box, Chapman claimed the action might result in citizens losing their right to vote.
According to information we’ve received, there is messaging out there in Pennsylvania advising voters to keep their mail-in votes “She spoke. “We encourage folks to request that mail-in ballot right now and send it back as soon as they can as part of our voter education effort. Voters’ delays are not what we desire.
Voters who are utilizing mail-in ballots are urged to return them as soon as they can so that counties have those votes in their possession. According to her, counties must receive mail-in ballots by 8 p.m. on election day. In Pennsylvania, more than 1.2 million mail-in ballot requests have been made, and 43%, or more than 556,000 of those ballots, have been returned, according to Chapman.
A recent court decision in Lehigh County determined that the county can employ election drop boxes for mail-in ballots and will do so. Due to the possibility that the outcome may have affected how these drop boxes were placed around the state, the case had drawn interest from throughout the country. However, the decision determined that the boxes should be made readily accessible to voters and that voting should be as simple as feasible.
