Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt has been on a whirlwind tour of, so far, 62 counties, preparing for the upcoming election. He plans to make it to all 67 before the Nov. 5 election. Schmidt was in McKean, Elk and Cameron counties, among others, last Tuesday. “I went to Elk but didn’t see any elk, but I went to Forest and saw plenty of forest,” he said with a laugh. He admitted he didn’t go to Benezette. “I’ll have to come back for sure.” Schmidt said, “I’m making a point of visiting with the election directors and if they are available, the commissioners in every county, to make sure in advance of the election that they know that we’re there to assist them at the Pennsylvania Department of State. “Every vote is precious in Pennsylvania and it’s really important that we be supportive of the people who really run elections at the county level,” he said. Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes, and is considered an important swing state in presidential elections. His office has fielded calls from foreign press in England, Japan, Sweden and The Netherlands interested in reporting on the election. “It’s very apparent how important Pennsylvania is in the election cycle so it’s received a lot of attention from the press,” Schmidt said. “There’s a half-dozen states that are perceived as swing states but it’s probably fair to say none are as important as Pennsylvania as far as electoral votes. “I can’t predict what turnout will be. I can’t predict who will win or lose,” he said. “You can predict a lot of lawsuits.” Schmidt said there have been a lot of voting changes in the past several years. “Voters deserve clarity, our election workers deserve clarity so everyone knows what the rules are going into an election cycle,” he said. “Elections have changed a lot in the past five years and they’ve changed for the better. “It’s no wonder voters have questions and they deserve to have their questions answered,” the secretary continued. “That’s really an obligation on all of us to make sure voters are informed because the more people know about elections, the more they trust the results. They know the checks and balances, they know the verifications and all the safeguards to know our results are accurate.” And they are accurate, he reiterated. “Elections in Pennsylvania have never been more safe and secure. There is a voter-verified paper ballot record for every vote that’s cast in every election that is used in two audits that confirm that the tabulated results are accurate,” Schmidt said. The changes are for the better, but they come with a price. “An unfamiliarity, I think, when it comes to the voting process that didn’t exist before,” he said, “despite the fact that all those changes have made elections even more secure.” The deadline to register in the upcoming election is Oct. 21, and the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 29. The mailed ballot must be received in the elections office by 8 p.m. Nov. 5; the postmark doesn’t count. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. More information on elections is available at the website pa.gov/en/agencies/vote.html.
Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt has been on a whirlwind tour of, so far, 62 counties, preparing for the upcoming election.
He plans to make it to all 67 before the Nov. 5 election. Schmidt was in McKean, Elk and Cameron counties, among others, last Tuesday.
“I went to Elk but didn’t see any elk, but I went to Forest and saw plenty of forest,” he said with a laugh. He admitted he didn’t go to Benezette. “I’ll have to come back for sure.”
Schmidt said, “I’m making a point of visiting with the election directors and if they are available, the commissioners in every county, to make sure in advance of the election that they know that we’re there to assist them at the Pennsylvania Department of State.
“Every vote is precious in Pennsylvania and it’s really important that we be supportive of the people who really run elections at the county level,” he said.
Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes, and is considered an important swing state in presidential elections. His office has fielded calls from foreign press in England, Japan, Sweden and The Netherlands interested in reporting on the election.
“It’s very apparent how important Pennsylvania is in the election cycle so it’s received a lot of attention from the press,” Schmidt said. “There’s a half-dozen states that are perceived as swing states but it’s probably fair to say none are as important as Pennsylvania as far as electoral votes.
“I can’t predict what turnout will be. I can’t predict who will win or lose,” he said. “You can predict a lot of lawsuits.”
Schmidt said there have been a lot of voting changes in the past several years.
“Voters deserve clarity, our election workers deserve clarity so everyone knows what the rules are going into an election cycle,” he said. “Elections have changed a lot in the past five years and they’ve changed for the better.
“It’s no wonder voters have questions and they deserve to have their questions answered,” the secretary continued. “That’s really an obligation on all of us to make sure voters are informed because the more people know about elections, the more they trust the results. They know the checks and balances, they know the verifications and all the safeguards to know our results are accurate.”
And they are accurate, he reiterated.
“Elections in Pennsylvania have never been more safe and secure. There is a voter-verified paper ballot record for every vote that’s cast in every election that is used in two audits that confirm that the tabulated results are accurate,” Schmidt said.
The changes are for the better, but they come with a price.
“An unfamiliarity, I think, when it comes to the voting process that didn’t exist before,” he said, “despite the fact that all those changes have made elections even more secure.”
The deadline to register in the upcoming election is Oct. 21, and the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is Oct. 29. The mailed ballot must be received in the elections office by 8 p.m. Nov. 5; the postmark doesn’t count.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
More information on elections is available at the website pa.gov/en/agencies/vote.html.
