{"id":2361739,"date":"2024-10-30T16:26:03","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T20:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bucks-co-voters-have-2-more-days-to-vote-in-person-absentee\/"},"modified":"2024-10-30T16:31:48","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T20:31:48","slug":"bucks-co-voters-have-2-more-days-to-vote-in-person-absentee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bucks-co-voters-have-2-more-days-to-vote-in-person-absentee\/","title":{"rendered":"Bucks Co. Voters Have 2 More Days To Vote In-Person Absentee"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbucks-co-voters-have-2-more-days-to-vote-in-person-absentee%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2361739&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In Pennsylvania, voters \u2063have been queuing at county election offices for two weeks in anticipation of an early voting-related initiative,\u200b despite there being\u2063 no official early voting in the state. Instead, what\u2063 is referred to as &#8220;on-demand&#8221; \u2063voting allows voters to request mail-in ballots and submit them in person or through drop boxes. This \u2064resulted from the 2019 Act 77 legislation permitting \u2063mail-in\u2063 voting. Voters must request \u200dtheir mail-in ballots by a set deadline (October 29), while\u200d they can submit completed ballots until Election Day (November 5).<\/p>\n<p>Recent days saw tension as officials in several counties, particularly\u200b Bucks County, stopped\u200c processing votes and turned away voters who had \u200cwaited in \u200dlong lines, claiming these were not designated polling places. Republican\u2063 leaders announced intentions to sue over\u200d this decision,\u2063 which\u2063 they believed disenfranchised voters. County\u200b officials clarified that they were not \u2064equipped for\u200d early voting and \u2063that the lines could become very long due to the procedural complexities involved.<\/p>\n<p>Disappointments peaked as many voters were left frustrated after lengthy waits but were \u2062assured they\u2064 could still vote by mail or\u2064 pick up their ballots later.\u2063 Election\u200d officials acknowledged the high emotions due\u200c to past elections and the current situation but reiterated\u200d that the process was being misinterpreted by the public as early voting. the confusion stems from the state&#8217;s new voting regulations\u2063 and the operational challenges they face as the election approaches.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Pennsylvania voters looking to cast their votes early have been lining up at county election offices across the state for two weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans and Democrats have been responding to the daily mailers and social media advertising urging Pennsylvanians to &ldquo;Vote early.&rdquo; Both parties have pushed this strategy, which allows them to see who has voted, so they can focus advertising on voters who have not yet engaged.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>WHY DO YOU THINK BUCKS COUNTRY SHUT DOWN VOTING AT 1:45 INSTEAD OF ALLOWING CITIZENS TO VOTE UNTIL 4:30 P.M.?  ANY IDEA?<\/p>\n<p>Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is shutting down at 1:45 P.M and was supposed to stay open untIl 4:30 P.M. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FjSCgHcgHE\">pic.twitter.com\/FjSCgHcgHE<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&mdash; BelannF (@BelannF) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BelannF\/status\/1851593321027690752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The thing is, &ldquo;early voting&rdquo; does not exactly exist in Pennsylvania. Instead, there is &ldquo;on demand&rdquo; voting, a quirk unintentionally created when the state legislature passed Act 77 in 2019, allowing mail-in voting.<\/p>\n<p>Voters who choose the mail-in ballot must request a ballot by the deadline &mdash; Tuesday, Oct. 29.<\/p>\n<p>Once completed, the voter may mail it in any mailbox; drop it in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-rules-arizona-activist-group-can-monitor-maricopa-county-ballot-drop-boxes\/\" title=\"Federal Judge Rules Arizona Activist Group Can Monitor Maricopa County Ballot Drop Boxes\">county ballot drop box<\/a>; or, the preferred method for many voters, fill it out on the spot and hand it in at the counter of the county election office. That has become known as on-demand mail-in voting.<\/p>\n<p>This ballot is stored with all the other mail-in ballots and counted with them, but for those voters who would not trust an envelope of $1,000 cash in the mail, handing the ballot to an election worker feels more secure.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the Oct. 29 deadline to request a mail-in ballot, voters still have until election day, Nov. 5, to return it to the election office by hand, mail, or drop box. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Things got testy Monday and Tuesday when county election officials in several Pennsylvania counties cut off lines of people who waited hours with the intention of &ldquo;voting early.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Stay in line and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Vote?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Vote<\/a>!  They arrested me and I didn&rsquo;t break any laws.  I encouraged people to stay in line and vote because the Democrats were discouraging voters from in person voting today in Delaware County.  In fact, the election worker told people in line to go to the&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/pZoW8sA8Dy\">pic.twitter.com\/pZoW8sA8Dy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Val Biancaniello (@luckyvalpal) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/luckyvalpal\/status\/1851030583134339082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 28, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>It happened all across the state, but Bucks County got the most attention on social media. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Counties posted signs telling people they may not be served&nbsp;and the line could be cut off, and they brought in uniformed officials and tried to explain the process. But tensions were high and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">social media posts urged voters<\/a> to &ldquo;stay in line.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I&rsquo;m in Levittown Bucks County trying in vote early IP for the second time. I&rsquo;ve been told the line is 4 hours and I will not be able to vote today. It&rsquo;s now 11:46. This is unacceptable. The push for early voting isn&rsquo;t a surprise. There&rsquo;s 2 people working this location.&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/s9PICh3oR3\">pic.twitter.com\/s9PICh3oR3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Stacy Williams (@StacyWi16207038) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StacyWi16207038\/status\/1850927503180763161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 28, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>This is NOT Venezuela. This is Pennsylvania in the United States of America, where cops are blocking most likely Trump voters from voting<\/p>\n<p>This happened at 4:38pm in Bucks Countg, well before 5pm when polls close<\/p>\n<p>DO NOT LEAVE THAT LINE. STAY &amp; VOTE<br \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3tI7NgEBOx\">pic.twitter.com\/3tI7NgEBOx<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&mdash; George (@BehizyTweets) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BehizyTweets\/status\/1851385282375160315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>By Tuesday night, Michael Whatley, chairman of the Republican National Committee, told a rally of supporters the GOP was going to sue Bucks &ldquo;for turning away our voters.&rdquo; &nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>BREAKING: GOP Chair Michael Whatley just announced on stage at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania that they have filed a MASSIVE lawsuit against election officials in Delaware &amp; Bucks County for stopping long lines of likely Republican voters from voting<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m proud tonight to tell&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2Yo2LB03VR\">pic.twitter.com\/2Yo2LB03VR<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&mdash; George (@BehizyTweets) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BehizyTweets\/status\/1851423363446509571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>But this was not Election Day, and these were not polling places. As election attorney Cleta Mitchell pointed out, even though a form of in-person voting takes place, the &ldquo;Dem PA Supreme Court has ruled these are not POLLING LOCATIONS&rdquo; and election observers are not allowed.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Okay I&rsquo;ve checked further.  Listen to this:  The activities are happening at election offices where people apply for, pick up ballots &ndash; and CAN go out in the hall to vote them and then turn them in (sounds like early in person voting to me) &ndash; but the Dem PA Supreme Court has&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Cleta Mitchell (@CletaMitchell) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CletaMitchell\/status\/1851359459643101430?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Pennsylvania counties were only set up to fulfill mail-in ballot requests and accept &ldquo;on demand&rdquo; mail-in ballot returns. There is a difference, and it relates to the signature polling book.<\/p>\n<p>On Election Day, extra staff and volunteers are manning polling places across the county. Voters sign their names in an electronic or paper poll book.<\/p>\n<p>To prepare the poll book, counties must give the state all voter information by midnight on Oct. 29, James T. O&rsquo;Malley, a Bucks County spokesman told The Federalist.<\/p>\n<p>Only eligible voters&rsquo; names go in the book. So if you received a mail-in ballot, your name does not go in the poll book. It is a guard against people voting twice.<\/p>\n<p>On Election Day, all the ballots are printed, and after voters sign the poll book, they are handed a ballot, walk to a voting booth, mark their ballots, and then place them in the scanner to complete the voting process.<\/p>\n<p>That was not the process this week because it is not yet Election Day. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;On demand, mail-in voting has taken the place of early voting, and we&rsquo;re not set up for that,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Malley said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why you end up with a long line. We have one printer that can print these ballots. We have staff that can process a few applications at a time, but you can only print one ballot at a time.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The voter gets to the counter, asks for a mail-in ballot request&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pa.gov\/content\/dam\/copapwp-pagov\/en\/vote\/resources\/documents-and-forms\/PADOS_MailInApplication.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">form<\/a>, and fills out the form. There is no poll book, so the election worker runs the individual&rsquo;s information through the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors (SURE) computer&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/25\/pennsylvanias-technology-glitch-thursday-warns-flawed-voter-system-is-overdue-for-replacement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">system<\/a>&nbsp;to make sure he is a registered voter, eligible to vote in the county. Then they tell the SURE System this voter has requested a mail-in ballot, print a ballot specific to the voter&rsquo;s precinct, and hand the voter the mail-in packet, which includes two envelopes and the ballot.<\/p>\n<p>The voter fills out the ballot, seals it in the inner and outer envelopes, signs and dates it, and hands it back to the election worker. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To move things along, voters are given a space to step to the side and fill out the ballot. They do have the option of placing it in the drop box outside the building, mailing it, or bringing the completed ballot back another day.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Most days that this on demand voting process has been going on, we&rsquo;ve had to go out and cut off the line at a certain point,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Malley said. &ldquo;We estimate that this process takes 12 minutes per voter from the time they get to the front of the line. That does not include the time you wait to get to the front of the line, which could be hours. They&rsquo;re able to calculate how many people they could serve within regular business hours, and then at a certain point they cut off the line and they say, this is the last people we can serve today for on demand, mail-in voting.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>People were disappointed when that happened, he said, but it was not a huge problem until the last two days.<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday, Bucks County accepted mail-in applications from everyone who was in line by 5:00 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Those who were not given a ballot in person on Tuesday will receive their ballot in the mail, and for those uncomfortable using the mail, the county promised to call and let them know their ballot is ready to be picked up in person, O&rsquo;Malley said. They have until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day to return the completed ballot.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I understand their frustration,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Malley said. &ldquo;Everything they&rsquo;re being told is that they&rsquo;re going to get to come here and vote early &mdash; that this is a polling place, the same as voting early. It&rsquo;s not a polling place.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Election workers understand emotions are high.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You know, 2020, was a lot, for a lot of people. We understand that as well.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It is worth noting that after the line was cut off and the office was closed to the public, election workers stayed and processed all the information late into the night, to meet the midnight deadline so poll books will be ready in time for the Nov. 5 Election Day.<\/p>\n<p>Wednesday the RNC posted on social media that it had been to court and prevailed in getting Bucks County to extend &ldquo;early voting.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>&#128680;Good News Alert &#128680; <\/p>\n<p>We just won our lawsuit in Bucks County for extended Early Voting through Friday at 5:00 PM.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you to the court for making the right decision and for finding that Bucks County violated the Pennsylvania election code and providing the requested relief. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zQ1xqnKkRz\">https:\/\/t.co\/zQ1xqnKkRz<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&mdash; James Blair (@JamesBlairUSA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JamesBlairUSA\/status\/1851690917633105997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Judge Jeffrey Trauger of the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas ordered the Bucks County Board of Elections to permit any person &ldquo;who wishes to apply for, receive, vote, and return a mail-in ballot to appear at the Election Bureau office and do so during normal business hours before the close of business on Nov. 1, 2024.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trauger said the county&rsquo;s action of turning voters away before the 5:00 p.m. deadline on Oct. 29 violated the election code.<\/p>\n<p><em>For more election news and updates, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/electionbriefing.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">electionbriefing.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lara-logan-challenges-media-to-ask-certain-questions-about-afghanistan\/\" title=\"Lara Logan Challenges Media To Ask Certain Questions About Afghanistan\">award-winning investigative journalist<\/a> with decades of media experience.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pennsylvania voters have been queuing at election offices for early voting<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":2361740,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/2021.04.09-admin-building.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[40373,44038,36618,44039,4223],"class_list":["post-2361739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-absentee-voting","tag-bucks-county","tag-election-2023","tag-in-person-voting","tag-voters"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/2021.04.09-admin-building.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2361739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2361740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2361739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2361739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2361739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}