Pennsylvanians can be assured that their ballot is safe, secure and accurately counted, no matter the rhetoric repeated by those who seek to undermine public confidence in our elections.
How do I know this? I’ve worked on multiple campaigns of Republicans running for offices from township supervisor to the United State Senate and am intimately familiar with the built-in security features, redundancies and transparencies in our election processes.
For me personally, the most important component of our elections are the individuals who staff them. The people working inside a precinct on Election Day live in the very communities in which they are assisting for more than the 13 hours the polls are open. They are our neighbors. They are our fellow PTA members. We see them at church, the grocery store and other places in our community. And we can trust them.
What’s more is that these individuals receive regular, detailed training about our elections and their responsibilities. These civic-minded Pennsylvanians – Republicans, Democrats and Independents – take their jobs seriously. They know it’s up to them to safeguard the many systems we have in place to make sure votes are cast fairly and counted correctly.
Three of these poll worker positions are elected by the voters in each precinct: the Judge of Elections and the Majority and Minority Inspectors of Election. Should the positions remain unfilled due to a lack of candidates, something that happens with increasing frequency, the responsibility of appointing qualified and trained individuals for these and other necessary roles reverts to the county election boards and officials.
Outside of these posts, the people who work our elections are everyday Pennsylvanians, and many of them have been giving their time as service to their community for a long time. They receive detailed training about each part of the process, gain valuable experience, help their communities and even get paid for their work and for attending training.
Our poll workers are the backbone of a system that protects your vote. This system of checks and balances includes things like public inspections of voting machines, regular election equipment testing, confirming voter eligibility when casting ballots and multiple redundancies to ensure the results are accurate and reflect the voice of Pennsylvanians.
Our election laws and systems also allow Pennsylvanians, regardless of their party affiliation, to observe virtually every step in the process, ensuring transparency. Anyone can witness it by signing up to be a poll worker in their neighborhood.
If you have questions or concerns about our election processes, step up and volunteer to work inside a precinct on Election Day. You’ll find what those of us who are intimately familiar with our election processes already know – our elections are secure and the results reflect the will of the voters.
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