County officials support quick action amidst election uncertainty in Pennsylvania
As the state蘑菇视频 May 17 primary draws near, local officials say they believe clarity on crucial election items remains elusive.
In a release issued last week, Republican Greene County commissioners Mike Belding and Betsy McClure said that although there has been a decision made regarding the congressional maps that will be used in the commonwealth, they believe there is still a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the future of the state蘑菇视频 legislative maps.
鈥淥ne of our many important responsibilities is to oversee the Greene County election process, that it is open, honest and held with integrity,鈥� said McClure in the release. 鈥淭his delay from our state will add extra stress to the local election process and the staff. Not only can it cause election office process issues, it also has the potential to cost the taxpayers more money.
鈥淢y concern with this delay is why this is happening, when elections happen every year at the same time,鈥� she continued. 鈥淲e know the process and the timeline involved, and yet here we are at the eleventh hour, similar to the 2020 Election. Yes, it is a different issue but it is causing chaos.鈥�
Belding said as the appeal period on the legislative maps closed March 7, the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court to request the Court expedite its decision and offer counties a reasonable amount of time to complete the tasks associated with the May Primary, should it consider adjusting the election calendar with respect to the General Assembly蘑菇视频 seats.
鈥淲e have less interest in which way they go; we just need a decision in order to fulfill the rest of the election office requirements in an already reduced timeframe,鈥� Belding said. 鈥淐learly, voters have been unduly stressed by recent state election policies changes, debate of election integrity and the ever-changing elections process. I鈥檇 ask the state to get this settled in a timely manner.鈥�
Belding and McClure both said they agree that Greene County cannot complete crucial election tasks such as preparing ballots for absentee, mail-in, military and overseas voters or programming voting machines until a decision is handed down, since it is currently unknown which candidates are running in each district.
One of the benefits of being a small county is well established lines of communication to our voters, workers and election office staff,鈥� Belding said. 鈥淕reene County will, despite the potential chaos, get this election right, just as we have previous elections, but the undue burden placed upon our staff and voters is unnecessary.鈥�