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From The Editors
Act 77, the 2019 law that revolutionized Pennsylvania’s elections and ushered in mail-in voting, has made the elections process in the commonwealth like that of a river after a flood: the cause of the roiling might be over, but the sediment has not yet settled back down, and much of the water remains unclear.
This is the unsteady situation the commonwealth finds itself in as we are now barrelling towards the 2024 election, one in which Pennsylvanians’ votes will likely decide the presidency. As of this publishing, the website RealClearPolitics.com averages several polls which show former President Trump tied with Vice President Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania — the most narrow margin of any swing state.
If Pennsylvania is decided by less than one percent as it was in 2016, we guarantee there will be a new hurricane of scrutiny as partisans look for advantages.
Why It Matters. Our investigation shows that the system has become too opaque and overly complex given the divided nature of our electorate. Elements of standardization are desperately needed.
County officials and election directors are operating in an era in which not one but two objectives are paramount: conduct an election in which all legally cast votes are correctly counted, and also carry out the first objective in such a transparent manner that when a curious public examines the methods, means, and actions of the election officials, the public at large will have little choice but to be satisfied with the results.
Today, too many voters are skeptical. And discerning readers may be forgiven if, upon reading this report, they are confused, or otherwise unsatisfied with its conclusions. Therein lies the problem, we now have a system that is not sufficiently open or verifiable, which undermines the integrity of the voting process regardless of the efficacy of any counting process.
But, there is hope, because enough lessons have been learned in recent years to make these two democracy-defining objectives a reality.
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