From Common Cause (http://www.commoncause.org):
One of the most crucial lessons we learned in the aftermath of our November election was just how necessary it is to boost funding for our local election officials — and as we enter budget negotiation season, we’ve got to keep that priority at the top of our minds.
Our election officials worked overtime for months — tackling the logistical challenges of voting during a pandemic, nationwide pressure and harassment, and threats to their safety — all to administer an election that was secure, transparent and accurate.
But their jobs were made considerably more difficult by their lack of funding — a problem that will only continue to grow if our lawmakers don’t address it head-on in their budget this year.
Go to https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/pa-lawmakers-cant-cut-corners-on-election-funding/ to tell Pennsylvania’s legislators that making our elections more secure, equitable, and accessible will mean extra costs — and these costs are not optional. They must fund our democracy.
Last year, election officials managed with the funding they had — although it was a significant challenge for some county boards of elections. But much of this funding was temporary, and they won’t be able to rely on it during the next election.
That’s why the Pennsylvania Legislature absolutely must pass a budget that boosts spending for our election systems, including our Department of State’s election administration efforts.
Just last week, Governor Tom Wolf proposed a budget that would provide crucial support to our election administrators — modernizing our voter registration systems, enacting Same Day Registration, and allowing counties to “pre-canvass” ballots before Election Day. [1]
And now it’s on the Pennsylvania Legislature to pass those bipartisan reforms into law.
Providing local election boards with greater support and allowing them to make these changes will go a long way toward setting election workers up for success in the future, unlike lawmakers’ current efforts to rewrite history and undermine our election results.
Our election officials are why our democracy works, and their contributions in this past election were invaluable. Now, it’s time to work for them, just like they’ve worked for us.
[1] https://www.governor.pa.gov/2021-plan/
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