Pennsylvania Election Officials Have Never Worked So Hard To Hide The Work They’re Not Doing

George Costanza sorely tactics to continue receiving an unemployment check in one of the many spectacular” Seinfeld” shows rather than focusing his efforts on finding work. He fabricates a false business, claims he “looks and listens” for jobs, and perhaps proposes to time the unsettling daughter of the poverty official in an effort to keep on the jobless benefits train. &nbsp, &nbsp,

In his related stand-up work, Jerry feedback on George’s misplaced energy. He claims,” This man has always worked this rough in his life to keep this issue going.” I’m sure they would give him a boost if they had any idea how much work and effort he is putting in to prevent work.

George’s antics provide a comedic plot. However, the voice of a person using all of their power to distract you from reality in real life often takes on for a humorous tone. &nbsp,

Get Pennsylvania election leaders, for example. &nbsp,

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt stated in an article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that “elections have never been more safe and secure with a voter-verifiable paper-ballot report of every voting cast that is used in not one but two assessments after every election to ensure the tabulated results are accurate on May 28.

However, according to a survey conducted by AP-NORC at the University of Chicago only last summer, only 44 percent of the populace “has a great deal or quite a bit of trust that the seats in the 2024 presidential poll may be counted exactly.” Considering such a widespread lack of confidence in the upcoming election, Secretary Schmidt’s use of superlatives seems audacious, at the very least. &nbsp,

In the Keystone State, this lack of confidence is unquestionable. A whole web page dedicated to tracking state election-related litigation that gets to the appellate level is dedicated to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. And this excludes cases that are only filed in federal court or trial courts in states, which are most frequently listed on Democracy Docket, a left-leaning website. &nbsp, &nbsp,

For a state with elections that “have never been more safe and secure”, that’s an awful lot of ongoing election litigation. &nbsp,

The Pennsylvania secretary of state has for too long avoided meaningful discussions about the state’s election pitfalls, stubbornly insisting that the process is top-notch, just like George Costanza’s avoidance of productive employment at all costs. &nbsp,

Secretary Schmidt once more quoted himself as saying,” Elections have changed a lot in the last several years and they’ve changed for the better,” in a post from a previous statement on April 8, 2024. ” They’ve never been more safe &amp, secure and]paper ballots ] are used in – not one, but two – audits after every election to ensure that the numbers add up and that the results are accurate”.

Perhaps spot audits can demonstrate that the small number of ballots tested are properly tabulated. However, the issues with the Pennsylvania electoral process multiply far before the ballots even reach the counting stage. For instance, some Pennsylvanian counties permit curing of ballots, giving voters the chance to correct errors, while others do not. According to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania website,” some” counties “may” provide drop boxes for voters to return ballots. These drop boxes are not necessarily, if at all, monitored in the counties where they are provided, though. The list of contradictions is endless. All this to say, before the ballots even get to the counting stage, they — and by extension, the voters — have received wildly disparate and haphazard treatment across the Commonwealth.

During the counting stage, the issues only continue. For example, different counties in Pennsylvania allow differing levels of views to observers. Philadelphia has parade gates erected since 2020 to keep the observers from the counting action. As an observer testified in 2020, the parade gates kept him” 15 to 18 feet” away from the first row of tables of vote tabulators. There were three rows of tables” spaced apart”, so some of the action could have been up to 105 feet away, as the observer clarified. In addition, Philadelphia instructs one camera in the tabulating room from a single angle. However, a far-away lens that closes off a portion of the room can reveal nothing about the counting process. The Philadelphia City Commissioners YouTube channel has a stream from May 2021 still accessible. &nbsp, &nbsp,

Secretary Schmidt has long done a fantastic job insisting that Pennsylvania elections are safe and secure, even when the facts lead any logical person to conclude that there is still a lot of room for improvement, just like George Costanza did a” tremendous job not working.”

Following the 2020 presidential election, when Secretary Schmidt was a Philadelphia commissioner, he did n’t hesitate to vouch for the integrity of the Philadelphia electoral process, despite all the factors that might suggest otherwise.

” We just certified the results of the 2020 Presidential Election”, he wrote in a Nov. 23, 2020 post. ” I’m proud that the birthplace of our Republic held the most transparent and secure election in the history of Philadelphia,” he said, despite all the meritless litigation and misinformation that are affecting our electoral system.

If the secretary of state’s job was to spend time and effort persuading Pennsylvanians about the security of elections, he deserves a raise. &nbsp, However, the job involves more than a public relations spin — elections must actually be administered appropriately. The election litigation, chaos, and disparate treatment across Pennsylvania suggest noticeable problems with the system that must be addressed. &nbsp,

Without a doubt, Pennsylvania government officials will continue to bombard voters with outdated safety and security declarations while ignoring numerous opportunities to improve election administration. However, many in the GOP support election integrity, lucky for Pennsylvania voters and the rest of the nation watching what happens in this crucial swing state.

Protect the Vote, a comprehensive campaign to promote election integrity, was spearheaded by GOP Chair Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump. Through this initiative, the GOP employs and trains volunteer voters and attorneys to watch elections, conduct polls, and deal with administrative issues. These efforts span many states, including Pennsylvania. &nbsp,

Maybe Schmidt will take notice of the Republican counterparts ‘ efforts to combat the blatant election threats he has only repeatedly refuted. The Pennsylvania secretary of state may come to realize that running elections requires more than just pointless rhetoric.

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