The swing country’s” second Voter Services Mobile Satellite Office,” a customized vehicle from which occupants can record to cast ballots and returning, completed ballots, was unveiled on Friday in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
A Democrat bulk of the board of state commission ‘ Democrat lot approved a resolution including a deal prize for a “voter service” van in August. Next week, the “mobile satellite business” made its first public looks at a local drop event, the area says. But the union’s Thomas DiBello, the Republican who did not vote for the vehicle, tells The Federalist he does not support this portable get-out-the-vote work in the community forward of next week’s election.
According to the Montgomery County site, the vehicle is equipped to offer the” similar services as a typical dish office.” ” During periods of high traffic”, the county says it “operate]s ]]these ] separate satellite locations to better serve … residents”.
” No session is needed to attend these spots”, the state website says.
In the few weeks leading up to Election Day, voters can register to vote, update their membership, ask a mail-in poll, and gain their completed ballot at the van or at a typical satellite office.
According to DiBello, the county is also allowing voters to cure their ballots from the van while keeping the vote counted by putting a signature and date on the exterior envelope, which the county does not properly mark. It is a contentious practice that is frequently href=”https://thefederalist.com/2024/05/08/pennsylvania-state-department-told-voters-to-cast-cured-ballots-against-county-rules-filing-alleges/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>argued in Pennsylvania court cases. The state election code mandates that the exterior envelope be properly marked before the ballots can be counted. Some counties interpret this law to forbid the use of a ballot curing period, while others permit it. Al Schmidt, the secretary of state, received criticism for instructing counties to flag ballots in need of curing so that voters would be notified when they came in and made changes.
As The Federalist’s M. D. Kittle previously reported, citing a County Circuit court judge’s ruling in January 2018 that “nothing in state law allowed the use of the voting van, and further discovered that its use at multiple, specific sites around the city gave Democrats a partisan advantage,” the city of Racine in battleground Wisconsin purchased a “mobile elections unit” in 2021 ahead of the midterm elections. In June, the state Supreme Court upheld a ban on the “voting booth on wheels”, at least for the time being, Kittle later reported.
According to Neil Makhija, vice chair of the county commissioner board and chair of the Montgomery County Board of Elections, the van is the” first of its kind in Pennsylvania.”
” It’s one of the many steps we’re taking to make this election more accessible than ever.” We’ve expanded our secure ballot-drop box system, expanded our satellite voter services program, and now have access to more people who are already there, according to a statement from Democrat candidate Makhija. Our objective is to improve voter access to the resources and information they require to participate in our democracy.
The three-member elected board of the Montgomery County Commissioners all serve on the board of elections, which is the norm in Pennsylvania. The two Democrats on the board voted in favor of the van.
” We can especially reach people in places where accessibility challenges make it harder to visit a voter services office, such as senior facilities and community centers”, Democrat Jamila H. Winder, chair of the county board of commissioners, said in the statement. Additionally, we can communicate directly with voters at festivals and other public events. We want to make sure people are informed and ready to cast their ballots in the community wherever they may be.
Thomas DiBello, a Republican, did not support the van. But he did confirm to The Federalist, that the county is using the van to cure ballots. He also confirmed that the county will contact voters who send in faulty ballots, and that the van will visit their address to fix the ballot by adding a signature or date.
According to DiBello, the county paid$ 145, 000 to purchase a new van and have it custom-made with a side-mounted customer window, inside-counter space, and lettering on the outside.  ,  ,  ,
” I do n’t support the vehicle. I do n’t support what we’re doing with it”, DiBello told The Federalist. With such a significant election in November, I do n’t believe something like that should be introduced. We really did n’t have established procedures and processes that they use to” create stuff” as we go along.
” The question really becomes, where’s this vehicle going”? DiBello said. ” They’ve been trying to bring it to different community things. And now, what I’m most recently hearing is, they want to bring it to elderly communities, low-income apartment complexes— in my opinion, very targeted areas, targeted to possibly a specific political party”.
He was informed that the county wants to increase voter access, but he said he already has enough, going “way beyond the majority of the counties in Pennsylvania in terms of voter accessibility,” as he put it.
Montgomery previously had 12 drop opener”>boxes, DiBello said, but now has 18. The county is currently receiving ballots as the election season approaches. Voters who are n’t returning their ballots by mail or are unable to make it to their county election office can visit one of the 18 drop opener”>boxes or visit one of the eight satellite offices opener”>listed on the county website (up from four, DiBello said ) can visit one of the eight drop opener”>boxes. These satellite offices will be open from Oct. 4 to Oct. 28 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays.
Montgomery County has hundreds of polling locations on Election Day for voters who want to cast their ballots the old-fashioned way at a traditional polling place.
According to DiBello, each satellite office employs six or seven election personnel, and he noted that the county has also hired additional election personnel to help with the van and offices.
Dibello indicated” a lot of community members” are “reaching out” to him, and that” they are not happy”.
Montgomery, population of more than 864, 600 as of 2022, is a pivotal county in battleground Pennsylvania. Some well-known Democrat operatives and governors reside in the county. Josh Shapiro, who was once a county commissioner in Montgomery.
As of this week, Montgomery has 308, 605 registered Democrats, 210, 332 Republicans, and 104, 136 “other” registered voters, Pennsylvania Department of State data shows. 98 and 273 are the differences between registered Democrats and Republicans.
Makhija was contacted by The Federalist for a phone interview and emailed him some questions. Makhija copied County Communications Director Megan Alt, who responded.
” Voting in Montgomery County is safe, secure and accessible”, Alt wrote, responding to a question asking why the county decided to add the van. With the help of our new Voter Services Mobile Outreach Van, we are making accessible and accessible to all eligible voters in Montgomery County so that they can get involved in the democratic process from start to finish.
Responding to a question asking where the van will go, Alt said” ]t ] he van will visit community events, senior living facilities, college campuses, and more”.
The Federalist sent a few additional questions: Will the van go out by request? Can a voter ask you to visit their home address in order to vote, for instance? On Election Day, what will the van do? Who determines the destination of the van?
Neither Alt nor Makhija responded to these questions.
For more election news and updates, visit , electionbriefing.com.
Beth Brelje covers The Federalist’s elections coverage. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.