LETTER: Protect integrity of elections
For the past week we have all heard and agree with the calls for “count every vote,” as well as numerous concerns regarding the integrity of this current election process. I am respectfully going to point out the issue is not with the counting of legal mail-in ballots. The more pressing issue has to deal with when the governor of Pennsylvania overrides the legal process for changing voter laws through the state Legislature (as set forth by the Pennsylvania state Constitution) and allows the court to change the law as opposed to having the court interpret the law; thus allowing mail in ballots to be received and counted three days after Election Day. When the above situation was occurred, then, yes, we do have a problem. Will Pennsylvania be continuing that mail-in ballot extension process for all future elections?
North Carolina has allowed mail-in ballots to be returned and counted up to nine days after Election Day. Should we now allow voting to occur over the course of three days, or a week, or nine days for all future elections to be fair and consistent?
Of recent concern is the discovery by a county clerk in Antrim County, Mich., that a computer software glitch was found to be responsible for incorrectly awarding over 6,000 votes to Biden-Harris and other Democratic candidates in that county. That same software is used by most counties in Michigan.
Regardless of which candidate or political party we support or are affiliated with, I am sure we can all agree that these are serious concerns and questions that need to be clearly, honestly, fairly and most importantly, consistently addressed to protect the voter integrity of not only this election but all future elections.
Katharine J. Stayduhar
Canonsburg