Mail votes rush in, but some don’t count
Early votes are rolling in to election offices, with Democratic voters making up a solid majority of mailed-in ballots.
A court ruling, however, could leave some of those ballots uncounted.
As of Thursday, nearly a million Pennsylvanians had already voted ahead of the Tuesday election – taking advantage of a 2020 state law that allows for easy early voting.
That total is far below the number cast at the same time in 2020, according to Democratic-affiliated data and research firm TargetSmart. The smaller number of early votes may not come as a surprise, with no presidential race to drive turnout and the coronavirus pandemic less prominent in many voters’ minds.
The share of early votes cast by registered Democrats has inched up since the last election, the firm reported, with the party’s members casting nearly 71% of early ballots as of late Wednesday. That’s compared with less than 68% at the same time two years ago.
While nothing about early voting inherently benefits Democratic candidates, in practice Democratic voters are more likely to cast their ballots by mail. That’s why left-leaning candidates hope for large early vote turnout (and why many Republican officials have pushed to restrict mail voting).
While early voting is solidly established in Pennsylvania and protected by state court rulings, some details remain in legal limbo.
Last week, a deadlocked state Supreme Court ordered election officials to avoid counting undated mail ballots and set them aside. GOP officials had sued to block ballots that lack written dates, a requirement under state law.
The case could continue in federal courts as votes are counted. But for now, the GOP tallied a win in the seemingly endless battle over voting rules.
Presidents swarm state
Three current and former presidents are barnstorming Pennsylvania, where the close U.S. Senate race could decide control of Congress.
President Joe Biden and former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama are all set to spend time in the state over the weekend as both major parties push to maximize supporters’ turnout in the Senate and gubernatorial races.
Obama was set to hold rallies in both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia over the weekend, with Biden set to join for at least some of the events. The Democratic leaders are backing Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who holds a narrow lead over physician Mehmet Oz in most polls for Senate. The Democrats are also turning out to support Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who holds a wide lead over state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Adams, in the race for governor.
Meanwhile, Trump scheduled for a rally in Latrobe on Saturday to back GOP hopefuls in the two top-tier races.
The campaigns have drawn enormous outside attention, with out-of-state political action committees spending tens of millions of dollars on advertising and outreach.
PSU clash shows far-right limits
Penn State’s last-minute cancellation last month of an event featuring far-right figure Gavin McInnes underscored his movement’s limits – and its ongoing push for mainstream acceptance.
Campus officials canceled McInnes’ planned Oct. 24 event moments before it was set to begin, amid opposition from campus antifascist activists and clashes with his supporters. McInnes is a founder of the Proud Boys, a far-right organization known for its street brawling and physical attacks on opponents.
The group’s leader and several members face federal charges for alleged involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
For years, McInnes and his allies have sought spaces to appear publicly, often at universities and in areas seen as hostile to their ideology. Penn State officials declined to stop his appearance in the weeks leading up to the visit, leaving students to organize opposition.
“Let’s shut this … down” one opponent told allies the day of the McInnes visit, Vice News reported.
They succeeded: While crowds of mounted police, antifascist activists and Proud Boy supporters clashed outside, university officials canceled the event.
At least one student has since been charged with involvement in the disorder.
While the Proud Boys and similar armed groups took a hit after the Capitol riot, officials have warned that some members could interfere in Tuesday’s election. Armed activists have been spotted near Arizona vote drop boxes, and an expert recently told the Conference of U.S. Mayors that more could be involved on Election Day, Axios reported.
Strike hits Pittsburgh news
Election-season news coverage has a notable gap this year as striking workers picket one of the state’s largest news outlets.
A weeks-long strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has left the newspaper without many of its reporters, editors and production staff – and has drawn support from elected officials and political hopefuls.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., joined workers on the picket lines in recent days, as did congressional candidates Chris Deluzio and state Rep. Summer Lee, D-Allegheny. Pittsburgh’s City Council issued a statement backing the strikers.
Post-Gazette workers accuse the company’s owners, Block Communications Inc., of refusing to negotiate a new contract and unilaterally imposing cuts to pay and health insurance.
Production, advertising and distribution workers first walked off on Oct. 6, followed by newsroom staff 12 days later. Since then, the company has kept up publication with strikebreakers, while picketing workers have set up their own online outlet, the Pittsburgh Union Progress.
While the workers are picketing over contract issues – not partisan politics – the strike pits Democratic officials and allies against the newspaper’s conservative owners. The paper’s editorial board, working through the strike, endorsed GOP candidate Oz.
Ryan Brown covers statewide politics for Ogden Newspapers. He can be reached at rbrown@altoonamirror.com.