Sep 13, 2024 By Staci Gerber 4 min read

I want to congratulate Washington County Commissioners Nick Sherman and Electra Janis for their effective disenfranchisement of eligible voters.

They have judiciously used taxpayer dollars to defend their decision to toss out the ballots of citizens who date the outer envelope of their mail-in ballots incorrectly without informing these voters. Formerly, these citizens would have been notified and given a chance to either come to the elections office to correct their ballots, or vote on Election Day by provisional ballot, but this abomination will be allowed no more!

These voters now will believe their votes were counted, as they receive a message informing them that their ballots have been received, though “received” is not the same as “counted.” Several “unpatriotic” organizations who believe all eligible citizens should have the chance to have their votes counted – can you imagine? Communism can’t be far behind! – filed suit.

The commissioners lost their case, as Judge Brandon Neuman of the Washington County Court of Common Pleas ruled that the voting status of citizens whose votes were not counted must be reflected in the statewide voter database, thus allowing these voters to vote by provisional ballot on Election Day. However, this decision will surely be appealed, hoping to allow taxpayers to continue to pay to keep these scofflaws who date envelopes incorrectly from having their votes counted.

This kind of patriotism through denial of voting rights is why we elected Sherman and Janis. We must fight this communistic plot of allowing votes to be counted by following the example of Venezuela, and refuse to count eligible votes.

Commissioner Larry Maggi is the only commissioner who voted in favor of allowing envelope corrections – “ballot curing,” as it’s called – and then, when the county was sued, negotiated a discount on attorney fees, saving taxpayers money. But I, for one, prefer to pay more to keep eligible voters from having their votes counted. It’s the American way.

Can you imagine what might happen if we allowed people who enter the wrong date to vote? First, we allow people who make minor clerical errors to vote, and next we will be allowing dead cats to vote. It’s a slippery slope. Clearly, commissioners Janis and Sherman have that special knack to read between the lines of our Constitution:

Amendment XV, Section I: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, unless citizens date mail-in envelopes incorrectly. Feel free to toss those ballots out. And don’t tell anyone.

Well, it doesn’t say that last part, but it’s surely what our founders meant to say. And then, there’s this line written by Thomas Jefferson in our Declaration of Independence:

…that among these [rights] are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to ensure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Except those people who incorrectly date envelopes. We don’t need their consent.

That last part isn’t there, either, but it is what Jefferson meant to say.

Kudos to Sherman and Janis for their insight into what Jefferson was really thinking! It is surely worth $75,000 to prevent the eventual voting power of dead cats by defending the disenfranchisement of the 247 people in Washington County who made minor clerical errors on the outer envelopes of their ballots.

A note from my cat, who, unlike patriotic humans, believes that all eligible voters should have their votes counted: This promises to be a close election, and Pennsylvania is a critical state for candidates to win. As the appeal is unlikely to be decided before mail-in ballots must be returned, it will be important to follow the directions on the ballot exactly to make sure your vote is counted. Sign your name on the line indicated, and enter the complete date that you signed the envelope. If you are voting by mail and have any questions about voting or filling out your envelope, call Washington County’s elections office at 724-228-6750.

And write or call Commissioners Nick Sherman and Electra Janis, urging them to stop wasting tax dollars on disenfranchising voters.

Staci Gieber is a Venetia resident.