Voters in Allegheny County and five others across Pennsylvania will have an extra week to mail their mail-in and absentee ballots for Tuesday's primary, Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday.
Mr. Wolf signed an executive order extending the time frame that mail-in and absentee ballots can be submitted by mail to county elections offices — and still tabulated — in Allegheny, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, his office announced.
The ballots must now be received by county elections offices — via mail — by 5 p.m. on June 9. They "must be postmarked no later" than this Tuesday, June 2, according to the governor's office.
“This is an unprecedented time for Pennsylvania and our nation as we face a major public health crisis and civil unrest during an election,” Mr. Wolf said in a statement. “Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and I want to ensure that voters can cast their ballot and that it is received in time.”
The governor's office framed the extension as a response to "a surge in mail-in ballots, the COVID-19 public health emergency and civil disturbances" in the six counties, according to a press release. Protests continued in Allegheny County and throughout the commonwealth on Monday over the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.
The office noted that curfews and travel restrictions in the counties "have made returning ballots more difficult in these counties," which were all included in the disaster emergency declaration Mr. Wolf signed this past weekend.
"The extension will help to ensure that voters in those counties are not disenfranchised through no fault of their own," the release read.
Mail-in and absentee ballots — sent by mail — were originally due to county elections offices by 8 p.m. this Tuesday, the time that polls close. The deadline stands for those who want to hand deliver their ballots to county elections offices in person.
Mr. Wolf had originally said, during remarks at a short press briefing streamed on Facebook earlier in the day Monday, that he'd extend the deadline, though he didn't mention specific counties.
"I can't do anything about the Election Day, but I am extending the time to actually get votes in," Mr. Wolf said. "So, if you vote and the vote gets in by next Tuesday, Tuesday [June] 9th … at 8 o'clock [p.m.], it'll count.”
Republican groups immediately challenged the governor's authority.
Melissa Reed, a Republican National Committee spokeswoman, warned that extending the deadline could potentially delay the outcome of races and "[open] the door for unnecessary litigation."
The chairman of the Pennsylvania GOP said the state Legislature has the "sole authority" for conduct related to elections, and alleged that the governor's order violates the U.S. and Pennsylvania constitutions — which, he said, "requires that all laws governing an election must be uniform throughout the state."
And the Republican Committee of Allegheny County noted, in a statement, that the governor's announcement does not make mention of whether votes cast June 2 will be tallied "and the results announced while many voters have pending mail-in ballots yet to be returned." Some races on the ballot in Allegheny County are in districts that cross over into other counties, it added, and voters in those counties will have had less time to send their ballots back.
Mr. Wolf "just found a way to violate the one-person one-vote rule that is vital to a functioning democracy," said County Councilman Sam DeMarco, who chairs the county party.
The governor's order will not change Allegheny County's process Tuesday, its elections manager said in a statement.
"All ballots received in the Elections Division office by 8 pm will be included in tomorrow’s count," Mr. Voye said. "As indicated previously, the intent is to remain and continue until all of those ballots are counted."
The county will detail its process later this week on how it's going to count the ballots it receives after Tuesday, Mr. Voye said.
Several nonprofits had urged the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to step in and force the state to extend its mail-in and absentee ballot return deadline, but their case was dismissed last month.
First Published: June 1, 2020, 10:40 p.m.
