The early voting turnout surprised election officials in PA. They were totally unprepared for the Republican turnout. Most government centers chosen to handle this were too small to accommodate the crowds and the staff overwhelmed because election duties aren’t part of their overall tasks. I can’t imagine what the price tag for the 2024 election costs will be to the taxpayers. I’m hoping this will incentivize state reps to examine this issue and make sound decisions to fix the problems.
I know the R head of our election authority (we have 2 - one R and one D) and they really do a great job on a shoestring budget. But she does a whole presentation on how many new requirements keep getting added without a corresponding increase in funding and this is a rare case where I do think additional funding is in order. She and staff have been working 13-14 hour days since early voting started and yet get inundated by angry calls and emails about the lines - there is no funding to open additional early voting outlets and no staff to run them. State added requirements for early voting but then left it to the local entities to figure out how to pay for it.
That’s crazy! The turnout seems to be beyond anything we’ve seen in recent times!
The early voting turnout surprised election officials in PA. They were totally unprepared for the Republican turnout. Most government centers chosen to handle this were too small to accommodate the crowds and the staff overwhelmed because election duties aren’t part of their overall tasks. I can’t imagine what the price tag for the 2024 election costs will be to the taxpayers. I’m hoping this will incentivize state reps to examine this issue and make sound decisions to fix the problems.
I know the R head of our election authority (we have 2 - one R and one D) and they really do a great job on a shoestring budget. But she does a whole presentation on how many new requirements keep getting added without a corresponding increase in funding and this is a rare case where I do think additional funding is in order. She and staff have been working 13-14 hour days since early voting started and yet get inundated by angry calls and emails about the lines - there is no funding to open additional early voting outlets and no staff to run them. State added requirements for early voting but then left it to the local entities to figure out how to pay for it.