Pennsylvania
WHYY: What to do if you witness voter intimidation on Election Day
Sandra Jones of WHYY reports on election officials precautions to prevent voter intimidation at Pennsylvania polls.
With Election Day drawing near, local officials in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have taken precautions to guard against any potential voter intimidation at the polls.
“Election Day is a beautiful community event and of course, we hope it will stay that way,” said Philadelphia City Commissioner Lisa Deeley.
But she said Election Day also presents a growing security challenge. Voter intimidation does not necessarily involve threats of violence, and Deeley said city elections have not been marred by acts of violence in the recent past.
“As with anything, you should always be alert,” Deeley said.
In 2020, Philadelphia experienced a ballot-counting process that reflected the polarizing national election cycle and a delayed result that hinged, in part, on the final vote tally in the city. This involved two weeks of hand-counting mail-in ballots at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, which drew protests and counter-protests outside the Convention Center, death threats against the city commissioners and a lawsuit that briefly halted the count.