Applications for mail-in ballots surge as lockdown continues

Applications for mail-in ballots are surging across Pennsylvania, even as President Trump repeatedly condemns mail-in voting as a scheme that could hamper GOP chances to prevail at the polls.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, the number of applications for mail-in ballots increased from 179,172 on April 1 to 244,368 as of Thursday morning.

No excuse mail-in balloting became available in Pennsylvania for the first time this year under provisions of a sweeping state election reform act adopted in 2019. Previously, only those out of the area on Election Day or too ill to go to the polls were permitted to vote by mail.

While the applications still represent only a small fraction of the state’s 8.5 million registered voters, the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot isn’t until May 26 for the now-June 2 primary. The primary was moved from April 28 as fears of the spread of coronavirus swept the nation.

Nationally, Democrats who promoted mail-in voting for years seized upon the coronavirus pandemic to underscore the need for alternatives to in-person voting. An attempt to insert money to underwrite an expansion of mail-in voting prompted strident pushback from Trump.

This week, he tweeted that, while absentee balloting may be great for the elderly, those in the military and those unable to make it to the polls, mail-in voting is “ripe for fraud.”

Absentee Ballots are a great way to vote for the many senior citizens, military, and others who can’t get to the polls on Election Day. These ballots are very different from 100% Mail-In Voting, which is “RIPE for FRAUD,” and shouldn’t be allowed!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2020

He previously opined that widespread mail-in balloting could be disastrous for Republican candidates.

A number of factors may be influencing Pennsylvania voters to try mail-in balloting for the first time.

“People understand that, even by June 2, we still could be under a stay-at-home order and rather than go and stand in line for hours like they did in Wisconsin this week, they’re applying for mail-in ballots. It doesn’t surprise me,” said political scientist and pollster Terry Madonna.

Department of State spokeswoman Wanda Murren attributed the recent uptick in applications to the ongoing pandemic.

More surprising than the sudden uptick in applications for ballots, is who is applying for them.

To date, state records show Democrats applying for mail-in ballots outnumber Republicans by a 3-to-1 margin, with 185,216 applications processed for Democrats, compared to 57,827 for Republicans. Statewide, Democrats have the registration edge, 4.1 million to 3.2 million.

Locally, 11,653 Democrats applied for mail-in ballots in Allegheny County, compared to 2,234 Republicans. In Westmoreland County, 5,452 Democrats applied for mail-in ballots, compared to 2,099 Republicans.

Republican strategist Charlie Gerow said it may have a lot to do with who is on the ballot. He speculated that the Sander-Biden primary contest may have been a factor.

“Until this week, the Democrats had a presidential race,” Gerow said. “And the only heated statewide primary race is the Democratic primary for auditor general.”

Madonna, the director of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll, said there are likely a number of other factors influencing those numbers, down to where there are local primary contests and who is promoting them.