Allegheny County has announced that polling locations are being consolidated due to coronavirus (“Allegheny County votes to consolidate primary polling locations”). Monroeville’s one polling location will be at the Monroeville Convention Center.
I believe the proposed consolidation plan is counterproductive from the perspective of both public health and voters’ rights. In the yellow phase, large gatherings of more than 25 people are prohibited, yet we are going to have one polling location for our entire town? One reason stated is that many people may not want to work the polls due to their vulnerability to covid-19, yet I am aware and it has been reported that there are numerous people expressing their desire to work but have been turned away.
Voters will certainly be disenfranchised by this consolidation plan. Why haven’t voters been notified yet? Voters will appear at the wrong polling places without a doubt, and lines will be long. This is not only inconvenient, it is a health risk.
Ballots will be paper, and only one person is responsible for transporting the ballots to the elections office. This is unacceptable. It calls into question the security and integrity of our entire election process.
This is not just happening in Allegheny County, it is happening across the state. Everyone should be calling their elections bureaus and elected officials to change this plan to ensure the health of our citizens and the integrity of elections.
Mary Beth Cirucci
Monroeville
The writer is executive administrator in state Rep. Bob Brooks’ Murrysville office.