I am thankful to Rich Cholodofsky for writing the article “Westmoreland commissioner says county voters want end to no-excuse mail-in ballots, another disputes that” (March 23, TribLIVE). Sadly, Doug Chew is certainly not adequately representing all Westmoreland County residents. I disagree with the assertion that constituents do not want “mail-in ballots,” and the headline shocked me into writing to the newspaper.
I also discovered that a Special Committee on Election Integrity and Reform has been created and is accepting voter input, but there doesn’t seem to have been any promotion of the option for residents to provide comments. The chair of the commission is Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Cambria County, and comments can be made at pasenelection committee.com/submit-comments.
It is clear to me that Chew is biased against mail-in ballots; therefore, if residents want to be heard, then providing comments via that link is necessary. It would be helpful to see an article on how the nine people on the committee were selected. If the committee’s real goal is to improve the voting process and not disenfranchise voters, there should be pro-voter rights representatives on it.
Donald Polczynski
Lower Burrell