The testimony submitted by Republican Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew to a state senate committee seeking comments on election integrity and reform deserves further response. It is a bit more than many constituents can swallow let alone, errr, chew on, especially his statement that “… most of my constituents would like to see no-excuse mail-in voting be eliminated.”
While Chew provides the committee with paragraphs of statistics, which they can easily access from county election officials, he offers no data to support his fictional statement regarding constituents’ views on mail-in ballots. He cites no polling results, surveys or even anecdotal evidence backing his claim.
Chew does present select constituent comments, most of which come from past or current Republican Party officials. These, along with quotes from that internationally recognized leader for expanded voting rights, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, round out Chew’s testimony. I didn’t know that Thomas was a constituent, let alone an expert on voting rights.
If Chew wants to educate voters, as he says , he can begin by telling constituents that they need to forget President Trump’s big lie about the 2020 election, which court decisions, many by Republican judges, have found to be fair and without fraud. That might help restore confidence in elections. But I predict he won’t do that because his testimony is all about Republican efforts nationwide to suppress voters’ rights.
Glenn R. Plummer
Unity