This article was originally published By Let him votea nonprofit organization focused on local election administration and voting access.
by Carter Walker, Votebeat
Votebeat is a nonprofit organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the United States Sign up for the free Votebeat Pennsylvania newsletter here.
With one day left for Pennsylvanians to request an absentee ballot, state data shows voters of both parties are using the method in record numbers, with Republicans seeing an especially mighty increase.
As of Monday, more than 1.1 million voters had requested an absentee ballot, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of State.
This is a 17% increase compared to the 2021 municipal election, the most comparable recent election, and a 9% increase compared to the 2023 election, when more vital local figures such as the district attorney and county commissioner were on the ballot.
The raises could mean that voters are more interested in the race to keep judges on this year’s ballot than in other races in the last municipal election.
The last day to request a ballot is Tuesday, October 28.
“I was struck by the numbers,” he said Chris Borickprofessor of political science at Muhlenberg College in Allentown. “Doing this kind of activity at this point suggests that voters are a little more engaged this time.”
Republican Party voters appear to be driving this trend. While Democrats still file the majority of absentee ballot requests (66%), Republicans now make up a larger share than they did four years ago. The number of absentee ballots requested by GOP voters increased to about 277,000 from 205,000 in 2021, a 35% increase. By comparison, the total Democratic vote increased by just 9%.
As of Monday, voters in both parties had cast about 52.5% of their votes.
This is despite the deployment of Republican leaders mixed news voters regarding the security of postal voting.
President Donald Trump he ridiculed mail-in voting as prone to fraud and in an August social media post said he would “lead a movement” to get rid of it. But local and state Republicans do encouraging postal voting.
Last week Representative Dan Meusera Republican once considered a leading candidate for governor has promoted the option social media post shared by the State party.
“Things are changing for many of us, so if you can vote early, vote early,” he said. “Send in your absentee ballot.”
While Republican interest in voting by mail has continued to grow in recent election cycles, the uptick in this year’s typically low-turnout municipal elections may have to do with this year’s most high-profile race: selection of judicial retention that will determine whether several appellate judges initially elected as Democrats will remain on the bench for the next 10 years.
Republicans are urging voters to vote “no” on three state Supreme Court justices and two lower court judges. They hope that a “no” vote will open the possibility of overturning the ideological majority of the Supreme Court during the 2027 local elections. Millions of dollars have already been spent in a race for a type of election that has received little attention in the past.
The state Supreme Court plays a key role in elections, resolving high-profile legal disputes. Republicans cite some of these recent rulings as a reason to vote no.
Borick, the Muhlenberg professor, said so far he has seen signs that the retention race is generating more interest in this election compared to previous municipal elections. However, he said the number of mail-in ballot requests is not a definitive indicator.
The final question, which won’t be answered until Election Day, is whether they represent a real increase in turnout or just voters who typically go to the polls switching to voting by mail, he said.
“I am confident that Republican efforts to reach voters and make them more comfortable with mail-in ballots have produced some results,” he said. “Will it be different voters? I think Republicans are optimistic that maybe they will be on the margins, some people who wouldn’t show up… and therefore add to their vote totals.”
Carter Walker is a Votebeat reporter with Spotlight PA. Contact Carter at [email protected].
Votebeat is a nonprofit organization dedicated to local election integrity and voting access. Sign up for their newsletters Here.
