I am an American citizen, a voter, and a resident of Butler County — but this year, my most significant democratic right was taken away from me.
I was born and raised in southwestern Pennsylvania, and although I moved away for college and work, I returned home in 2016 to care for my mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She passed away in 2021, and I stayed here.
I read the news, I am informed, and I believe it is significant to have my voice heard. I have the right to have my voice heard. My professional background includes community advocacy, and I know firsthand how significant our democratic process is to creating change and building a better future.
This spring I decided to vote by mail. It was the best option that made sense for me in the primaries and I had used it before with no problems.
I made a mistake. Everyone is busy, doing and thinking about 100 things at once, and I forgot to put my vote in the secret envelope inside the mailer. Because of that mistake, my vote did not count, and Butler County would not let me correct it. I am fully capable of deciding who I want to vote for, and I did so on my vote. Small, technical errors should not silence me or any other voter. And I did everything in my power to fix it.
A few weeks before Election Day, I received an email informing me that I had made a mistake and my vote would not be counted. I immediately called the Butler County Elections Office and asked what I could do to correct the issue and ensure my vote would be counted. They told me that this was a major flaw that could not be fixed. I asked about the provisional voting process mentioned in the email. I know people who have used it before, and if my absentee ballot was not going to be counted anyway, why couldn’t I cast a provisional ballot? It’s an option that has been around for over 20 years.
On Election Day, I went to my polling place and submitted a provisional ballot. A few days later, Butler County decided not to count my provisional ballot because I had already submitted an absentee ballot, even though the absentee ballot was flawed and would not have been counted. My provisional ballot should have been counted because the county had already disqualified my absentee ballot. Provisional ballots exist to preserve the right to vote while these things are sorted. They are for people who did not return their absentee or mail-in ballot, made other technical errors on their absentee ballot, or perhaps showed up at the wrong polling place. We should not be silenced for the smallest mistakes. We are registered, legal voters, and Butler County ignored not only the spirit of our democratic process, but also the technical, legal process to correct it.
Our votes are the great equalizer. No matter how much money, status, or power you have in the world, our votes are equal. If you are black, brown, white, male, female, you have one vote… and that vote should be counted.
Butler County allows voters to correct other types of errors, such as a missing signature or date on the outer envelope. The mistake I made should be no different. This year, I made the mistake. But next year, it could be anyone; it could be you. Voting is not a technical test of skill. It is our sacred right in this country, and no county should have the right to take that right away from us. The Board of Elections should be protecting my voice, not working to silence it.
That’s why I’m suing Butler County.
I want my April vote counted and to never disenfranchise another voter for mistakes that can be easily fixed. We should be able to fix straightforward mistakes. I am not asking for someone to change who I voted for, I am asking for a straightforward envelope not to invalidate all of my choices to lead our community.
Each of us has one vote, one voice and that vote should be taken into account.
Faith Genser is one of two plaintiffs in the case. Genser and Matis vs. Butler County Board of Electionscase brought by the ACLU – PA and the Public Interest Law Center.
