Between misinformationfresh protocols AND a long list of legal challenges to the voting process, it’s unthreatening to say that Pennsylvanians are feeling some nervousness about the voting process. And with just a few days left until the election, all eyes are on Philadelphia – the most essential source of Democratic votes in the most-watched swing state of the year.
Philadelphia’s list of more than 3,000 ballots with potentially disqualifying “flaws” did not support alleviate any of these tensions. City officials held a news conference Thursday morning to draw attention to this list and other problems with mail-in voting.
“We have a lot of defective ballots in Philadelphia,” said council member Isaiah Thomas. “We want to bring this issue to the forefront so people can do their due diligence and check your ballot.”
Thomas and others urged voters to return their absentee ballots and monitor the status of their ballots State Department tracker. They also emphasized that the people of Philadelphia should be given some time to check the list of defective ballots for any known names.
“It’s Halloween, but it’s not a trick. There is a risk that your vote will not be counted,” said council member Jamie Gauthier. “Every Philadelphia resident should review this list and search for their family members, friends and neighbors.”
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According to Thomas, there are some discrepancies in this list of potentially non-existent ballots. He said his office has observed that “people of color are much more likely than any other demographic group to be at risk of having their ballot left in limbo.”
Commissioner Omar Sabir linked this to low literacy rates in Philadelphia.
“Philadelphia is a very interesting city,” Sabir said. “There are approximately 300,000 people in Philadelphia who lack basic literacy skills. That’s always been a problem.”
According to Committee of the Seventy President Lauren Cristelli, older adults are another group disproportionately affected by voting errors.
The percentage of defective ballots in the total pool of returned mailed ballots is currently about 2%, Cristella told Billy Penn. As the number of returned ballots continues to enhance, the percentage showing deficiencies may continue to fluctuate.
“Ideally, the number would be 1%. This is what happens when there is a rush to get people to fix these ballots,” Cristella said. “The worst case scenario is about 3%, God forbid. This could really influence the outcome of the election.”
Regarding the overall return rate of mailed ballots, Sabir expressed concern.
“Our return numbers are low,” Sabir said. “I’ll be honest with you, he’s short.”
As of Thursday, October 31, Philadelphia residents had returned approximately 68.5% of their mailed ballots. This is not much different from the last general election (the percentage of ballots returned on Wednesday, a week before the election, was similar to that on the corresponding day in 2020).
However, the city’s rate of return is different compared to the country. Around this time four years ago, Philadelphia’s return rate was slightly higher than the statewide rate. Other counties appear to have caught up this year: The statewide total return rate is around 74%, and Philadelphia currently ranks sixth from bottom in return rate across all 67 counties.
“I think it’s just the rush to get them there,” Cristella said. “I think people can wait until the last minute. I think some people wonder if they want to break something or not [ie, return] this ballot and show up on Election Day and vote in person.”
Experts warn that early voting numbers I can’t tell us much about what the counting will be on Election Day. But in Philadelphia, the urgency to count every vote is greater than ever.
“This election will be won or lost by a few thousand votes in our state,” Gauthier said, “and we will live with the consequences of this election for the rest of our lives.”
