This letter to the editor was submitted to LebTown. Read our submission policy here.
As a Lebanon County voter, a volunteer with Common Cause’s Election Protection program, and an observer of post-election “Computation” certification proceedings, I’ve seen firsthand how well our county’s election system works. That’s why I was encouraged to see fellow voters, including Michael Schroeder of South Annville, urge our county commissioners to ensure mail-in ballots are counted even better.
This issue is personal. My semi-disabled wife and I have relied on no-excuse mail voting since it was enacted in 2019. Across Pennsylvania, millions have done the same. Yet thousands of ballots have gone uncounted due to minor errors on outer envelopes—disenfranchising voters and prompting repeated legal challenges, some reaching the state Supreme Court.
Voters like Mr. Schroeder and me believe every mail voter should be confident their vote will count. There is a practical, proven solution: use the state’s SURE voter tracking system to automatically notify voters of any outer envelope errors immediately upon receipt in the Election Office. With timely notice, voters can correct mistakes or cast a provisional ballot.
Lebanon County’s current practice—alerting voters only on Election Day—falls short. It leaves working people, caregivers, and voters with disabilities little or no time to respond. An Election Day phone call about a missing signature may be courteous, but it’s not meaningful notice. If I’m out of town baby-sitting grandchildren, I have no realistic way to fix the problem.
Most Pennsylvania counties already provide earlier notice, and many have adopted more voter-friendly “curing” practices recommended by groups like ACLU-PA and Common Cause PA. Lebanon County should do the same.
Commissioners Phillips, Kuhn, and Litz plan to decide this issue on April 2. In my view, the path is clear: provide prompt notice of outer envelope errors so voters can fully exercise our right to vote.
Dr. Duncan MacLean is a retired physician and South Lebanon Township resident. As a volunteer for several civic organizations, he has participated around Lebanon County in advocacy outreach at polls and in voter education and registration.
