The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

August 16, 2012

County to buy fall election supplies

By Sandy Scarmack Herald Staff Writer

MERCER COUNTY — County officials should proceed with plans to buy  signs and absentee ballots that include the new state Voter ID rules after a judge ruled Wednesday that the law can be implemented by Nov. 6.

Jeff Greenburg, the county’s elections director, told  commissioners he is confident the law will be in effect for the fall election and any hesitation he had about ordering signs for polling places and absentee ballots is gone. He had wanted to hold off on spending any of the county’s money until the Voter ID law was a sure thing, he said.

Critics will likely continue their appeal to the state Supreme Court, he said, but it doesn’t appear likely the court would consider the case and make a ruling in the next 83 days. Greenburg’s more pressing concern, he said, is getting the details out about Voter ID requirements.

He wants voters to understand that while photo identification is now required, the name on the photo identification and voter registration do not have to be an exact match. As long as it “substantially conforms” there won’t be any problem at the polls, he said. Poll workers will be trained to determine if a name discrepancy is different enough to require a provisional ballot, he added.

A provisional ballot would be the “worst case scenario” Greenburg said, and no voters would be turned away due to a discrepancy. A handful of county residents have come in to change their voter registration to exactly match the identification they plan to show at the polls, but that is not necessary, he said. “Anyone that wants to, we are happy to do it,” Greenburg said, but it’s totally unnecessary.”

Greenburg said he has been taking steps to deal with the Voter ID law that included creating a link on the county’s website that provides the latest information from state officials as well as scheduling a series of voter education sessions. He has also sent Voter ID information to all local municipalities for publication in various newsletters, and will have more than 1,000 flyers distributed. He is also beginning a Twitter account, he said.

The burden of educating voters, he said, is primarily the state’s responsibility, but he added that the county would help to get information distributed. “I just want to make sure our voters are comfortable with the process. I don’t think it’s something we will be overwhelmed with.”

 

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