In response to the guest opinion “TDS fuels vote-by-mail bandwagon” in the September 6 edition, we would like to assure voters that a great deal of planning and thought has gone into the introduction of mail-in ballots in Bucks County. While there has been relatively little time between the introduction of no-excuse mail-in ballots and the 2020 elections, the County Boards of Elections have done an excellent job in meeting this new challenge, despite the added impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Voting by mail with absentee ballots is nothing new in Pennsylvania or any other state, and safeguards have long been in place to ensure that each voter’s choice is counted and that duplicates are eliminated.
There are several layers of security built into the absentee and mail-in ballot system. In both cases, ballots are only sent to individuals who have applied for them and who confirm that they are a registered voter of their voting district. Addresses and signatures on the application are matched to those in the registration rolls. A note is made in the election rolls of every person who has been sent a ballot, preventing them from casting another vote in person on Election Day.
Each mail-in ballot is delivered with two return envelopes: one is a plain secrecy envelope, and the other, outer envelope has the address and postage for returning the ballot to the Board of Elections. The voter must sign a declaration on the back of the return envelope and this signature is used to confirm the voter’s identity. This outer envelope also has a bar code linking it to the person who applied for the ballot, again preventing duplicate submissions.
Using the information on the outer envelope, including the voter’s signature, election officials at the Board of Elections confirm that the ballot is from the authorized registered voter. The ballots are sorted by precinct, and the poll books are updated to indicate which voters have cast a ballot. Voters can check the status of their ballot at VotesPA.com.
Beginning at the time designated by the Pennsylvania Legislature, the sorted envelopes, both outer and inner, are opened and the ballots are flattened, ready to be counted. The Bucks County BOE, in anticipation of the volume of ballots expected in this election, have purchased machinery which can quickly open the envelopes and flatten the ballots. The ballots are then read by one of ten high-speed scanners, and results are tallied.
The League of Women Voters agrees with Mr. Putsay that it is important for voters to learn about all the candidates running in the election prior to voting, and the League is making every effort to provide candidate information to the voters. We have invited candidates for all offices to submit information and answers to the League’s voters’ guide at Vote411.org, a nonpartisan website maintained by the League. In addition, we have invited the congressional and state legislative candidates seeking to represent Bucks County to participate in nonpartisan League-moderated candidate forums.
Voting by mail is a blessing for elderly voters, those with compromised health, those dealing with uncertain work hours and child care. Voting by mail has been shown to be a safe and secure way to participate in our democracy and increases accessibility.

Monica Weninger
Jean Weston
Co-Presidents
League of Women Voters of Bucks County