By Rep. Kinkead

Election Day is almost here! Because officials at all levels of government have a tremendous impact on every aspect of our daily lives, using your voice at the ballot box is one of the best things you can do as an individual to create positive changes in your community. Whether you prefer to vote by mail or in person on Election Day, I encourage eligible voters to participate in every election. As a passionate voter, I want to share the many resources available to help make sure your voice is heard on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

But first, there are some key dates to remember ahead of Election Day for Pennsylvania voters. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 21 and the last day to request a mail ballot is Oct. 29. It is critical to register to vote, update your registration information, and request a mail ballot (if you plan to vote by mail) well ahead of these deadlines! At vote.pa.gov it only takes a few mouse clicks and a couple minutes of your time to make a successful plan to vote.

Voting here in Allegheny County is more accessible than ever before. There are four satellite offices for voter services and nine mail ballot drop-off locations operating throughout the county on select days in October. At the satellite offices, you can get help registering to vote, requesting and completing mail ballots, and more. All voter services are also available at the County Office Building located at 542 Forbes Ave. in Pittsburgh. Visit the County Elections Division’s website or give them a call at (412) 350-4500 to get more information on these voting resources.

As voting access is expanding in some areas, we are also facing heightened levels of attempts to suppress votes. I want to emphasize that your right to vote is protected by both federal and Pennsylvania law. There are also laws that protect the voting rights of incarcerated people and those with criminal records. It is illegal for any person or corporation to intimidate you at the polls or coerce you to vote for or against a particular candidate or issue. If you feel your rights have been violated or witness voter intimidation tactics at the polls, I encourage you to file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Department of State, the agency responsible for overseeing our elections across the state. Throughout the history of our nation, people have died fighting to secure voting rights. As a public official, it is my duty to uphold and strengthen these rights.

Under a Democratic Majority in the Pennsylvania House, my colleagues and I have been working hard to protect voting rights and ensure the election process is fair, secure and efficient here in the Commonwealth. Earlier this year, Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton introduced H.B. 2369 to establish same-day voter registration and early voting in Pennsylvania. These measures have been implemented in many other states and have been successful at increasing voter participation. I fully support this proposal and am eager to help shepherd the bill through the legislature — nobody should miss out on the opportunity to vote simply because they didn’t register in time or are unavailable on Election Day.

In May, the Pennsylvania House passed state Rep. Scott Conklin’s H.B. 847 to allow for the pre-canvassing of mail ballots. Our current laws do not allow Pennsylvania election officials to sort or prepare absentee and mail ballots for scanning until Election Day. As voting by mail has become more popular in recent years, this creates a massive burden for poll workers and significantly delays our election results. I was ecstatic to vote for this bill and see it pass the House, as it has garnered overwhelming, bipartisan support from election officials in every corner of the state. To become law, the bill must be passed by the Republican-controlled state Senate, where the bill has sat untouched for months. If you want to help this bill become law and create a more efficient election process, contact leaders in the state Senate and urge them to bring it up for a vote. Until they act on the bill, election officials and poll workers will continue to be plagued by this outdated aspect of our election law.

Remember that every vote matters. If your vote didn’t matter, there wouldn’t be people investing vast amounts of time, energy and resources to make it more difficult to vote in Pennsylvania and across the nation. The survival of our democracy depends on an informed and engaged voting population, and that’s why it’s so vital for eligible voters to use their voice. My staff and I are here to help you access voting resources and any other state-related issues. Never hesitate to reach out with any problem, big or small, by emailing me at RepKinkead@pahouse.net or calling my district office at (412) 321-5523.