‘We’re Rolling With It’: Election Workers Scramble To Adjust To Changing Voting Rules

Enlarge this image


Andrea Lerner (left), and her husband, Ira Lerner, sift through the mail-in applications at the Voter Registration office in the Lehigh County Government Center in Allentown, Pa.





Hannah Yoon for NPR



hide caption



toggle caption


Hannah Yoon for NPR





Enlarge this image


Ballot envelopes sit in a bin at the Voter Registration office. Election workers everywhere are doing what they can to adjust to court cases and changing rules around voting in Pennsylvania.





Hannah Yoon for NPR



hide caption



toggle caption


Hannah Yoon for NPR





Enlarge this image


Morris Romig drops off his voter mail-in ballot application at the Voter Registration office. Romig said he’s worried about fraud and doesn’t know who to believe. He said he’s going to vote one way or another in this election.





Hannah Yoon for NPR



hide caption



toggle caption


Hannah Yoon for NPR





Enlarge this image


Election Director Timothy Benyo has to basically run two elections this November — one in person and another by mail.





Hannah Yoon for NPR



hide caption



toggle caption


Hannah Yoon for NPR





Enlarge this image


Ellen Ortt looks through old voter registration files at the Voter Registration office in the Lehigh County Government Center in Allentown, Pa. Ortt is looking to see which files need to be update with a new address or a party switch.





Hannah Yoon for NPR



hide caption



toggle caption


Hannah Yoon for NPR





Enlarge this image


A mailer shows President Trump encouraging mail-in voting, despite his vocal opposition to it.





Pam Fessler/NPR



hide caption



toggle caption


Pam Fessler/NPR





Enlarge this image


A memo stating «Need to be filed in Removal/Deceased Drawer» is attached to an obituary newspaper clipping. Election workers check obituaries to make sure ballots are not sent to people who have died.





Hannah Yoon for NPR



hide caption



toggle caption


Hannah Yoon for NPR



2020 Election: Secure Your Vote
In ‘Tense’ Call, DeJoy Tells Election Officials That USPS Can Handle Mail Ballots



Politics
Trump Dismisses Complaints About Coronavirus Response From Former Pence Aide

«‘I will only be voting in person. Looking forward to meeting my fellow Americans at the polls on November 3rd,'» reads Lerner, adding, «That’s so much nicer than the usual angry diatribes that we get!»

There have been a few of those, both in the mail and over the phone, and there could be more in the weeks ahead. Everyone here hopes things will go well in November, but they know these are confusing and unprecedented times.