Election watchdogs urge voters to report problems at the polls
Expecting a strong turnout at next week's elections, a group of voter watchdogs Wednesday reminded people to speak up if they have problems at the polls.
Expecting a strong turnout at next week's elections, a group of voter watchdogs Wednesday reminded people to speak up if they have problems at the polls.
"If you see something, say something," said Committee of Seventy CEO David Thornburgh. "Something out of bounds. Some intimidation. Some potentially illegal activity."
Thornburgh was joined by Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, whose office will have dozens of employees on hand Tuesday to investigate claims of illegal voting and electioneering, among other issues.
"We want Philadelphians to know that if they experience any difficulty casting a ballot, our elections fraud task force is ready to help," Williams said.
In addition to the presidential Republican and Democratic primaries, voters in the region will weigh in on a handful of other races Tuesday, including the primary for Pennsylvania attorney general. Four Democrats are also vying to face off with Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in November.
Three candidates are running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, who faces trial on federal corruption charges, to represent the Second Congressional District.
At least 104,000 voters statewide have changed their voter registration this year ahead of the presidential primary. Asked if those changes will cause snags at the polls, Williams said the city commissioners, who oversee elections, have been diligent in registering those changes and he didn't anticipate any problems.
Thornburgh added that because the state launched online voting registration last year, he expects changes to be accounted for more smoothly than in the past.
"There inevitably will be some issues," he said, "but I think that should have gone a long way toward solving a lot of the challenges that we used to have."
Voters who have problems at the polls can call the election fraud task force at 215-686-9641, 9643, or 9644. The Committee of Seventy also operates a hotline at 1-855-SEVENTY.
215-854-2730 @TriciaNadolny