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Biden is out of touch with border situation
To the Editor:
Joe Biden's lack of a cohesive immigration strategy highlights how out of touch he is with the current border situation. Pennsylvania, home to a sanctuary city, underscores the urgency of addressing a surge in unchecked illegal immigration. Escalating border crossings strain resources, burdening taxpayers with increased costs for social services, education, and healthcare.
Immediate action is necessary to safeguard communities and uphold national security principles. Enhancing security at the southern border extends beyond states bordering Mexico, impacting the entire nation, including Pennsylvania.
Strengthening border measures is crucial not only for preventing illegal immigration but also for deterring criminal activities like drug trafficking and human smuggling. In November, Pennsylvanians should assess the state of the nation's borders and elect leaders who recognize the imperative for immediate action.
Juanita Byler
McVeytown
Mail-in, absentee votes have low fraud possibility
To the Editor:
I would like to respond to Dorothy Yoder's letter to the editor of Saturday, May 18, in which she expresses concern about the potential pre-canvassing of mail-in and absentee votes. HB 847, recently passed by the PA House and sent to the Senate, would allow the counting of these votes up to seven days before the election. Ms. Yoder is concerned that this bill does not contain provisions for voter ID and proof of citizenship, and is concerned as well about the possibility of fraud if votes are counted early.
In regards to the voter ID and proof of citizenship issue, I quote a published letter from a PA poll worker in Delaware Co., in which she states that "All residents registering to vote for the first time (including mail-in and absentee voters) must prove they are citizens of the U.S. and residents of the state and voting precinct when they register. They must show ID at the polls (or in their mail-in application) when they are voting at their precinct for the first time.
This information is stored and is used to verify voters' qualifications each time they move, change their names or change their parties. Once they've done it the first time, voters don't have to prove over and over again throughout their civic lives that they are citizens. Both voting by mail and voting in person are extremely secure, with layers and layers of safeguards. Incidents of voter fraud are vanishingly small and virtually always tried by individual voters. There are never any organized efforts to affect an election outcome." (Delaware Co. Daily Times) According to the PA Department of State, to be eligible to register to vote in Pennsylvania, applicants must be a U.S. citizen for at least 30 days, and a resident of Pennsylvania for at least 30 days.
Ms. Yoder refers to 251,000 illegal aliens residing in PA. Leaving alone the fact that the 2021 number of illegal residents was 160,000 according to "The Economic Contributions of Pennsylvania's Immigrants, May 2021", illegal immigrants are NOT PERMITTED TO VOTE IN PA. The polling safeguards mentioned above assure us of that.
Interestingly, the Republican party is now beginning to encourage mail-in voting. Sen. Doug Mastriano wrote this concerning the 2020 election results: "We must….adjust our attitude toward mail-in voting. If we plan on winning statewide offices, we have no choice but to embrace this method of voting." On Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, the Republican National Committee (RNC) released a 30-second video encouraging Republicans to utilize mail-in voting and early voting as part of their "Bank Your Vote" campaign, a complete flip-flop from the last presidential cycle when the party repeatedly attacked these voting methods. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and former chair of the Republican National Committee Ronna McDaniel released ads encouraging Republican voters to vote early by mail. (Type in "Bank Your Vote" on YouTube). It is also interesting that the numbers show that Florida and Georgia Republicans voted by mail more than Democrats in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Pennsylvania voters deserve to know the result of November's election as soon as possible. The PA Senate should pass HB 847.
Joan D. Loewen
Lewistown