Voters concerned about mail voting
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Kevin Scott of Altoona hasn't noticed a recent difference in the flow of mail to his house, but he's heard about Postal Service disruptions that some claim have been engineered by the Trump administration, and he's heard the president's claims that voting by mail is rife with fraud -- claims panned by Democrats who have espoused mail-in voting.
So despite health issues that put him at risk for COVID-19, Scott plans to vote in person on Nov. 3.
"I'm not trusting the Postal Service now," he said. "The president has sowed the seed of doubt."
There have been local disruptions in service, said others downtown who spoke to the Mirror on Friday, along with local residents who've contacted the paper in recent weeks -- but there's no need to worry, according to a regional spokesman for the Postal Service.
"(The) service is committed to fulfilling our role in the electoral process when public policy makers choose to utilize us as a part of their election system," Tad Kelly stated in an email. "We provide election officials with a secure, efficient and effective means to enable citizens to participate in elections."
The service's highest priority "between now and election day is the secure, on-time delivery of the nation's election mail," Kelly wrote.
Mail service at home in Altoona is "maybe only a tad slower" -- but nothing to complain about, said Evan Kephart, proprietor of the newly opened Prophet's Melt Shop in the Altoona Transportation Center.
Kephart voted by mail in the primary election, signing up for a mail-in ballot in the general election, too.
But, like Scott, the president's statements have "negatively affected" his faith in the Postal Service, and he may complete his mail ballot and take it himself to the county election office "to cut down on the amount of drama," he said.
That means there would be one less ballot that could be subject to contention, he said.
He's still confident in the Postal Service in general, but he's frustrated by the president's attempt to "undermine" it, Kephart said.
LaVonne Falbo, owner of LaVintage Decor, hasn't noticed a mail slowdown, but plans to vote in person anyway.
"It will be a little safer," she said, speaking of the election, rather than medical security. "I want to make sure my vote gets there."
She spoke of "stories of misplaced ballots" that have triggered her worry.
She's confident that she'll be safe from the coronavirus, based on masking and social distance guidelines.
Beth Wagner, owner of The Bark Side Pet Spa hasn't been paying much attention to the news lately and was unfamiliar with the controversy.
But she was planning to vote at a polling place, because she feels "like that's one of those things you should do in person," she said.
Learning what has been happening only reinforced her decision, she said.
Don Bowers is a member of the Blair County Republican Committee and voted by mail in the primary because he was concerned there wouldn't be enough poll workers then, due to the coronavirus.
He plans to vote in person this time, as there is expected to be a full complement of polling places and poll workers.
"I'm afraid something could happen (with a mail-in vote)," he said. "It could get lost."
While the mail is normally reliable, he's noticed erratic deliveries recently at his home -- days with no mail, then days with extra mail, he said.
That matches the experience of fellow Altoona Parking Authority employee Steve Olivo -- although it contrasted with the experience of authority office manager Vickie Chilcote, who has noticed no changes at the office, at her home on Grandview Avenue or her mother's home in Bellwood, she said.
Bowers has long been concerned with the potential for voter fraud, and didn't like the electronic voting machines that have since been replaced in Blair County, because they didn't create a paper record that could be examined if there was a problem, he said.
Kelly's email labored to ease the concerns.
"(The Postal Service) employ(s) a robust process to ensure proper handling of all election mail, including ballots," and coordinates and partners with local and state election officials "so that they can make informed decisions and educate the public about what they can expect when using the mail to vote," he wrote.
That includes discussion of "delivery processes" with election officials to ensure success, he wrote.
Still, voters need to understand the mail voting rules of their local jurisdictions, Kelly wrote.
For states like Pennsylvania that require eligible voters to request a ballot in order to get one through the mail, the Postal Service recommends requesting one as early as possible, then returning it a least a week before the state's deadline, he wrote.
In Pennsylvania, ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by county election offices by 5 p.m. the following Friday.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.