Mail-in ballots remain partisan choice in Lehigh Valley, state
Democrats request three-fourths of ballots
The Lehigh Valley’s extreme partisan divide over mail-in ballots has persisted this year with more than three-fourths of applications coming from Democratic voters.
That trend mirrors statewide trends, as Democrats across Pennsylvania accounted for 76% of mail-in and absentee ballot applications, according to numbers released Thursday by the Department of State. Nearly 448,000 mail-in and absentee ballots have been returned to county election offices so far, which is about 42% percent of absentee ballots and 50% of the 910,000 mail-in ballot requests sent out.
Pennsylvania residents who wanted a mail-in ballot had until 5 p.m. Tuesday to register and request a mail ballot for the May 17 primary. Those ballots must be returned to county election offices by 8 p.m. the day of the primary or to drop-off boxes in each county. Locations and hours when Lehigh Valley sites are open can be found here.
Northampton County data showed 25,510 registered voters requested mail-in ballots.
Of those, 19,775 (77%) were Democrats.
Another 5,708 were Republicans.
The remaining 27 voters are not affiliated with either party but are allowed to vote on an East Allen Township referendum question that would create a 0.25 mill tax for open space preservation.
In Lehigh County, 25,179 requests were made for mail-in ballots, according to Chief Clerk for Registration and Elections Timothy Benyo.
Of those, 19,322 (76%) were registered Democrats.
Another 5.857 were Republicans.
The continued divide should come as little surprise. Republican leaders, led by former President Donald Trump, have attacked mail-in voting, claiming without evidence that it’s a tool for liberals to throw elections. Audits by multiple states have found no evidence to support any claims of widespread fraud, and Trump’s own Justice Department found the 2020 election was secure.
That’s mattered little to Pennsylvania Republicans and their supporters, who continue to eschew voting by mail. Every Republican candidate for governor calls for repealing Act 77, which allowed for no-excuse mail-in voting. It’s a stark turnaround considering every Republican in the state Senate, including gubernatorial candidates Jake Corman and Doug Mastriano, voted for the measure in 2019 before it drew Trump’s ire.
Fourteen Republican lawmakers filed a lawsuit last year against Act 77, arguing the law was unconstitutional. In January, a Commonwealth Court ruled in their favor by a 3-2 party line vote, but the ruling was put on hold by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The high court heard arguments about the law’s constitutionality in March but has not yet issued its own ruling.
The fight over mail-in ballots puts a greater spotlight on the race for governor. Incumbent Tom Wolf has blocked every effort by the Republican-controlled General Assembly to repeal Act 77. Should a Republican succeed him to the executive mansion, it would likely lead to the end of the law.
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