NORRISTOWN — As the 2021 general election has been fast approaching, Montgomery County officials have been busy getting ready for voters to cast their ballots.
“[We’re] absolutely prepared. Ready to go. We have our last election board meeting on Monday just to make the last few appointments for the canvas board of tabulations. Really, everything’s happening right on schedule,” Montgomery County’s Director of Elections Dori Sawyer said in an interview Friday.
A number of local races are featured on the Nov. 2 ballot including councils, school boards and judgeships.
“You’re voting for offices that impact your quality of life,” Sawyer said.
School board races
Voters across the North Penn area will have their eyes on the race for four North Penn school board seats, as Republican challengers Jessie Bradica, Fred Froehlich, Michael Kennedy and Harry Snyder aim to unseat Democrat incumbents Tina Stoll, Christian Fusco, Jonathan Kassa and Al Roesch, in a race that has drawn heated debate and plenty of fireworks at public meetings all summer.
Seven candidates are vying for four open seats on the nine-member Norristown Area School District school board. Daniel De Kok Sr., Mao Howell and Lisa Licwinko-Engleman are listed as Republicans, according to the 2021 general election unofficial candidate list. Shae Ashe, Marissa Dell and Christopher Jaramillo are listed as Democrats. Cynthia M. Wirth is listed on both Democrat and Republican lines.
Ashe resigned on Tuesday from his post on the board where he served as president amid allegations of communication with a former Norristown Area High School student. An article published last week in the Delaware Valley Journal featured alleged messages exchanged between the former school board president and a then-17-year-old girl. No charges have been filed at this time, and authorities have not confirmed an investigation.
“If the voters re-elect Mr. Ashe, he will be honored and respect their vote. Whether he decides to take office will depend on the outcome of any investigation and if he feels he can effectively represent his constituents without undue distraction,” said attorney R. Emmett Madden, who is representing Ashe, in a statement to MediaNews Group on Friday afternoon.
Nearly 600K voters registered
In Montgomery County, Sawyer said there were 594,858 registered voters at the conclusion of the 2021 primary season.
While the 2020 general election brought an 84-percent voter turnout rate to the state’s third-most populous county, municipal races do not tend to showcase the same participation.
There was a 15.71-percent voter turnout rate in the 2017 primary election as compared to a 27.32-percent turnout rate during the primary election in May, according to Sawyer, who noted that’s a “pretty big jump considering it’s the same kind of races.”
Montgomery County Election Board Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr. reminded voters that they can cast their ballots by mail or in-person for the upcoming election.
“If you are voting by absentee ballot or mail, please make sure you fill out the ballot correctly and place it sealed in the privacy envelope before placing it in the postage-paid mailing envelope, which requires your signature,” Lawrence said during an Oct. 21 commissioners meeting.
Mail-in ballots
There were 92,069 mail-in ballot applications sent out, and 57,005 mail-in ballots returned as of Thursday afternoon, according to Sawyer.
Voters can turn in their mail-in ballots to 11 secure drop boxes throughout the county. The following locations are open 24 hours a day up until 8 p.m. on Election Day:
- Cheltenham: Township Tax Office, located at 8230 Old York Road, in Elkins Park
- Lansdale: District Court 38-1-28, located at 430 Pennbrook Parkway, in Lansdale
- Lower Merion: Ludington Library, located 5 South Bryn Mawr Ave., in Bryn Mawr
- Norristown: Montgomery County Airy Street parking lot, located at the intersection of Airy and DeKalb streets, in Norristown
- Pottstown: Montgomery County Community College – South Hall, located at 101 College Drive, in Pottstown
- Royersford: Victory Park parking lot, located at Second and Arch streets, in Royersford
- Skippack: Montgomery County 4H Center, located at 1015 Bridge Road, in Collegeville
- Upper Dublin: Upper Dublin Library, located at 520 Virginia Drive, in Fort Washington
- Upper Frederick: Green Lane Park office, located at 2144 Snyder Road, in Green Lane
- Upper Merion: Upper Merion Township Building, located at 175 W. Valley Forge Road in King of Prussia
- Upper Moreland: Willow Grove Annex, located at 102 N. York Road, in Willow Grove
In-person voting
Election officials recommended that those opting to cast their ballot in person should check their registration status and verify their polling place online at votes.pa.gov. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Lawrence and Sawyer stressed that several COVID-19 health and safety strategies would be implemented including having poll workers wear masks, social distancing and sanitizing writing implements.
“We encourage all residents who wish to cast a ballot in person to follow the posted rules at polling locations regarding masking,” Lawrence said.
Election officials will then proceed with the tabulation process once the polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Sawyer added that the “mail-in ballot canvassing starts at 7 a.m. on Election Day.”
Unofficial election results will be posted online.
“These elections are hyper-local,” she said. “So when we’re talking about precinct-level races, like judge of election or inspector of elections, waiting for those final results, it could come down to two or three votes and it could be that provisional ballots impact those races and those results.”
For more information, check out the Montgomery County Office of Voter Services’ website at www.montcopa.org/voterservices.
Anyone with questions can also call 610-278-3280, send an email to voters@montcopa.org, or visit the voter services office from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, located on the sixth floor of One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede St., in Norristown.
MediaNews Group staff writer Dan Sokil contributed to this report.
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