By Roy Christman

Republican legislators in Harrisburg are planning to hold committee hearings on the November election. Certainly the system by which we elect our president and other officials could be improved. The current process is complicated, varies from county to county, and makes voting a chore. Here is a list of reforms that would increase turnout and make voting easier, more secure, more trusted, and more reflective of voters’ wishes.

• Permit Election Day registration. One worry expressed about the November election was that people might vote who weren’t registered. Many states, among them Nevada, Alaska, Utah, Maryland and Idaho, allow citizens to register on Election Day. That eliminates the issue of whether or not a voter was registered, and it would increase turnout. Interest usually peaks on Election Day, not 15 days prior, the current deadline for registration in Pennsylvania.

• Allow mail-in ballots to be counted before Election Day. Far more Biden supporters voted by mail-in ballots than Trump supporters, who tended to vote in person. Mail-in ballots, however, could not be counted until Election Day, and because envelopes must be opened and scanned, it takes days to finish the tally.

That meant people went to bed on Nov. 3 with Trump leading, only to see that lead evaporate as the mail-in ballots were counted. What was a counting issue became a claim of fraud.

• Get rid of the “security” envelope. Many voters had problems with the two envelope system. Why not just use one? You fill out your ballot and your affidavit, stick both in the envelope, and send them first class. Postal carriers do not open first class mail. Additionally, if there were nothing to write on the back of the envelope, we wouldn’t have to “cure” (i.e., correct) incomplete envelopes.

Incidentally, when people make a mistake on their ballots at the polling place, the scanner kicks it back and they are allowed to revote. Why were people upset when registrars called voters who made a mistake on their envelopes and allowed them to correct it? In any case, the policy should be the same in all counties.

• Allow more drop boxes. If you wanted to drop off your ballot in Carbon County, you had to drive to Jim Thorpe. If you lived in Tresckow or Little Gap, that was quite a drive. Carbon County should have at least one drop box in Jim Thorpe, one in Palmerton and one in Weatherly. Drop boxes could be located in police stations for security.

• Eliminate gerrymandering. Voters are often cynical. When you look at the way congressional and state legislative districts are drawn, you should be cynical.

Instead of voters selecting their representatives, the representatives are choosing their voters. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania legislators are now pushing a constitutional amendment to elect judges by district, which will give them another branch of government to gerrymander.

I have heard grown legislators say about gerrymandering, “Well, both parties do it.” Why can’t Pennsylvania legislators imitate states that have already set up nonpartisan citizens’ commissions to draw district lines? Why do we have to be behind the curve?

• Institute “ranked choice” voting. In this system you can vote for more than one candidate, but you rank candidates in the order of your preference. Say you are a Libertarian and you want to vote for the Libertarian candidate, but you are fairly sure she won’t win. You’d also prefer the Republican candidate over the Democrat. Ranked choice allows you to chose the Libertarian as your first choice and the Republican as number two. When the votes are counted, if no candidate has a majority, the candidate with the lowest vote total is dropped and her voters’ second choices are then counted. This continues until one of the candidates receives a majority. Ranked choice voting is already being used in Maine and will be instituted in Alaska beginning in 2022.

One reform is beyond the ability of the Pennsylvania Legislature. We ought to make Election Day a national holiday. One suggestion is to move it to Veterans Day, which would also honor the sacrifice of veterans, but that requires national legislation. I also have friends who want to make voting mandatory, like jury duty.

That would certainly increase turnout, but it won’t happen.

Roy Christman, Ph.D., taught American Government at San Jose State University before retiring to Carbon County.