Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania elections judge changes his tune after vote counting concerns
Pennsylvania’s Jay Schneider said he started volunteering as a poll worker in 2022 due to his own skepticism about how votes were counted.
During the last presidential election between Democrat Joe Biden and then-President Donald Trump, a spike in mail-in ballots due to the Covid-19 pandemic led to some of his concerns.
Schneider, who now serves as judge of elections for Chester County, Pennsylvania, recalled his feelings from four years ago to Newsweek in an interview Monday at the Caln Township building.
“I just find it hard to believe that what the 3,400 counties in the country that all of them are prepared for this giant influx mail-in ballots,” said Schneider, a registered Republican, who told Newsweek that he votes for ‘people over party.’ “I think there could have been some shenanigans.”
Monica Sager / Newsweek
Heading into Election Day on Tuesday, many voters, especially Republicans, continue to express similar concerns.
According to an October survey from The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only one quarter of Republicans have “quite a bit” of trust in the nationwide vote counting. Those poll numbers improve for local elections officials, such as Scheider, as half of Republicans have a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of trust that municipal officials will count votes accurately.
Just last week, authorities in two Pennsylvania counties flagged thousands of potentially fraudulent voter registration applications, prompting Trump to stoke fears of fraud in the Keystone State. However, there was no evidence the applications have led or will lead to illegal votes.
Shneider says, with two years of experience an election worker, his “opinion has changed.” And while he says he can’t speak for election offices nationwide; he doesn’t see evidence of voter fraud happening in his own county.
“It’s very transparent,” said Schneider. “Here at the polls, we have Democrats and Republicans. Do you think one’s going to let the other get away with something? No. That’s the same thing at the county, plus everything is videotaped. You as a resident can just walk in here and watch things happen. It’s not hidden in anyway.”
As the fifth-most populous state, Pennsylvania holds 19 critical electoral votes, making it the largest of the seven key swing states in national elections.
Polls show Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in a dead heat in the Keystone State. According to polling expert Nate Silver’s calculations, the candidate who wins Pennsylvania has more than a 90 percent chance of winning the election.
Schneider said he voted by mail this year to tryout a new method of casting his ballot. “Just to make sure what the front-end looked like when you do that,” he said.
“This election is crazy,” Schneider said. “I have no idea what it’s going to be like because early voting — there’s a lot of that going on. But I have eight people (working the polls) this year. I never had that many people before.”
AFP/Getty Images
Pennsylvania Poll Workers Gear Up for Election Day
This year, Schneider’s Election Day will start at 5 a.m.
Schneider will head to the local Wawa, get a gallon of coffee, then report to the Caln Township building in Thorndale. Along with the poll workers, Schneider will rearrange the furniture so that there’s designated areas for people to line up, grab their ballots, vote, and submit into the sealed ballot machine.
Schneider has a binder full of color-coded sheets that indicate what to do in different situations with voters, including additional paperwork for provisional ballots.
“It’s like our cheat sheet for the poll work,” Schneider said.
This year, Schneider said his team does not need to hand count ballots on top of the machine’s work. Throughout the day, the voting machine will be checked multiple times to ensure the ballots that are entered match with voters.
He said with a camera, a Democrat and a Republican there, “nobody’s going to mess with that.”
“For me personally. I know it’s legit. And talking to the county and other people that do the same job has everybody confident about what’s happening here, at least in Chester County,” Schneider said. “I don’t feel that there’s any issues here. I hope there aren’t any anywhere else.”
Election Day is tomorrow. Follow Newsweek’s live blog for the latest updates.
Follow Newsweek’s Monica Sager on Twitter @monicasager3 for more election updates from the key swing state of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania home care workers say industry is in crisis, needs $800M in funding
Home care for aging parents, adults with disabilities in Philadelphia
Leaders at the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, which represents about 700 home care, home health and hospice agencies, say the industry’s workforce, about 290,000 people, is not growing at the same pace as the client population.
Low pay, moderate benefits and high burnout are making it increasingly hard to attract and retain workers, said association leaders, who estimate more than 112,000 direct care shifts go unfilled every month because of shortages.
“When you already can’t find somebody to do the work and then you’re not paying those folks well, those folks can go somewhere else and make more money,” Harris said. “Then you have more people who should be getting services, who need those services, who aren’t.”
Harris, who represents parts of South and West Philadelphia, recently met with families who depend on home care services, like the Walker family.
A home care worker comes by a couple times a week to support Barbara Walker’s adult son, Anthony, who has an intellectual and developmental disability.
In the past, Walker said she would often have to take off from work to stay home if Anthony was having a bad day or needed specialized services.
“It was hard. It was really hard,” she said. “It took a whole lot of time and patience.”
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania House passes bill that would raise minimum wage over several years
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHP) — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would raise the minimum wage statewide.
The bill would raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $11 per hour starting Jan. 1, 2027. The minimum wage would then increase to $13 per hour in 2028 and finally $15 per hour in 2029.
Representatives voted 104-95 to pass House Bill 2189, which is sponsored by Rep. Jason Dawkins, the House Democratic Communications Office announced Tuesday.
If the bill passes, counties would have the option to implement the $15 per hour minimum wage sooner than 2029. The bill would also set the minimum wage for tipped employees at 60% of the statewide minimum wage.
Pennsylvania’s minimum wage was last raised in 2009 when the federal minimum wage was increased to $7.25, House Democrats wrote in a press release.
The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration.
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
“Research shows that increasing the minimum wage does not lead to job losses or business closures,” Dawkins said. “What it does lead to is financial security and better life outcomes for families relying on minimum wage work. To my colleagues in the Senate, I implore you to take up this bill and finally raise the wage in Pennsylvania.”
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania lawmaker’s remove one, plant one bill to preserve state foliage advances
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHP) — In an attempt to protect and preserve a healthy tree canopy for communities across the Commonwealth, a Pennsylvania lawmaker is taking action.
Rep. Abigail Salisbury (D-Allegheny) previously introduced House Bill 2161, which would require utility companies to plant a new tree for each one they cut down within two years of cutting it down.
“I introduced this bill after residents and environmental advocates in our district expressed concerns that trees were being removed entirely, instead of simply being pruned or trimmed,” Salisbury said. “Maintaining a healthy tree canopy is essential for communities because it reduces stormwater runoff and air pollution, provides shade that lowers energy costs, raises property values, and increases pedestrian traffic for local businesses, among other benefits.
On Monday, the Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee voted to advance the bill to the House for consideration, according to legislative records.
“Monday’s committee action moved us a step closer to making sure those benefits continue,” Salisbury added.
Electric utilities would be required to plant a new one in a location that the municipality chooses.
She said her bill would align with existing regulations that require damage caused by utility work to be repaired, primarily work that would require excavation or other projects that break into streets and sidewalks.
-
Detroit, MI7 days agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Georgia1 week agoHow ICE plans for a detention warehouse pushed a Georgia town to fight back | CNN Politics
-
Movie Reviews6 days ago‘Youth’ Twitter review: Ken Karunaas impresses audiences; Suraj Venjaramoodu adds charm; music wins praise | – The Times of India
-
Education1 week agoVideo: Turning Point USA Clubs Expand to High Schools Across America
-
Sports4 days agoIOC addresses execution of 19-year-old Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
-
Science1 week agoIndustrial chemicals have reached the middle of the oceans, new study shows
-
Science1 week agoHow a Melting Glacier in Antarctica Could Affect Tens of Millions Around the Globe
-
Culture1 week agoTest Your Memory of Great Lines From Classic Irish Poems