After a delay, primary election ballots are finally on their way to voters

Mail ballots for the May primary voting are completely being printed and sent to voters homes and poll offices after a dispute over one candidate s eligibility was at least temporarily settled The delay has caused consternation among several residents who are worried they won t get their ballots in time Voter Judy Allison revealed she ll be out of town next week and was planning to pick up a ballot in person but that might not work because of the printing delay It means I have to go to City Hall as late as I can before I leave for vacation and hope that the ballots are there she disclosed It s hard enough to vote absentee in the first place Now it is doubly complicated Allison noted there are major races on the ballot including for District Attorney and state Superior Court judgeships and revealed she was concerned the delay would discourage proceeding voting and diminish the democratic process However the City Commissioners who oversee elections in Philadelphia say they very much want people to vote and are urging them to do so by mail in advance at an poll office or at polling places on Electoral contest Day U S President not being on the ballot should not be an excuse to skip this ballot There are offices judges DA City Controller on the ballot that will have as much or greater impact on you your families and neighbors everyday life mentioned Lisa Deeley vice chair of the City Commissioners I encourage all citizens to vote and vote in every office up and down the ballot They also note that in current times May is the voter registration deadline for the primary Keep reading for info on how to vote and why the ballots have been delayed ahead of the May voting A back-and-forth over residency The delay in finalizing and printing ballots occurred because of a dispute over the residency of Mike Huff a progressive Democrat who was running to be a judge in the Court of Common Pleas or in Municipal Court Huff has been involved in Philadelphia politics for years but he only moved to the city last year and his wife continues to live in their home in Bala Cynwyd the Inquirer broadcasted The city Democratic Party whose leadership is often antagonistic toward progressives backed a challenge to Huff s eligibility to run in Philly and a Commonwealth Court judge ordered to remove him from the ballot The state Supreme Court ordered the judge to reconsider her order but last week the judge affirmed her initial decision citing evidence that Huff spent more time in Bala Cynwyd than in Philly While he announced he s appealing again the City Commissioners couldn t hold off any longer on finalizing the candidate list since they are legally required to start sending out ballots this Tuesday The commissioners disclosed Friday that mail ballots were eventually being printed and would arrive in voters mailboxes soon How to register and vote Two key dates are looming for voters in contemporary times s deadline to register in time for the primary and the May deadline at p m to request a mail ballot Those are two separate processes You still have a minimal hours to register online or in person You can do so at the Board of Elections office in City Hall Room or one of the city s satellite polling offices The office at N Columbus Blvd at Spring Garden Street will stay open until midnight tonight May The City Hall office is open weekdays a m to p m and the satellite offices are open those hours plus a m to p m on weekends As for mail ballots instructions to have one sent to your home are available here You can also get one at a satellite ballot office and fill it out and submit it on the spot For more information on how to apply for fill out and submit a mail or absentee ballot and deal with various special voting situations and snafus check out our comprehensive explainer from last fall If you re voting by mail remember that your ballot must be received by the Board of Elections by p m on Electoral process Day May To make sure it arrives in time be sure to drop it in the mail several days before then Alternately you can deposit the ballot in one of the city s plenty of official drop boxes or at the Board of Elections office in City Hall Here s a searchable map of drop-off locations And if you re planning to kick it old school and vote in person on Polling Day here s a ton of useful info from the City Commissioners including sample ballots listing candidates and a searchable map of polling places You can also check out WHYY s Primary Balloting guide and keep an eye out for Billy Penn s Procrastinator s Guide to the polling for Philly voters which will be coming out in a sparse days The post After a delay primary poll ballots are conclusively on their way to voters appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY