Keep Our Republic

Sincere thanks to Clifford Levine and all participants who joined us Wednesday at Dickinson College. It was a productive morning with honest and thoughtful discussions.

A big thank you to Carter Walker of Votebeat for moderating a thoughtful and engaging conversation with Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt on the state’s election code. Carter’s latest article breaks down key insights from the discussion—be sure to read it here: https://lnkd.in/eKyhZ2tv

Dickinson College President John Jones III hosted Keeping Our Republic: Modernizing the Election Code, a pivotal discussion featuring Dickinson College students, Cumberland County Commissioner Kelly Neiderer, PA Secretary of State Al Schmidt, Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton, former Governor Tom Corbett, and York County Commissioner Julie Wheeler. The event brought together a diverse group of voices to explore election processes at both the state and national levels. This bipartisan conversation focused on strategies to engage young voters, enhance transparency in elections, and expand opportunities for poll worker volunteers across Pennsylvania.

In 2024, thanks to added experience with mail-in ballots and better sorting and counting technologies, the vote count was largely complete on Election Night. “We learned from the bad and the ugly to actually become good,” said Karen Barsoum, director of voter services in Chester County. But Secretary of State Al Schmidt told the Keep Our Republic forum at Dickinson College on Wednesday that there’s no reason not to give administrators more breathing room for the mail-in vote count. In pre-canvassing, officials scan and verify ballot envelopes, match the voter’s signature to voter rolls, open the mail and remove and scan ballots, literally putting them in the same stored position as the in-person vote registered on voting machines on Election Day itself. Election administrators have for years now been asking for time periods of up to one week before Election Day to do these administrative tasks. “Just because our counties really rose to the challenge this time [without pre-canvassing] doesn’t mean that that’s the best way to do things,” Schmidt said. “If voters want to know [election] results earlier, there’s no other way to do it than through mail-in ballot pre-canvassing,” Schmidt said at the conference. “It has never been an issue in any other state that I’m aware of.”

It was a great pleasure and honor to be with Keep Our Republic at Dickinson College for a high-level discussion with stakeholders from across the Commonwealth on “Modernizing Pennsylvania’s Election Code” this morning! A huge thanks to Executive Director Ari Mittleman with Keep Our Republic and President & Former Federal District Judge John Jones of Dickinson College for an engaging and thought-provoking discussion, especially for this election law nerd! There were attorneys, County Comissioners, election administrators, press, public interest leaders, and state officials in attendance. All areas were explored: administration, litigation, and legislation. In short: there’s a lot of work that still needs to be done to better processes and increase confidence! Thanks to Commissioner & County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania President Sherene Hess, Commissioner Kelly Neiderer, Director Karen Barsoum, Dennis Owens, PA Secretary of State Al Schmidt, Judge John Jones, Judge Al Masland, PA Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton, Former PA Governor Tom Corbett, and Commissioner Julie Wheeler for their very informative perspectives and participation in the panel discussions. Keep Our Republic is doing great non-partisan, pro-democracy work to better our country’s election systems and processes, while building confidence in our elections at the same time. Thanks again to them!

Appreciate ABC 27 New's coverage of our discussion and workshop on "Modernizing PA's Election Code" at Dickinson College. Our workshop brought together election experts, students, and community members to explore ways to modernize Pennsylvania’s election laws to ensure they are fair, transparent, and resilient. The discussion featured The Honorable Tom Corbett, 46th Governor of Pennsylvania and Chair of the Pennsylvania Advisory Council of Keep Our Republic; Joanna McClinton, Pennsylvania Speaker of the House; Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth; Judge John Jones, President of Dickinson College; Judge Al Masland, Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas; Sherene Hess, Indiana County Commissioner and CCAP Board President; Kelly Neiderer, Chair of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners; Karen Barsoum, Director of Voter Services for Chester County; Julie Wheeler, President Commissioner of York County; and Ari Mittleman, Executive Director of Keep Our Republic. We are grateful to these leaders and all who participated in this important conversation about the future of Pennsylvania’s elections! Check out the coverage and learn more about this critical discussion: ?? https://lnkd.in/g8J9kXNr?

Today, I attended an event that brought together high-level stakeholders from across the Commonwealth for a bipartisan round table discussion and workshop focused on Modernizing Pennsylvania’s Election Code. During this event, I was able to present First-Hand Testimony titled “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of 2024”. I’m hopeful that conversations like these will create a well rounded understanding of election administration in Pennsylvania and that laws are proposed with all stakeholders in mind. Keep Our Republic, and Dickinson College

At?Election Emergencies – Voting in the Eye of the Storm, Gabriel Sterling highlighted how Georgia election officials respond to crises with urgency & teamwork: “One of the 1st things we did was to make sure the counties that were hit had their liaisons call the elections directors saying, ‘Is your equipment okay?’ That was step one.” Emergency response partners play a crucial role, too: “Another thing I did first was called GEMA, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. Warren Shepard, I’ve never had him not pick up the phone when I call. No matter what time of day it is, it is amazing. They do a great job for us. They work with DHS to inspect all of our voting locations to make sure they are secure.” Through it all, election directors step up to serve their communities. “It’s key to help out your neighbors, and that’s what the elections directors in these counties do. I think common sense generally tends to prevail in a crisis. It’s when the crisis drags out for a long time that you start running into issues.” Strong elections require preparation, trust, and teamwork—especially in times of crisis.

At Election Emergencies – Voting in the Eye of the Storm on February 19th, former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson shared critical insights on protecting our electoral process from emerging threats. Johnson, who led DHS from 2013 to 2017, oversaw efforts in counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and disaster response. Previously, he was General Counsel for the Department of Defense, where he helped shape military counterterrorism policy. He also served as General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force and was appointed by President Obama to be General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 through 2012. A graduate of Morehouse College and Columbia Law School, he has also received nine honorary degrees for his contributions to law and national security. “Plan for the next crisis, not the last crisis. Don't just respond to the last attack. Think about what the next attack is going to look like, what the next challenge is going to look like.” Election officials play a vital role in upholding democracy, Sec. Johnson highlighted their commitment: “I have been impressed by the number of really dedicated local election officials that I have met who are determined to do their job honestly, faithfully, without regard to politics.” In an age of misinformation, election workers and voters alike must prioritize facts over falsehoods: “There are ways for election workers, poll watchers, [and] volunteers to arm themselves with accurate information without regard to some of the crazy stuff you see on social media.” Ensuring a free and fair process requires preparation, integrity, and reliable information. Securing our elections starts with facts, not misinformation.

I appreciate the opportunity from The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) to discuss U.S. Election Assistance Commission research on a significant issue - improving voter registration list address accuracy. I noted that this has been a systemic issue for 25+yrs, and we need to work together to fix it. I was joined by Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretary of State, Shane Hamlin, ERIC, + others, including moderator and Ex Dir Leslie Donohue Reynolds. Phillip Smith, 1LPhoto.com