NORRISTOWN, PA — Montgomery County has garnered some national attention for the better part of a decade now, as one of the largest counties in one of the most crucial swing states during successive closely-fought election cycles.
And moving into 2024, with another razor thin presidential election anticipated, officials on both sides of the aisle note that the county could play a prominent role in determining the future of the nation. And they’re making preparations some 10 months out.
“As we step up to protect democracy, we will fight to protect every vote in 2024,” Montgomery County Commissioner Jamila H. Winder said. “In Montgomery County, every eligible voter will have an equal opportunity to have their ballot cast and counted.”
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Winder said the county is investing in their Voter Services operations to make sure “all facets” of the election run smoothly. They’re also doing outrach into communities that have been historically marginalized to ensure that as many individuals are registered to vote and able to vote as possible. Specific efforts include increasing language access to voting materials and using texts and emails to inform voters of key information related to the election.
The Board has a goal of 90 percent voter participation, which would be a huge, historic increase over any previous election.
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Both Winder and fellow Commisioner Neil Makhija, the Democrats on the Board, pointed to the ongoing legal battle in the courts over undated mail-in ballots. They’ll be working on a board that has seen complete turnover from a year ago with Republican Tom DiBello, an establishment pick chosen as an alternative to incumbent Joe Gale’s MAGA brand of election denial, who is considered a more moderate voice in his party.
A last minute decision in Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court just before Election Day 2023 ruled that undated ballots must be counted, but it’s continued to be caught up in counter-suits statewide in the weeks since.
See also: Mail-In Ballot Controversy Stews After Montco Election Tiebreaker
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That ruling had a direct impact on the Towamencin Township Supervisors election in 2023 that was decided by a single vote. Kofi Osei had tied incumbent Rich Marino in the race, as each had exactly 3,035 votes. Osei then won a random drawing to break the tie. Marino had led by four votes before a federal court ruling was handed down that required all mail-in ballots that were undated or had incorrect dates to be counted. The recount gave Marino one additional vote and Osei five additional votes.
A total of 349 ballots across the county were impacted. Such numbers may seem small, but given Pennsylvania’s place as a swing state and the very tight nature of the past two presidential elections, these are the small battles that could determine the future course of the nation.
“The threat to our voting rights is real,” Makhija added. “In the last presidential election, fraudulent suits filed in Pennsylvania courts threatened to deprive our residents of the right to vote. Our national elections could hinge on the narrowest margins, which is why the work of local election officials has become high-pressure and critical to upholding our democratic process.”
Similar legal fights clouded the 2020 election in Montgomery County. Republican Congressional candidate Kathy Barnette filed one of the first election denying lawsuits in the nation on Election Day in 2020, claiming that the county violated election law by notifying voters of errors on their ballots, allowing them to fix the mistakes and return the corrected ballots.
Barnette’s slew of claims, similar to Trump’s claims about election interference, have been debunked. But the shadow of doubt has been planted in an enormous base, and it represents an inertia that will make itself felt in 2024, regardless the outcome.
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