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As a Spotlight PA article by Kate Huangpu in Monday's Williamsport Sun-Gazette detailed, there are guidelines, long in place, that set the perimeters on what parties and candidacies can do to have a role in ensuring fair elections.
We are, of course, open to the idea that, with transparent debate in the state Legislature, these guidelines can be improved or amended. As we've editorialized in the past, strengthening voter ID laws is one way the process can be improved. We believe it is entirely feasible to address the concerns and criticisms opponents of voter ID provisions to stymie their fears and to prove that voter ID requirements are not inherently an obstacle to ensuring the right to vote.
Addressing mail-in voting is perhaps another way the system can be improved. We believe our lawmakers should approach every session open-minded about what can be done -- open-minded enough to recognize the array of options that fall between what happened the past few elections after changes to mail-in voting and what happened in elections previous to the reforms sought and secured under Gov. Tom Wolf. We believe in the democratic legislative process enough to also believe that election security and improving access for all voters -- with disabilities or without, with careers that make same-day, in-person voting unreasonably difficult or without -- to this fundamental right.
We are also mindful, however, that the rules have long granted access to observing the process and registering complaints so the process works as it generally should. We hope that in any transparent debate our lawmakers undertake that they -- and we all -- can recognize that a candidate losing an election is not sufficient evidence that this system doesn't work.
We also hope that lawmakers and voters both can appreciate the work done by poll workers -- the vast majority of whom are volunteers -- and poll watchers. We all should be grateful that we live in a democratic republic where the successful division of authority under constitutions allows us accountability when democratically electing our public servants.