Problems with Mail-In Ballots Leave Student Voices Unheard

With Pennsylvania’s presidential primary coming up on April 23 and the presidential election in Nov., it’s time to start thinking about voting. As both of these upcoming elections occur while college students are in school, the challenge of how to vote arises. For the students who live across the state or out of state, they can mail in a ballot to cast their vote. But is mailing a ballot an assured way to make sure your vote counts? Grace Radomski, a senior nursing major, thought so when she wanted to vote in the presidential election her freshman year.  But she had issues receiving her ballot.

“My freshman year, I wanted to vote in the presidential election. I am from New York, so I figured a mail-in ballot would be easier than driving back home. I requested a mail-in ballot weeks in advance, and I didn’t show up until one or two days before it was due back in New York. It all worked out, and I still got to vote but I was afraid it wouldn’t count,” Radomski said.

For Radomski, the issue resolved itself, but other college voters weren’t as lucky. Ceili Schiller, a sophomore visual and performing arts major, was a first-time voter in the 2022 general elections. 

“I got my ballot four days before the election, and it arrived two days after the election,” Schiller said.

Since she did have a car on campus and lived outside Philadelphia, there was no way of her getting home for the election, so the mail-in ballot was her only option for voting. Schiller also recalls that some people didn’t even get their ballot. 

“I don’t know who it was, but I would be hanging out with the CAs on duty in the Village Hall, and they’d be there asking about their ballot weeks after the elections,” Schiller said.

Caitlin Cruser, a senior creative and professional writing major, has a similar issue.

“I applied for a mail-in ballot while I was at home, but it never got delivered to school. I checked with my parents to see if it got delivered there, but it didn’t. The only election I’ve been able to participate in was the 2020 presidential,” Cruser said.

It is not clear if these are isolated incidents or if this is a common occurrence. If you are an in-state student who lives far from campus, you can register to vote in Westmoreland County. April 8 is the last day you can register to vote before the April 23 presidential primary.