Public commenter urges Erie County to adopt ACLU/Common Cause recommendations and warns 'SAVE Act' changes could disenfranchise voters

A public commenter urged the Erie County Board of Elections on Feb. 10 to consider adopting recommendations from Common Cause and the ACLU to improve the notice-and-cure process and ballot access.

The commenter said Erie County already implements many recommended practices but suggested additional steps: more drop boxes (citing Bucks County’s library drop boxes as an example), full-service satellite election offices for same-day ballot cancellation and reissuance, and automatic return/cancellation and reissuance of flawed mail ballots earlier in the cycle to reduce voter confusion. "I shared with some of you a paper by the Common Cause and the ACLU with some recommendations about how to improve the notice and cure process," the commenter said.

The speaker also raised concerns about the "SAVE Act," saying a requirement to appear in person with proof of citizenship to change a registration could disenfranchise voters, including people with severe disabilities and those who move frequently. "It is actually going to disenfranchise voters," the commenter said. The board acknowledged the comment; the chair noted members had received the referenced report and that the board already follows several suggested practices.

Board members later discussed vendor failures in other counties and called for transparency and possible independent review of past local vendor problems; staff also reassured the public that Erie County maintains paper poll books at every precinct as a fail-safe.

The public comment and subsequent board discussion framed the board’s later operational decisions on access (including authorizing postage for return mail ballots) and a proposal to consider an independent review of prior vendor issues.