PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Think you know everything about the election process? The Committee of Seventy and Philadelphia City Commissioners are inviting city voters to learn the facts, not the rumors.
Ahead of the Pennsylvania primaries, the newly launched Election Academy will give voters a behind-the-scenes look at the election process.
“This is a new opportunity for people to get even closer to our elections and … get a firsthand insight into the professionalism, the care, and all the bipartisan checks that define election administration in Philadelphia,” said Lauren Cristella, president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy.
Participants will be given tours of the warehouse where election machines are stored and mail-in ballots are processed.
“Those mail-in ballots also move very quickly through machines. No one is tampering with ballots. No one’s even looking at your vote,” she said. “That’s how quickly they move through the mail ballot sorting machines, and I would love for people to be able to go check them out themselves.”
Cristella said as interest in the upcoming midterms grows, so do the rumors and conspiracy theories. The Election Academy aims to highlight the measures in place that keep elections safe and secure.
“Those checks and balances and how many different people are part of the process,” Cristella continued. “It’s not just one person who’s making decisions unilaterally, and it’s not just one person that’s in charge of your ballot from start to finish.”
Research shows that tours of election facilities have increased trust in the process, particularly among those who were more skeptical.
“The Election Academy opens the doors of our election system to the public,” added Philadelphia City Commissioners Chairman Omar Sabir. “When people understand how elections are administered, they gain confidence in the process and become stronger participants in our democracy.”
The Election Academy will kick off with a March 21 event at the Philadelphia City Commissioners warehouse. Registration is required. More classes run through April at satellite election offices across the city. More information here.