April 23rd is the first full day of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It’s also the primary day in Pennsylvania.
That means Orthodox Jewish or observant election workers can’t work and some polling sites set up in Jewish community centers or local synagogues have moved. So, Philadelphia voters — observant or not — may need to plan to cast their vote by absentee or mail ballot within the next several days.
Pennsylvania statute sets the primary date on the fourth Tuesday in April. After realizing the conflict, the Democratic controlled state House and Republican controlled state Senate were unable to agree on a new primary date, said Republican City Commissioner Seth Bluestein.
Bluestein called it a “unique challenge.”
In the five counties surrounding Philadelphia, 8% identify Orthodox and an additional 23% identify as Conservative, according to the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.
“That’s not an insignificant number of people who can’t vote then on the primary day,” said Amy Widestrom, executive director at the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania.
During the first two days and last two days of Passover, observant Jews don’t drive, work, write or turn on electrical devices.
To make sure voters don’t skip the vote without having their say, the Montgomery County’s Board of Elections sprouted several satellite offices where residents can apply for an absentee ballot. Those location include spots in Lansdale, Pottstown, Lower Merion, Willow Grove, Norristown
Completed mail or absentee ballot applications must be received by county boards of elections by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16.
Within the next seven days, Widestrom advised folks to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot and mail it ahead of time so it’s in by 8 p.m. on the primary day, April 23.
“It can’t be stamped. It can’t be put in the mailbox on that day. It’s got to be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day,” she said.
Neil Makhja, Montgomery County’s chair of board of elections, is one of more than 100,000 Jewish households in the suburban county who observe the holiday. MontCo is home to roughly 14% of the area’s Jewish population.
Plus, over the last several years, the Jewish community in the Philadelphia region has grown exponentially, a WHYY News found in 2020.
Makhja said he was disappointed religious obligations were overlooked by government leaders.
“Sometimes policies in government don’t affect everyone equally and in order to actually give everyone equal access to the ballot, you have to consider what’s happening in communities,” he said. “It’s puzzling. How do you just ignore that? They wouldn’t do that if it was another holiday, right? We know that that wouldn’t happen. That’s why you need people in office in leadership who care about inclusion.”
Widestrom and Makhja advised everyone to check if their polling place moved. Although Passover is one of many reasons polling places or sites are moved, it can be disruptive for folks who are used to going right around the corner. Voting is a habit for some, and advocates want to make it easier not harder for community members to engage in civic life.
“The number one way that most people engage in civic life is through voting,” Widestrom said.
In Montgomery County, some polling places moved caddy-corner to where they initially were to help reduce confusion and inconvenience. There are satellite offices in Lower Merion, which is close to Center City in Willow Grove, in Pottstown and Landsdale.
“The right to vote is something that we can’t take for granted,” Makhja said. “Each person in our country has an equal voice in the direction of where we go.”
“Most people might think, ‘It’s just one vote. You know, what does it matter?’ But here in Pennsylvania, it turns out it really matters and every vote is of immense consequence not just for the county or the commonwealth but the whole country.”
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