January 22, 2021 By U.S. Senator Bob Casey
Pennsylvania was called for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris four days after the polls opened on Election Day in 2020. Four days was enough time for me to post 41 videos on social media explaining the election dynamics playing out in Pennsylvania. Four days was also enough time for conspiracy theorists—including our former President—to spread baseless accusations and misinformation aimed at undermining the integrity of our democracy, sowing doubt in otherwise sound election results and fostering violence, including death threats against dutiful election workers across Pennsylvania.
To understand the full story in Pennsylvania, it is important to go back to October 2019. During that month, Governor Wolf signed into law Act 77, a historic and comprehensive election reform bill that sailed through the General Assembly with strong bipartisan support. In addition to enhancing security measures, Act 77 established “no-excuse” absentee voting—better known as mail-in voting—for all voters in Pennsylvania.
In the face of a once-in-a-century pandemic during the 2020 general election, this new law proved to be particularly prescient; Pennsylvania’s record setting 71 percent turnout was made possible only through mail-in voting, which accounted for approximately 38 percent of votes cast. Mail-in voting enabled over 2.6 million Pennsylvanians to safely and securely cast their ballot.
