Bucks County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo (Republican) issued the following statement regarding integrity of the general election and a peaceful transition of power:
“From more than 60 years ago, when growing up on my grandparents’ farm, I have a vivid and lasting memory of every Election Day. My grandparents – who emigrated from Italy and became citizens – would, on this special day, come out of the fields they farmed side-by-side to get washed up and put on their Sunday best clothes to go vote together. Because they loved their new country so much and realized the importance and responsibility of voting, it was the most important thing they could do.
“That image of my grandparents, driving away to go vote, humbled by that right and responsibility, has stayed with me throughout my years as an elected official. As a State Representative back in June of 2019, I was one of 109 Republican House members who voted in favor of a bill to allow mail-in voting in PA. Only one Republican voted no.
“The Republican Party and leadership were convinced this was the right thing to do, along with other issues included in the bill. Governor Wolf signed the bill and it was a bipartisan agreement.
“I, along with my two fellow Commissioners, make up the Board of Elections here in Bucks County. I am absolutely committed to making sure that, whether you vote at the polls or use mail-in voting, your vote will be counted and the voting process will be safe and secure. Many states have been using mail-in voting for years with not only little to no problems, but also little to no incidents of voting fraud. Our BOE Director, Tom Freitag, our Chief Clerk, Gail Humphrey, and all of our election board staff have worked tirelessly to ensure the integrity and success of our election, and make certain every vote is counted.
“I have pushed for, and will continue to advocate for, the ability to precanvass as one of the recommendations of the Bipartisan Election Task Force we formed here in Bucks. Right now in Pennsylvania, ballots cannot be removed from their envelopes and prepared for the machines until the morning of Election Day. This does not give us enough time to process each and every ballot in time to have a final count available on Election Night, as we are all used to having. We need a change in the law in Harrisburg so that we can precanvass the ballots before Election Day. We have purchased equipment to aid in the opening of the envelopes and the counting of the ballots all in an effort to ensure a safe, secure and efficient Election Day process.
“Finally, in my opinion, a peaceful election for President and, depending on the outcome, a peaceful transition of power, is healthy and necessary to the survival and vitality of both our country and democracy. Let’s all work together, no matter what your party affiliation, to make sure that happens.
“This was so important to my grandparents and so many just like them, and it should still be of the utmost importance to us all today.”
