Pennsylvania will not count 'naked' ballots in the 2020 election

NORTHERN LIBERTIES - There’s a new buzzword going around – naked ballots.

Will they be like hanging chads were in 2000?

Does anyone know what a naked ballot is? For people mailing ballots in, they need to know what naked ballots are.

City Commissioner Al Schmidt explains it’s a way to separate the identity of the voter from the vote they cast.

“Naked ballot is intended to separate the identity of the voter from the vote that they’re casting. So when a voter returns a mail-in-ballot, that ballot is put inside something called a secrecy envelope and then the secrecy envelope is put inside an outer envelope and that outer envelope is the one the voter would fill out and sign,”

If people mail their ballots without following the steps, it’s known as a naked ballot and won’t count.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently rejected a request by the Democratic Party to allow election officials to count naked ballots.

Commissioner Schmidt says as many as 30,000 to 40,000 votes could not be counted due to voter error.

“The presidential election four years ago was decided in Pennsylvania by some 40,000 votes, so 20,000 to 30,000 votes…every vote is precious to us and if that vote is cast by an eligible registered voter, we want to make sure that vote is counted,” Commissioner Schmidt explained.

Some voters are well aware of the process.

“When you cast your ballot, you’re supposed to put it into the empty envelope, then put it into the other envelope, seal it, turn it over then sign it and date it?”

Others, like Charlie Platt, who is mailing a ballot, had no idea.

“It needs more publicity, I would say. Yeah, I did not know about that. I want to make sure that my vote counts. So, that’s good to know,” Platt said.

___

For the latest local news, sports and weather, download the FOX 29 News app.

DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP

Sign up for emails from FOX 29, including our daily Good Day Digest newsletter!