YORK DAILY RECORD — In the May 2025 primary election, voter turnout in many Pennsylvania communities was alarmingly low. In some municipalities, fewer than 1 in 10 registered voters cast a ballot. This isn’t voter apathy — it’s a policy failure. With our general municipal and judicial elections rapidly approaching, low voter turnout should concern all of us, especially in Philadelphia, the birthplace of American democracy.

It was in Philadelphia that the Framers declared independence, debated the Constitution, and lit the torch of representative government. Nearly 250 years later, that torch is dimming — not because people don’t care, but because our voting systems create unnecessary barriers to participation.

Too many elections in Pennsylvania still rely on outdated, inconvenient models: weekday-only voting, limited polling places, and inconsistent or confusing rules about mail-in voting and ballot curing. We are asking too much of voters to perform a basic civic duty.