2020 Voters Guide
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2020 VOTERS GUIDE INSIDE | DETAILS ON CASTING YOUR BALLOT CANDIDATE PROFILES AND PLATFORMS 2 OCTOBER 21, 2020 LNP | LANCASTER, PA Voting in this year’s election The 2020 general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voting in person begins at 7 a.m. and polls close 13 hours later at 8 p.m. Here’s what you need to know about voting: What’s the deadline for applying for a mail-in ballot? The deadline for registering to vote has passed, but Tuesday, Oct. 27, is the deadline for applying for a mail-in ballot. The request must be received by the county elections office by the end of business hours on that date. Pennsylvanians no longer need an excuse to request a mail-in ballot. Apply at VotesPA.com or call the county elections office at 717-299-8293. The Lancaster County Elections Office also has a mail-in FAQ posted on its website at bit.ly/3lGuCFd. How can I find my polling place? If your regular polling place has moved, the county elections office will notify you of the new location; it’s also posted online here: bit.ly/3nrShL0. If you still have questions about your polling site, call the Lancaster County Elections Office at 717-299-8293. FILE PHOTO How do I turn in my mail-in ballot, and when? Mail-in ballots must be received by the county open until 8 p.m., and on Election Day, Nov. 3, the To do so, bring the mail-in ballot — all of it, including elections office by Friday, Nov. 6 — and the ballot lobby and the Election Office will be open from 7 a.m. the return envelope and the envelope it arrived in must be postmarked by 8 p.m. Election Day. until 8 p.m. — to your polling location and ask to cast a regular And keep in mind: Only you can drop your ballot off, ballot. If you do not have your ballot, you may vote If you plan to mail your ballot, we recommend putting provisionally at your regular polling station. it in the mail at least seven days before Election Day so don’t plan to hand deliver all the ballots from your to ensure it arrives on time. household or even those of your neighbors or other family members. You can deliver your ballot in person to a dropbox Is there a straight-ticket box on the ballot this year? located in the lobby of the county building at 150 What if I change my mind on the mail-in ballot? Can I No. Starting this year, ballots no longer include a box N. Queen St. The lobby is open weekdays during still vote in person? allowing a voter to select all of one party’s candidates business hours. But starting Wednesday, Oct. 28, Yes. If you request a mail-in ballot but it doesn’t arrive with one mark. This means you will need to go through through Friday, Oct. 30, the lobby will be open until 8 before Election Day, or you don’t think it will arrive in the entire ballot and make a selection in every race you p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 31, the lobby will be open from time if you mail it in the last days before Nov. 3, you want to cast a vote in. You can see your sample ballot 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Monday, Nov. 2, the lobby will be can still vote in-person. at http://vr.co.lancaster.pa.us/sampleballots. INDEX 11TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT PROFILE 3 11TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 97TH HOUSE DISTRICT 13TH SENATE DISTRICT PROFILE 4 MORE 41ST HOUSE DISTRICT PROFILE 5 3 Staunch conservative Rep. Lloyd Smucker faces 6 The race covering Lititz and Manheim ONLINE 9TH HOUSE DISTRICT PROFILE 6 young progressive Sarah Hammond in the race for Township is a rematch between incumbent To read the stories CANDIDATE QUESTIONS 7-16 the congressional district that covers Lancaster state Rep. Steve Mentzer and Dana Hamp in this Voters Guide County and the southern part of York County. Gulick. translated into Spanish, visit LancasterOnline. com/lavoz. 13TH SENATE DISTRICT CANDIDATE QUESTIONS For full coverage of 4 In the most competitive race in the county, state Sen. 7-16 Those running in the Congressional and the general election, Scott Martin hopes to hold his seat against Lancaster state legislative races answer questions including real-time vote totals, analysis and city Councilmember Janet Diaz. about their platform, the state of politics breaking news, visit and priorities for office. LancasterOnline.com/ 41ST HOUSE DISTRICT election. 5 State Rep. Brett Miller is focusing on pension reform; For how-to video of the his challenger, Michele Wherley, is concentrating her NOTE: Incumbents in the 43rd, 96th, 100th and 128th mail-in balloting process, bit.ly/ballotvideo. platform on boosting the minimum wage. House districts do not have challengers this year. LANCASTER, PA | LNP OCTOBER 21, 2020 3 FILE PHOTOS Staunch Trump supporter faces young progressive in race for Congress GILLIAN MCGOLDRICK [email protected] CANDIDATE QUESTIONS should pass the House Democrats’ proposal, which Smucker and Hammond answer questions is a $2.2 trillion package to provide states and busi- The two candidates running for the 11th Con- about priorities, partisanship and platform, Page 7 nesses additional dollars, reinstate the $600 unem- gressional District present a study in contrasts. ployment benefit and add another round of $1,200 Republican Rep. Lloyd Smucker, running for a stimulus payments to every taxpayer and more. third term, is in many ways the quintessential south- health insurance from employment and create a Smucker voted against this legislation and said he central Pennsylvania politician. Before winning his universal health care system. Under such a system, believes the Paycheck Protection Program should seat in 2016, the 56-year-old incumbent was a state she said she believes it would not initially be fea- be renewed to help businesses and that Congress senator; before that, a drywall business owner. sible to get rid of private insurance, but that would should remove regulations that restricted how His opponent, Sarah Hammond, hails from the be a long-term goal. funds in the first coronavirus stimulus package can other side of the Susquehanna River, where she is During his second term in Congress, as part of be used, a step he said would allow states to use the a field hockey coach in the York County town of the House Committee on Education and Labor, money to fill revenue holes. Hanover. She likens herself to U.S. Rep. Alexandria Smucker focused much of his time on workforce Smucker said he believes the path to recovery Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest member of Congress, development and higher education. Addition- is to through cutting taxes and minimizing gov- an outspoken progressive and a leading proponent ally, he said he is most proud of passing legisla- ernment overreach. He said he experienced the of the “Green New Deal.” tion to designate Lancaster and York counties as “American Dream” as he grew up in a family of 12 The 11th District was redrawn in 2018 and includes part of the Susquehanna National Heritage Area. siblings, paid his way through private high school the entirety of Lancaster County and the southern Another bill he introduced and that later became then started his own drywall business. part of York County. Smucker won that year’s race law provides additional mental health resources “I support a free enterprise system that empow- against Democrat Jess King by 18 percentage points, to active duty military and veterans. ers people, which is quite a contrast, not only to despite record-breaking fundraising and grassroots Smucker has remained a staunch supporter of my opponent, [as] we literally in Congress have outreach efforts by the King campaign. President Donald Trump, despite criticism of his ad- elected members of Congress who call themselves The Cook Political Report rates the district a solid ministration’s handling of the coronavirus response socialists,” Smucker said. “I think it would just be a Republican seat, with a plus-14 partisan voting index. and during the impeachment process. He supported terrible mistake.” Despite the odds stacked against her, Hammond is Trump’s positions on legislation 95% of the time, ac- Hammond claims this characterization of her as a focusing on liberal policies, such as universal health cording to a FiveThirtyEight congressional tracker. socialist is a way to fearmonger to Smucker’s base. care, abolishing the Immigration and Customs En- Smucker said the president’s priorities are the “Lloyd Smucker has a history of calling anyone forcement agency and tackling climate change. same as his own: less government intrusion in tax- and anything he disagrees with a socialist,” Ham- “I’m an underdog in this county, and I under- payers’ lives, tax reform and saving jobs from mov- mond said. Though she’s “not one for labels,” Ham- stand that,” Hammond said, adding she believes ing overseas. mond insisted she is not a socialist. people in the district share the same struggles, such “Those coincided with the president’s agenda,” “In the same right he could call me a socialist, I as paying for health care and other basic needs. Smucker said. “I’ve gotten to know the president. could call him a fascist,” Hammond added. “I just Prior to getting involved in politics, Hammond I see how much he cares about the country, how want to have a representative who says what they was a factory worker for two years. She also ran un- much he cares and is willing to fight for America mean and then votes that way.” successfully in a 2019 special election for the 33rd and American workers and businesses.” Smucker’s characterization of her has been “det- Senatorial District in York, which Republican Sen.