LETTER: Construction As Voter Suppression In Horsham

The following letter to the editor was submitted to Hatboro-Horsham Patch by Horsham resident Amanda Singer.

HORSHAM, PA — The polling location at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church on Tennis Ave is difficult to access right in time for the primaries taking place today. The day before the polls opened, road closure and detour signs reading “local traffic only” were put on full display at the intersections of Tennis and Limekiln and Tennis and Welsh, which are the only ways to enter the polling location. The day of the election the polling location is completely inaccessible at Tennis and Limekiln due to construction and full road blockage. The access point at Welsh and Tennis is the only way to enter St. Matthew’s on election day, but road closure signs are still on display with a road closed ahead local traffic only sign right in front of Church. Is it purely a coincidence or is there something more nefarious at play in Horsham Township?

Our local elected officials might have taken a page out of Chris Christie’s playbook in the effort to suppress voter turnout. The Republican Party controls Horsham period. They have full control of the Township School Board and Council; there hasn’t been a Democrat on the school board since 1974. Since the department of Public Works is controlled by a Republican Council, it is likely they at least knew about the road closures conveniently scheduled for the primary. After all, voter suppression is synonymous with the GOP, taking the form of photo ID laws, purging of voter rolls, and disinformation.

Republican leadership feels threatened. GOP House and Senate officials are facing harsh criticism for avoiding their constituents and not calling for a special prosecutor into the Trump campaign, including our very own Pat Toomey and Congressman Patrick Meehan. Congressman Meehan’s District 7 is being targeted to flip in the 2018 election (fyi you may live in District 7).

Our local Horsham Township leadership feels just as threatened despite if the road closures were not part of a bigger plot to thwart voters. In an attempt to confuse voters, the Horsham Community Fund put out a letter to Horsham residents regarding the primary for School Board. I could not find any information on the Horsham Community Fund and will regard it as a guise for our local leadership. The letter was “recommending” residents vote for the five Republican nominees running for School Board and listed their names and codes. However, in place of the one Democratic nominee’s name was "not recommended" with her code. In this letter there was no indication what the party affiliation was of the nominees.

As an alumni of Hatboro-Horsham High School (2009) I will be voting only for Jennifer Wilson tomorrow at the polls because I want to see more diverse leadership on the School Board that is reflective of the changing demographic landscape of the school district. I also call for more transparency in decisions made regarding the policies and financials of Horsham Township as well as some ethical supervision.

Images via Amanda Singer