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Girl spends $1100 to fly 15 hrs after her mail-in vote got rejected, hailed a hero

ByAditi Srivastava
Nov 06, 2024 10:36 AM IST

Lexi Harder, a graduate student, flew 4,000 miles from Germany to ensure her vote counted after her ballot was unexpectedly returned.

When Lexi Harder’s mail-in ballot for the 2024 U.S. election was unexpectedly returned, she didn’t let the setback keep her from having her say. In a story full of twists and unwavering dedication, a 30-year-old master’s student took matters into her own hands, going to great lengths to ensure her vote counted and her voice was heard. What followed was a long journey from Germany to Pennsylvania that earned her plenty of praise.

Lexi Harder, a graduate student, flew 4,000 miles from Germany to ensure her vote counted after her ballot was unexpectedly returned.(NY times)
Lexi Harder, a graduate student, flew 4,000 miles from Germany to ensure her vote counted after her ballot was unexpectedly returned.(NY times)

Girl travels from Germany to Pennsylvania to cast a vote

Lexi Harder has captured the spotlight as a true election hero after going above and beyond to cast a vote in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The 30-year-old graduate student, who’s currently studying in Berlin, was ‘devastated’ when her completed absentee ballot was unexpectedly returned to her just days before Election Day.

Also read: Why is America testing a hypersonic nuclear missile on Election Day, once the polls close?

Harder made a quick decision: within 24 hours, she booked a round-trip flight that cost her over $1,100 and flew more than 4,000 miles. After a 15-hour journey, Harder arrived in Pennsylvania, where she surrendered her absentee ballot and voted in person, the required rule to make ballot count on time without risking provisional ballot transfer.

"It's definitely priceless," she said. "I would have paid triple that to come back." Despite her ballot making it all the way to Pennsylvania, it was mysteriously returned to her without proper justification. According to WPVI, the ballot had cleared customs and reached its destination, only to be sent back to Germany for “unknown reasons.”

Harder informed the news outlet that "the outside envelope had been opened and resealed by customs.” She added, “This was still sealed when I got it back.”

Pennsylvania's mail ballot rules could lead to rise in provisional ballot

Recent reports have raised concerns that Pennsylvania’s updated mail ballot rules could lead to a significant rise in provisional ballots after the November 5 elections, with numbers potentially in the thousands. But now, after some legal stuff was sorted out, it looks like mail ballots could be tossed if people don't fill out the extra affidavits right.

Also read: History repeats? What happens if Trump and Harris both win on Nov 5; the aftermath of the US election

NBC says that 2.2 million people in Pennsylvania got their mail ballot requests approved, based on the state's Secretary of State's numbers. So far, about 82% of these ballots have come back, leaving 390,000 that haven't. But, if voters run into problems with their mail ballots, they can still vote a provisional ballot on Election Day in person.

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