Pennsylvania's primary is four days away, and state election officials want to remind people of the different ways they can vote.

More than 8.7 million Pennsylvanians are registered to vote. Key races this year include governor, lieutenant governor, a U.S. Senate seat, U.S. representatives, state representatives, half of all state senate seats, and Democratic and Republican Party committee members.

Leigh Chapman, acting Secretary of the Commonwealth, said the state's election website, vote.pa.gov can be an important resource for accurate election information.

"There you can find a tool to help voters locate their polling place, a candidate database, a list of voter rights, instructions for how voters can report a complaint if they experience a problem at their polling place and more," Chapman outlined. "Voters can also call our toll-free voter hotline at 1-877-VOTES-PA."

Pennsylvania is a closed-primary state, which means a voter must be registered as Democrat or Republican in order to vote on Tuesday. All registered voters can vote on local ballot questions and special elections. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in all counties.

A recent poll found one in six election officials nationwide have experienced threats because of their job and a majority feel threats have increased in recent years. Chapman pointed out the state is making it a priority to make election workers feel safe.

"Protecting election officials is definitely a top concern, from poll workers, to county election directors, to county commissioners," Chapman explained. "We are partnering with our federal partners and our state partners to ensure that there is a plan to make sure that poll workers and those that are counting every vote are protected."

In total, Pennsylvania voters requested more than 807,000 mail ballots and more than 103,000 absentee ballots. Chapman added it is critical voters follow all instructions on how to fill out and seal their mail-in ballot for it to be counted. It must be returned to your county Board of Elections by 8 p.m. on May 17.

The Maryland Democratic Party is asking for the state to be considered for an early primary for the 2024 presidential election. The party submitted a letter of intent as a potential early primary state to the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

Yvette Lewis, chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, said as a state with suburban, urban and rural communities, she sees it as "America in miniature." It is also now the most diverse state on the East Coast, according to U.S. Census data. Lewis added Maryland's compactness gives it a leg up in being more accessible for candidates.

"Traveling to a state that has 99 counties -- for example, like Iowa -- does get to be costly, it's time-consuming, and it requires quite a bit of resources," Lewis pointed out. "That won't be the case here in Maryland, because you can get to each one of our jurisdictions relatively easy."

The DNC approved a plan in April for selecting up to five states to vote in the early primary months. Others vying for a spot include Colorado, Connecticut and Delaware. A decision is expected to come later this summer.

Lewis noted historically, early primary states have dominated the conversation during the election cycle, along with having some influence over other state primaries held later in the year. She thinks it is important for states like Maryland to have a stronger voice in the electoral process.

"It would shine a spotlight on not only where our needs are, but it would shine a spotlight on the good things that are happening here," Lewis remarked. "It also introduces people to a state they may not know very much about, but they may come to love as much as we do, because they can look at our state, and they can see themselves."

States currently holding early caucuses and primaries include Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Maryland's 2022 2022 primary election is July 19, with early voting starting July 7. Marylanders must be registered to vote by June 28.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Women ages 50 and over cast a big chunk of ballots, with a big impact in American elections, and a new poll looked at what they want.

Findings in the AARP survey of likely voters done in February and March underscored why they are important, as well as what motivates them.

Stacy Larsen, communications director for AARP Oregon, said they make up more than a quarter of all registered voters, and are 15% more likely to vote than the population at large.

"This is a voting bloc that turns out in big numbers," Larsen emphasized. "The group of women 50+ are reliable and consistent voters. They cast nearly a third of all ballots in both the 2020 and 2018 elections."

When the survey was taken, nearly two-thirds of respondents said they would not make up their minds on who they were voting for until the weeks or days before Election Day.

The biggest concern for women ages 50 and older right now is the economy. Larsen pointed out nearly half ranked the rising cost of living as the most important issue facing the country.

"And close to three-quarters of them, 72% of this group, are concerned about their income keeping up with those rising costs," Larsen reported. "The majority say that the economy is not working well for them personally and that's a big jump from before the pandemic."

The second-biggest issue for the bloc of voters is the lack of unity in the country. About two-thirds say they want their elected official to work across the aisle to get things done, even if it involves compromise. Larsen stressed politicians should take note.

"Because women 50+ are likely to turn out in high numbers when other voters may be disengaging, it's critical for our elected officials and candidates for office to pay attention to this group," Larsen contended.

Examples of proposed policies and candidates tied to false claims of election fraud have spread to Minnesota, and a new national report found the movement is not slowing down ahead of this fall's vote.

A trio of voter-rights groups issued findings into how state legislatures are trying to subvert elections, including more leeway to reject results, requiring partisan or outside audits, and shifting power away from election administrators. Some ideas have been floated by Minnesota Republicans but are not likely to pass under the current balance of power.

Rachel Homer, counsel for the nonprofit group Protect Democracy, said simply proposing them poses a threat.

"This is about everyone in support of democracy," Homer asserted. "Both political parties really need to be standing against this movement toward autocracy."

Despite calls for unity, Republicans are seeing more candidates for statewide offices who either perpetuate the stolen-election narrative, or suggest current laws need restrictions they said would tighten election security.

The Minnesota GOP recently endorsed such a candidate running for Secretary of State, the office overseeing elections. The report said 175 such laws were introduced in the U.S. this year.

Homer argued false election-fraud claims, taking shape following Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential vote, have ballooned to a five-alarm fire. She noted even if most bills do not pass, voters are still being exposed to theories soundly rejected by the courts.

"These bills are being proposed by a lot of legislators across a lot of states," Homer observed. "They clearly think there's an audience for it. "

The groups behind the report emphasized it is important to remember most administrators, staffs and volunteers are committed to free and fair elections.

Sylvia Albert, national voting and elections director for Common Cause, said outside the findings, potentially having some candidates espousing such views take office is concerning. If election results were to be rejected without a valid reason, she said it might be harder to seek recourse.

"So, there definitely is an ability to challenge in court, [but] the courts are leaning more and more toward stepping away and letting the political process run itself," Albert stressed. "What that does, is not protect the people who don't have power, which are normal Americans."

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.