Pennsylvania Republicans Introduce Sweeping Election Reform Bill

Pennsylvania Republicans proposed an overhaul of the state’s election system on Thursday with stricter voter identification requirements and mail ballot signature verification.

State Rep. Seth Grove—the chair of the House State Government Committee who acts as House Republicans’ point person for election legislation—introduced the Voting Rights Protection Act, House Bill 1300, after months of hearings by the House State Government Committee.

The legislation aims at transforming and improving Pennsylvania’s election process to restore the integrity of and trust in elections, according to a statement from Grove’s office.

The bill seems to embrace ideas from both the Republican and Democrat side and proposes comprehensive measures to change the rules for election including:

* Allowing unsigned or undated ballots to be corrected before 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

* Giving counties the option to use secure mail-in ballot drop boxes during specific times at secure locations.

* Allowing mail-in ballots to be counted five days before an election. Current law allows the count to begin no earlier than 7:00 a.m. on Election Day.

* Requiring every voter to present a photo ID at the polls.

* Establishing a Bureau of Election Audits under the state Auditor General’s office. The newly-established bureau will have subpoena power and will regularly conduct election audits.

Most of the proposed rules in House Bill 1300 are based on a report published by the State House Government Committee back on May 10.

The report (pdf)—titled “A Comprehensive Review of Pennsylvania’s Election Laws: How Pennsylvania Can Guarantee Rights and Integrity in Our Election System”—identifies 25 aspects of the election process that needs improvements.

The bill is intended to fix the issues listed in the report. “This responsible bill includes all aspects of issues brought before the committee and will propel Pennsylvania’s election into the 21st century, all while fixing fatal flaws and election security issues,” Grove s... (Read more)

Tweets mentioned:

https://twitter.com/GovernorTomWolf/status/1403049329175142404

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