HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Republican rewrite of election law is now in the hands of the state Senate after a tense debate in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
The bill that passed Tuesday would mandate voter IDs, alter registration and ballot counting deadlines, and give conservatives the auditing procedures they have demanded. It got out of the state House on a 110 to 91 vote Tuesday despite Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's veto threat.
It would change the registration deadline from 15 days to 30 days before an election.
Mail-in ballots would have to be requested 15 days before the vote. Drop boxes for mail-in ballots would be limited to seven days before an election.
This legislation would also expand voter identification by using scannable voter registration cards. Allowing supervised absentee voting for those in nursing homes and allowing pre-canvassing of mail-in and absentee ballots five days prior to Election Day would also be established.
Another main action this bill is focused on is improving "election uniformity," which would entail enhancing certification processes for all machines, requiring signature verifications for mail-in and absentee ballots, improving and modernizing voter registration lists, and providing rules for secure mail-in drop boxes.
“Even a shred of uncertainty in the results of our elections is enough to shake the bedrock of what we stand for in this country,” Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) said. “This office would take strides to grow trust in our processes, and a thorough, independent audit of every election in our Commonwealth is a step toward ensuring the public’s trust.”
Cutler went on: “As I’ve said many times, if Pennsylvanians cannot trust our process, they will never trust the results. This bill was crafted after a multi-month bipartisan hearing process and takes enormous strides in ensuring trust in our election outcomes for all Pennsylvanians.”
The bill is now headed to the Senate for further consideration.
