From the end of 2019, when the General Assembly adopted Act 77, which introduced post voting without exposure in the community, both Republicans and Democrats fought the deadlock for unintentional consequences of law.
This freezing can show signs of thaw.
The House government committee will vote on Tuesday for two bills that would shocked the status quo and prepare the ground under the main circle and trade on the floor of both chambers of the assembly in the next two months.
Committee, chairman Rep. Carol Evans-Hill (D-York), will vote for the House 771 and House Bill 1396 law during the meeting at 9:45.
HB 771 is sponsored by Rep. Thomas Mehaffie (R-Dauphin) and “would require all voters coming to their election districts to show the identity or certificate based on the law that they are legally voice in Pennsylvania.” The bill has bilateral support as it circulated Rep. Kathleen Tomlinson (R-Bucks) i Frank Burns (D-Cambria).
HB 1396 has a more recognizable name behind it – House Marshal Joanna McClinton (D-Delaware/Philadelphia). Her 98-page legislative proposal provides for definitions in the election code, which includes:
- Ensuring compensation from district election officers
- Providing a box with dropping drops
- Ensuring pre -election logic and testing the accuracy of voting systems
- Repealing the provisions regarding the statistical sample and providing audit to vote after the election
- Further providing ways to vote
- Providing personal early voting
- Further voting by absent voters
- Providing post voting for approval, as well as envelopes
- Further supply of a certain system (Register of State Uniform Voters)
- Further provision of qualifications to register for voting
- Repealing the provisions regarding notifications of removal, transfer of registration and changes in registration of the political party
Drop the boxes
It requires at least two (2) voting drops, which will be made available by each election council of the counties at least 65 days before the election. There are provisions regarding the return of postal messages, but provides members of the same household, carers or parents, grandparents or an adult child voter to return the vote. Drop Boxes would be as part of video supervision for their distribution time during elections and must be made available for apply by voters at least 30 days before the next election.
Electronic books from surveys (E-POLL books)
As more and more poviats around Commonwealth towards electronic books about surveys, HB 1396 calls $ 2 million funds from the General Fund to the Department of State on the Examination and APPLY of e-field books, which all poviats “in the best interest of the community of nations.”
Early voting
According to HD 1396, the Poviat Electoral Council “will establish at least one location of early voting for early voting in The Act also requires additional location depending on the size of the county, and a minimum of one location is located in the same commune as the headquarters of the poviat.
The counties would appoint a poviat employee or, if someone is unavailable, they would appoint a properly elected judge to act as chairman of an election officer responsible for the location of early voting.
Early voting period “will start the 11th day preceding the date of election and stretched on Sunday before the election day” – the period nine (9) days before the election day. In Tuesday’s election, early voting will start two five earlier and lasts for Sunday earlier.
These locations would be open for at least eight (8) hours and no more than 12 hours a day between 6 am and 20:00
At the request of the District Electoral Council, the managing authority of the commune “will provide public buildings in the county as early voting without fees.” The school can only be used if voting can occur separately without access to other schools or school -age children.
Absent to vote
HB 1396 calls for printing an external mail, “stamping or approved to meet the requirements for designing the electoral post with USPS”, and also include a paid paid answer option. Postal envelope, as well as a larger envelope, will be required to contain “an exceptionally served UPS bar code, which allows you to track E -Mail of exceptionally served code envelopes”.
The act allows for so -called “hardening” inaccurately sent email votes. Within 24 hours of finding the “correct” error of the County, the election council will notify the voter using electronic or telephone means about errors and notify all such voters by letter. The list must be made available publicly by the District Electoral Council.
If the voter ends the “absent voting form and post to vote” before noon sixth day after the election, the vote will be counted. Failure to comply with this term would make voting invalid and invalid.
Registration for post voting
An important change in the District Election Council would change the date of request for post voting. Currently registered voters may ask for post voting seven (7) days before the election, creating a situation in which voting cannot be delivered to the voter on time to throw and return the voting card manually or by post.
The change would allow the processing of demand for postal voting if he receives 14 days or two weeks before the election.
Preliminary analysis
Another serious change requires a change when the Electoral Council of the Fountains can start preliminary analysis-lub counting post votes. The current legislation does not allow the voting card to open before 7 am on the day of election.
HB 1396 contains a clause in a subsidy agreement between the Department of State and the County for financing elections, which requires from the poviat No later than 7 am on election day. “
