A long-standing request from county election officials took a step closer to an answer Tuesday when the state House advanced a bill to allow counties to mail absentee ballots in advance.
The legislation would allow counties to inspect and open all envelopes containing official mail-in or absentee ballots, remove ballots from the envelopes, and count, tally and tally the votes reflected on the ballots. This does not include recording or publishing votes reflected on ballots.
Under current law, the initial collection of mail-in and absentee ballots cannot begin before 7 a.m. on Election Day.
Sponsored by Representative Scott Conklin (R Center), House Bill 37 gives county election officials seven days before Election Day to pre-screen all mail and absentee ballots received. The vote passed by a majority of 103 to 99 in favor Representative Thomas Mehaffie (R-Dauphin), joining all 102 Democrats who say. The bill now goes to the Republican-controlled state Senate.
“The time allotted for initial canvassing may have been feasible at one time before the state implemented no-excuse absentee voting, but with the recent increase in the number of voters choosing this option, the time frame is no longer realistic,” Conklin said. “We hear this repeatedly from county election officials and workers on both sides of the political aisle who have asked us to change the law to give them more time to process ballots.
“As mail-in voting continues to grow in popularity, we must do right by our voters and our election workers,” Conklin said. “Allowing more time for postal and postal votes to be counted will significantly reduce delays in returning elections, delays that can lead to voter suspicion and unfounded conspiracies. This bill will go a long way to maintaining public confidence in Commonwealth elections.”
Pennsylvania County Commissioners Association also supported the bill.
“This change provides necessary clarification to Act 77 and supports counties in meeting their election administration responsibilities. By allowing canvass to be conducted earlier, counties would have more time to prepare mail-in and absentee ballots for counting, better manage workload and resources, and help ensure timely reporting of results.”
A similar bill was passed by the House two years ago by 102-99, and the legislation stalled in the Senate Government Committee.
