Yes to early voting, and no to voter ID.
That’s the future of voting in Pennsylvania under an election reform bill championed by Democrat Speaker Joanna McClinton and passed the Pennsylvania House on a party-line vote of 102-101 Tuesday.
“The Voting Rights Protection Act is a commonsense measure to improve the way Pennsylvania conducts elections,” said McClinton (D-Philadelphia). “It will help our county election officials by removing existing ambiguities in the law and by allowing them to prepare mail-in ballots ahead of Election Day. It also accounts for changes in how voters want to cast their ballot by providing options for early voting, increased access to ballot drop boxes, and by allowing them to correct minor errors on a mail-in ballot.”
Critics point out that adding drop boxes decreases ballot security, as does weakening requirements for authenticating mail-in ballots. And while the Democrats’ bill would allow people to start voting 11 days before Election Day, it doesn’t include any requirement that voters show a photo ID when they cast their ballot.
“The Democrats’ ‘I pinky-swear I’m a registered voter’’ bill is a mockery,” said Republican activist Guy Ciarrocchi. “Eighty percent of voters—including a majority of Democrats—support true Voter ID, so that we can all trust election results. This insulting legislation fails—it requires less security than getting into an off-campus bar at Villanova.”
Rep. Brad Roae (R-Crawford), chair of the House State Government Committee, said the bill’s provisions would be costly and do not improve voters’ confidence in election outcomes.
“This 98-page bill was rushed to prime time with only about a week elapsing from introduction to final passage by the House,” Roae said. “It gave little time for stakeholders to weigh in and have their concerns addressed.
“I am very concerned with the permanent mail-in ballot list provision in the bill,” Roae added. “When people move out of Pennsylvania, their last known Pennsylvania address would indefinitely continue to get ballots every election, and the new occupants of the residences could fraudulently complete and mail back those ballots.”
But others support the bill.
Montgomery County Commissioner Chairman Neil Makhija (D) said, “Pennsylvania elections administration is out of date and in long need of reform. HB 1396 provides several critical fixes, like early voting and pre-canvassing. These changes will make voting in Pennsylvania more accessible and easier for eligible voters.”
League of Women Voters Pennsylvania Executive Director Amy Widestrom said, “The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania supports many of the provisions in HB1396, and we applaud lawmakers for taking meaningful steps toward expanding voting access and ensuring more Pennsylvanians can participate in our elections. We encourage lawmakers to think about a measured timeline for implementing these reforms and, as always, we also urge the legislature to pair these reforms with robust funding and support for our county election offices, which are essential to implementing these reforms and administering free, fair, and accessible elections across the commonwealth.”
Kevin Kane, director of legislative strategy for the Commonwealth Foundation, remains unconvinced.
“While the Senate continues to advance legislation with broad, bipartisan support, House Democrats have once again shown that they simply aren’t serious about the business of governing. Like most bills coming out of the House right now, these unserious proposals are dead on arrival in the Senate. Pennsylvanians are demanding real election integrity reforms, including strong Voter ID. It’s time for the House to stop legislating in a vacuum and begin working in good faith with their Senate colleagues to pass meaningful legislation.”
It’s unlikely the GOP-controlled Senate will pass a voting reform bill that doesn’t include an ID mandate, political insiders say. Advocates for ID requirements note a stand-alone bill passed the House, though they admit its requirements were lenient.
Still, McClinton celebrated her win in the House.
“Pennsylvania is the birthplace of American democracy, and nothing is more central to our nation’s founding than the right to vote. However, it wasn’t too long ago when some Americans were still contending with discriminatory laws meant to prevent them from exercising their right. As our country approaches its 250th birthday, it is time for us to preserve and protect Pennsylvanians’ right to vote in free, fair and safe elections.”
