Pennsylvania Republicans Introduce Sweeping Election Reform Bill

The Epoch Times ^ | June 12, 2021 | ALLEN ZHONG

[E. Pluribus Unum]

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 early in-person voting beginning in 2025.
• 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.
• Requiring signature verification for mail ballots.
• Eliminating the permanent mail-in voting list.
• 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.

[Jonty30]

Photo ID should be required when applying for a mail-in ballot and it should be needed to request every election.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Correct ballots on election day? F that.

Secure mail-in drop boxes? No such thing you idiots!

Where’s the fingerprinting like they do in Iraq?

We’re not even trying. Rat Gov. will veto.

[EvilCapitalist]

Every time I vote, I not only show my photo ID, but also my voter registration card.

[HamiltonJay]

So have to show id to vote in person... But mail in just a signature.

PA republicans are impotent and incompetent

[maddog55]

Introduction is irrelevant. Pass it then it’s something.

[DeweyCA]

Nice political symbolism. The Dem governor will veto it and the media will portray him as a hero fighting against Republican voter suppression.

[Pollard]

sounds half assed

[Dr. Franklin]

So have to show id to vote in person... But mail in just a signature.
PA republicans are impotent and incompetent

The problem starts earlier in the process than that. No ID is required to register to vote. The lack of ID at registration allows the Dem machine to create an army of phantom voters that can later "vote" as needed. Two forms of ID are required to do most anything anymore, like get a PA ID or driver's license for the first time. ID plus proof of residence, like a piece of mail, is required to open a bank account, but anyone can be registered to vote with just a signature. That needs to change.

[Robert DeLong]

Now do a full forensic audit.

[glimmerman70]

No more mail in ballots. Was not legally done in the first place…

[knarf]

I hope so, it's a rat bill to begin with ... except the ID.

Here's MY list;

Election day is ONE DAY, you vote or you don't.

Photo ID demand, no exceptions, and validated against a county roll, or you don't vote.

The polls close at 8 PM ... period !

Absentee ballot must be requested between 30 and 90 days in advance .. no exceptions ....post marked before 8PM election day .. no exceptions.

[JonPreston]

Requiring every voter to present a photo ID at the polls

Shades of Jim Crow, unless we can show our vaccine passports instead.

[Nextrush]

Pennsylvania is the heart of the Liberal Republican Party I have watched this all my life.

[Ben Hecks]

Eliminate “drop boxes”. They allow fraud on a large scale. Adopt parts of Georgia law that requires each precinct to report the total number of votes by 10:00PM on election day. That prevents them from “finding” ballots after that time.

[patriotfury]

Honestly, after reading this, it proves the PA RNC is a total PC joke, and working to pass some form of the same elements in HR1.

Yah, that’s the ticket... let’s mandate hard left Nancy Pelosi’s truly anti-American conspiracy of mail in voting, with far more lax voting laws and timeframes, and than their lefty SoS had at their disposal in the most treasonous election in US History...

How about paper only, voting the day of election, and redundant ID verification, and redundant high character ballot count verification!

But nooo..... Gotta have as much te as possible for cheaters, robbers, and criminals to get their unelected people in office.

The RNC is largely a criminal organization, for criminals, to facilitate high crime.

[BenLurkin]

Bad bill.

Make anyone who wants to vote show up and election day -- and show ID.

Absentee votes only under very limited exceptions.

[Nateman]

Put an end to vote by mail. It is convenient but at the price of our Republic it is too high.

[lurk]

Unless the bill is veto-proof, Gov Wolf will treat this the way Bill Clinton treats women.

[FatherofFive]

I live in Oklahoma. I was staying with my son, helping with my granddaughter. (I’ll send videos!) To vote absentee, I had to get my ballot notarized. Really, not any more time than voting in person. The bank didn’t charge anything.