Simmons’ Bill would End Cross-Filing by School Board Candidates
HARRISBURG – Rep. Justin Simmons (R-Lehigh/Montgomery/Northampton) is the prime sponsor of legislation that would remove the ability of school board candidates to cross-file nomination petitions in Pennsylvania. This week, House Bill 638 was approved by the House State Government Committee and sent to the full House of Representatives for consideration.
Simmons’ bill would amend the Pennsylvania Election Code, which currently allows candidates running for the position of school board member to file nomination petitions for multiple political parties.
“Voters are often confused when a school board candidate receives the nomination of more than one party on the ballot,” said Simmons. “By eliminating a candidate’s ability to cross-file, we would provide some clarity to voters in school board elections. These positions are truly political in nature because of the budget-related decisions school board members make, and the election process for them should be the same as any other political candidate.”
Simmons introduced similar legislation in a previous session, but it did not come up for a vote in the House.
Representative Justin Simmons
131st District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Andy Briggs
717.260.6474
abriggs@pahousegop.com
RepSimmons.com /
Facebook.com/RepSimmons