Jun. 22, 2021
HARRISBURG—Rep, Martina White (R-Philadelphia) joined her colleagues in passing the Voting Rights Protection Act to reform Pennsylvania’s election process to increase access and improve security.
“Voters want to be confident that our elections are conducted fairly and free of any bias or corruption,” said Martina White (R-Philadelphia). “This can only happen if only the legally registered are casting ballots and the results are properly quantified and qualified. At the same time, voters want the election process to be conducted with uniformity-- with technology that’s been vetted, can be verified and is free from third-party intervention.”
“After months of research and hearings, the legislation we’ve crafted will restore faith in our election system by creating clear rules for early voting, protections for all ballots and enhancements for the counting process,” White said. “We also want to enhance voting options, but do it safely and securely.”
To increase voter access, House Bill 1300 would:
• Allow for early in-person voting beginning in 2025.
• Allow for correcting non-fatal defects on mail-in ballots, which must be completed by 8 p.m. of Election Day.
• Give counties the option to use secure mail-in ballot drop boxes during specific times and at secure locations. The bill also increases access for voters with disabilities.
Improving accessibility is at the forefront of this bill,” White said. “We have seen increased voter involvement over the last few cycles and our laws must keep up with demands. No legal voter should be denied the opportunity to cast a ballot.”
• To address issues raised by local election officials from all across Pennsylvania, the bill would:
Allow mail-in ballots to be counted starting five days before the election, as opposed to current law which allows the count to begin no earlier than 7 a.m. on Election Day.
• Move the last day to register to vote back to 30 days prior to an election.
To improve election security, the bill would:
• Expand Pennsylvania’s current voter identification law.
• Require regular election audits.
• Improve election uniformity among the 67 counties as required by the PA Constitution.
• Enhance certification processes for all machines used in elections.
• Require signature verification using ballot scanning equipment for mail-in and absentee ballots.
• Direct counties to provide registered voters with a scannable and durable voter registration card, much like the identification cards currently issued to voters for use when voting in person.
To cost-effectively ensure voters can trust official election office websites and limit the dissemination of misinformation, all county election board websites would be required to use a .gov domain address.
“As elected officials, we must be diligent in safeguarding the election process to provide the people of Pennsylvania with a system that improves access, is transparent, has integrity and is accessible,” White said. “This bill has the improvements we need to restore voters’ trust in the system.”
House Bill 1300 now moves to the Senate.
Representative Martina White
170th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: David Foster
267.207.0207
dfoster@pahousegop.com
RepWhite.com /
facebook.com/RepMartinaWhite