Jun. 22, 2021
HARRISBURG – Seeking to restore confidence in Pennsylvania’s election process, Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon) today joined a majority of his colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass
House Bill 1300, also known as the Voting Rights Protection Act.
“House Bill 1300 is a comprehensive reform of our election process here in the Commonwealth that was developed after 10 hearings and more than 30 hours of testimony. These reforms would make it easier to vote, but at the same time, there would be provisions in place to prevent cheating,” said Heffley. “We have heard a lot of discussion about the integrity of the ballot after the November election. We want to ensure through this bill that everybody has access and also that there is confidence the outcome of an election is truly the voice of the voters.”
To view or download a broadcast-quality video of Heffley’s comments on the bill, watch the video below.
The Voting Rights Protection Act would tighten security by expanding upon Pennsylvania’s current voter identification law. Specifically, registered voters would receive through their counties a scannable and durable voter registration card, much like the identification cards currently issued to voters, for use when voting in person.
The legislation would also require regular election audits, improve election uniformity among the 67 counties, enhance certification processes for all voting machines, require signature verification using ballot scanning equipment for mail-in and absentee ballots, improve lists of registered voters, give counties the option to use secure drop boxes, provide funding to counties for election expenses, address county commissioners timeline concerns, require counties to print enough ballots for all voters, ensure that no voter has to wait longer than 30 minutes at the polls and more.
House Bill 1300 now goes to the Senate for consideration.