Jun. 30, 2021
HARRISBURG – Rep. Rich Irvin (R-Huntingdon/Centre/Mifflin) today issued the following statement after the governor vetoed the Pennsylvania Voting Rights Protection Act (
House Bill 1300):
“This bill was crafted with input from election experts gathered during 10 public hearings by the bipartisan House State Government Committee. It has become clear that our election processes are outdated and not as secure as they need to be to elicit trust in the system.
“House Bill 1300 would have solved those problems. The Voting Rights Protection Act would have enhanced voter ID requirements, and provided a free ID to ensure everyone could meet the requirement; ensured uniformity in the conduct of elections across counties; provided for early voting and correcting some defects on mail-in ballots; and offered counties more time to process registration applications and count ballots.
“The governor had ample opportunity to work with committee members on the bill but made the choice not to be part of the process. Instead, he chose to sit back and wait until both the House and Senate passed the bill to wield his pen to strike it down.
“What the governor is not taking into account is the overwhelming number of Pennsylvanian’s who have said they want these reforms, and the counties that support the bill and the help it provides them with conducting elections.
“Furthermore, the governor today also vetoed funding in the budget for a Bureau of Election Audits within the Department of the Auditor General. This would have provided the auditor general, who has the authority to conduct election audits, with the resources needed to carry out that duty.
“This is a definite step back; however, I will continue to work with my colleagues to answer the demands of voters to ensure safe, secure and accessible elections in Pennsylvania.”
Representative Rich Irvin
81st Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Tricia Lehman
717.772.9840
tlehman@pahousegop.com
RepIrvin.com /
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