Jul. 01, 2021
HARRISBURG – Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed
House Bill 1300, sweeping election reform legislation that passed by the General Assembly last week. Rep. Frank Ryan (R-Lebanon), who was instrumental in advancing this legislation, issued the following statement:
“Gov. Tom Wolf failed Pennsylvania citizens yet again by vetoing the Voting Rights Protection Act. House Bill 1300 would have strengthened election security, expanded voter access and helped to restore public confidence in the integrity of our elections. Recent polls show voters overwhelmingly support voter ID and signature verification, but the governor’s veto prevents those and other important measures from being implemented.
“As a member of the House State Government Committee, I participated in 10 public hearings and heard testimony from state and county election officials from Pennsylvania and other states. Their testimony on the deficiencies in our election system and suggestions for change helped provide the basis for House Bill 1300, but the governor ignored their input. In doing so, he also ignored the voters who are demanding a more secure and accessible system with short wait times at the polls and timely election results.
“I am deeply disappointed the bill was vetoed and that Pennsylvania voters will miss out on this opportunity for a better and more secure system. However, I will not stop there. I plan to support Senate Bill 735 when it comes before our committee. This bill would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to provide for voter identification. By proposing a constitutional amendment, we take the power from the governor and put this important election reform question in the hands of the voters in a statewide referendum. It will take a bit longer to get the relief we need, but it will come with our persistence.”
Representative Frank Ryan
101st Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Donna Pinkham
717.260.6452
dpinkham@pahousegop.com
RepFrankRyan.com / Facebook.com/RepFrankRyan