Elections Code Changes Explained

I have previously written about and  summarized the first major changes to Pennsylvania's Elections Code in 80 years. These changes were also addressed by Rick Santee, the Solicitor to NorCo's Elections Commission, at their meeting last week. I am updating my original story after listening to what Attorney Santee said.

1) Voter registration. - Previously, in order to vote, you had to be registered at least 30 days before the election. That deadline is now 15 days before the election, or April 13. You can register at the county office elections office, with PennDot or online (https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/VoterRegistrationApplication.aspx.)

2) Voting by Mail.- You can now vote by mail, and may apply for a ballot within fifty days prior to an election. A request to vote by mail must be received by 5 pm on the Tuesday prior to an election. The county must accept the actual ballot so long as it is received by 8 pm on Election Day. Previously, the ballot had to be received or postmarked by the Friday prior to the election. You can apply for a ballot online at the above site, but must wait until 50 days before the election.

3) Permanent Mail-in voter list.- You can ask to be placed on a permanent mail-in voter list. Voters on this list will receive an application for a ballot in early February.

4) Can You Vote by mail and in person? No. If you've returned a mail-in or absentee ballot, you are ineligible to vote at your polling precinct. If you do not think your mail-in ballot was received, you can always cast a provisional ballot.

What's to prevent someone from voting at the precinct and then going to the Elections Office, obtaining a mail-in ballot, and handing it in to elections officials? That question was asked by Elections Comm'n member Gail Preuninger. What prevents this is the law. Voters are unable to apply for absentee or mail-in ballots within 15 days of the actual election.

5) Where Will Mail-in and Absentee Ballots be counted? At the elections office, but not until the polls close. Absentee ballots will no longer be counted at voting precincts. Counties have been given the option to select other locations at which voters can drop off ballots, so long as there is security and a chain of custody can be established. Where will these ballots be stored? In lockable containers in the elections office.

The County has two scanners with which to tabulate the mail-in ballots. Administrator Charles Deringer said they can read 2,000 per hour.

6) Straight-party voting. - This feature has finally been eliminated.

7) Nomination petition changes. - Instead of getting nomination petitions notarized, a circulator (a person who gets signatures from registered voters for a candidate) need only fill out what is called a "verification." This is essentially the same thing as a notarized statement, minus the expense. In addition, the residency requirement for circulators has been eliminated.

In another tweak to the Elections Code, the state legislature has banned the Department of State from decertifying voting systems used by the majority of the counties unless it advises the legislature six months in advance with a justification as well as a plan for paying for a new system. Counties were given no warning when Governor Tom Wolf suddenly decided, as part of a lawsuit settlement, to order all counties to get new systems in time for this year's election.