PRINTER'S NO. 1110
No. 961 Session of 1977
INTRODUCED BY DOYLE, SCIRICA AND GEISLER, APRIL 25, 1977
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, APRIL 25, 1977
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), entitled
2 "An act concerning elections, including general, municipal,
3 special and primary elections, the nomination of candidates,
4 primary and election expenses and election contests; creating
5 and defining membership of county boards of elections;
6 imposing duties upon the Secretary of the Commonwealth,
7 courts, county boards of elections, county commissioners;
8 imposing penalties for violation of the act, and codifying,
9 revising and consolidating the laws relating thereto; and
10 repealing certain acts and parts of acts relating to
11 elections," further providing for presidential electors.
12 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
13 hereby enacts as follows:
14 Section 1. Sections 918, 1501 and 1502, act of June 3, 1937
15 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the "Pennsylvania Election Code,"
16 are amended to read:
17 Section 918. Presidential Electors; Selection by Nominees;
18 Certification; Vacancies.--The nominee of each political party
19 for the office of President of the United States shall, within
20 thirty days after his nomination by the National convention of
21 such party, nominate as many persons to be the candidates of his
22 party for the office of presidential elector as the State is
23 then entitled to. If for any reason the nominee of any political
1 party for President of the United States fails or is unable to
2 make the said nominations within the time herein provided, then
3 the nominee for such party for the office of Vice-President of
4 the United States shall, as soon as may be possible after the
5 expiration of thirty days, make the nominations. Of the
6 candidates chosen to be nominees for the office of presidential
7 elector, one qualified elector shall be chosen from each
8 congressional district and two qualified electors of the
9 Commonwealth shall be chosen to be presidential electors at
10 large. The names of such nominees, with their residences and
11 post-office addresses, shall be certified immediately to the
12 Secretary of the Commonwealth by the nominee for the office of
13 President or Vice-President, as the case may be, making the
14 nominations. Vacancies existing after the date of nomination of
15 presidential electors shall be filled by the nominee for the
16 office of President or Vice-President making the original
17 nomination. Nominations made to fill vacancies shall be
18 certified to the Secretary of the Commonwealth in the manner
19 herein provided for in the case of original nominations.
20 Section 1501. Election of Presidential Electors.--At the
21 general election to be held in the year [1940] 1980, and every
22 fourth year thereafter, there shall be elected by the qualified
23 electors in each congressional district of the Commonwealth[,
24 persons] a person to be known as [electors of] an elector of the
25 President and Vice-President of the United States, and referred
26 to in this act as a presidential [electors, equal in number to
27 the whole number of senators and representatives to which this
28 State may be entitled in the Congress of the United States.]
29 elector. In addition, two electors of the President and Vice-
30 President of the United States shall be elected at large in the
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1 Commonwealth by the qualified electors of the Commonwealth.
2 Section 1502. Meeting of Electors; Duties.--The electors
3 chosen, as aforesaid, shall assemble at the seat of government
4 of this Commonwealth, at 12 o'clock noon of the day which is, or
5 may be, directed by the Congress of the United States, and shall
6 then and there perform the duties enjoined upon them by the
7 Constitution and laws of the United States. Presidential and
8 Vice-Presidential electors elected by the electors in each
9 congressional district, having received a mandate from the
10 electors in their respective congressional districts, shall be
11 legally bound to cast their ballots for the Presidential and
12 Vice-Presidential candidates receiving the highest number of
13 votes in their respective congressional districts.
14 The two at-large Presidential and Vice-Presidential electors
15 shall be legally bound to cast their ballots for the
16 Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates receiving the
17 highest number of votes in the Commonwealth.
18 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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