PRINTER'S NO. 1911
No. 1610 Session of 1995
INTRODUCED BY JOSEPHS, GAMBLE, STRITTMATTER, TRELLO, ROEBUCK,
ROONEY, CLARK, TIGUE, FAIRCHILD, CURRY, ROBINSON, BUNT,
SAYLOR, E. Z. TAYLOR, RUBLEY, YOUNGBLOOD, GEIST AND ITKIN,
MAY 10, 1995
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, MAY 10, 1995
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of April 29, 1937 (P.L.487, No.115), entitled,
2 as reenacted and amended, "An act to provide for the
3 permanent personal registration of electors in cities of the
4 second class, cities of the second class A, cities of the
5 third class, boroughs, towns, and townships as a condition of
6 their right to vote at elections and primaries, and their
7 enrollment as members of political parties as a further
8 condition of their right to vote at primaries; prescribing
9 certain procedure for the conduct of elections and primaries
10 and the challenge and proof of qualifications of electors;
11 requiring the county commissioners of the various counties to
12 act as a registration commission therefor; and prescribing
13 the powers and duties of citizens, parties, political bodies,
14 registration commissions, commissioners, registrars,
15 inspectors of registration and other appointees of
16 registration commissions, county election boards, election
17 officers, municipal officers, departments and bureaus, police
18 officers, courts, judges, prothonotaries, sheriffs, county
19 commissioners, peace officers, county treasurers, county
20 controllers, registrars of vital statistics, certain public
21 utility corporations, real estate brokers, rental agents, and
22 boards of school directors; and imposing penalties," further
23 providing for registration procedure, for special
24 registrations, for recording incomplete and rejected
25 applications and for examination of district registers.
26 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
27 hereby enacts as follows:
28 Section 1. Sections 18(c), 18.1(b) and 18.2(b) of the act of
1 April 29, 1937 (P.L.487, No.115), known as The Permanent
2 Registration Act for Cities of the Second Class, Cities of the
3 Second Class A, Cities of the Third Class, Boroughs, Towns, and
4 Townships, reenacted and amended May 31, 1955 (P.L.62, No.32)
5 and amended May 31, 1984 (P.L.355, No.70), are amended to read:
6 Section 18. Manner of Registration.--
7 * * *
8 (c) (1) The surname of the applicant; (2) his Christian,
9 first or given name or names; (4) the street or road and number,
10 if any, of his residence; (5) if his residence is a portion only
11 of the house, the location or number of the room or rooms,
12 apartment, flat or floor which he occupies; (6) the date his
13 residence in the district began; (7) his residence address when
14 he last registered, and the year of such registration; (8) the
15 sex of the applicant; (9) the color of the applicant: Provided,
16 however, That an application shall not be rejected because the
17 color of the applicant is not indicated thereon; (10) the state
18 or territory of the United States, or foreign country, where he
19 was born; (13) whether he is unable, by reason of illiteracy, to
20 read the names on the ballot or on the voting machine labels;
21 (14) whether he has a physical disability which will render him
22 unable to see or mark the ballot or operate the voting machine,
23 or to enter the voting compartment or voting machine booth,
24 without assistance, and, if so, his declaration of the fact and
25 his statement of the exact nature of such disability; (15) the
26 designation of the political party of the elector, for the
27 purpose of voting at primaries; (16) the affidavit of
28 registration, which shall be signed by the elector, attested by
29 the signature of the registrar or clerk and dated by him; (17)
30 his height, in feet and inches; (18) the color of his hair; (19)
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1 the color of his eyes; and (20) the date of his birth. Each
2 registration card shall also have a sufficient number of spaces
3 thereon for the insertion of--(21) the city of the second class,
4 the city of the second class A, the city of the third class, the
5 borough, town, township, ward and election district, if any, in
6 which the elector resides and to which he may from time to time
7 remove, together with his street address in each city of the
8 second class, city of the second class A, city of the third
9 class, borough, town or township, and the other data required to
10 be given upon such removal; (22) the date of each election and
11 primary at which the elector votes, the number and letter, if
12 any, of the stub of the ballot issued to him or his number in
13 the order of admission to the voting machines; and (23) the
14 signature or initials of the election officer who enters the
15 record of voting on the card.
16 * * *
17 Section 18.1. Manner of Mail Registration by Persons in
18 Military Service, Persons in the Merchant Marine, Persons in
19 Religious and Welfare Groups Officially Attached To and Serving
20 with the Armed Forces and Civilian Federal Personnel Overseas
21 and Their Spouses and Dependents.--In addition to any other
22 method herein provided, the following persons may also be
23 registered by mail in the manner hereinafter set forth under
24 this section: (1) any person in military service, his spouse and
25 dependents; or (2) any person in the Merchant Marine, his spouse
26 and dependents; or (3) any person in religious and welfare
27 groups officially attached to and serving with the armed forces,
28 his spouse and dependents; or (4) any person who is a civilian
29 employee of the United States outside the territorial limits of
30 the several States of the United States and the District of
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1 Columbia, whether or not such person is subject to the civil-
2 service laws and the Classification Act of 1949 and whether or
3 not paid from funds appropriated by the Congress, his spouse and
4 dependents.
5 * * *
6 (b) The official registration application card shall require
7 the statement of the applicant, the signature of the applicant,
8 and shall provide sufficient space for the following
9 information: (1) The surname of the applicant, (2) his
10 Christian, first or given name or names, (4) the street or road
11 and number, if any, of his home residence and the date of
12 leaving same, providing that, in the event there is no street
13 address, the registrant must list the nearest cross street or
14 road, (5) if his residence was a portion only of a house, the
15 location or number of the room or rooms, apartment, flat or
16 floor which he occupied, (6) the date his residence began at the
17 place which is his home residence, (7) his home residence
18 address when he last registered and the year of such
19 registration, including any former registration under any other
20 surname, (8) the sex of the applicant, (9) the color of the
21 applicant: Provided, however, That an application shall not be
22 rejected because the color of the applicant is not indicated
23 thereon, (10) the state or territory of the United States or the
24 foreign country where he was born, (13) whether he is unable by
25 reason of illiteracy to read the names on the ballot or voting
26 machine labels, (14) whether he has a physical disability which
27 will render him unable to see or mark the ballot or operate the
28 voting machine or to enter the voting compartment or voting
29 machine booth without assistance, and, if so, his declaration of
30 that fact and his statement of the exact nature of such
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1 disability, (15) the designation of the political party of the
2 elector for the purpose of voting at primaries, (16) the
3 declaration of registration, as hereinafter prescribed, which
4 shall be signed by the elector, (17) the height of the applicant
5 in feet and inches, (18) the color of his hair, (19) the color
6 of his eyes, (20) the date of his birth, (21) the designation by
7 the elector that the official registration application card is
8 intended by such elector for use as (check one):
9 / / New Registration
10 / / Change of Address
11 / / Change of Name
12 Each official registration application card for registration by
13 persons registering under this section shall also have (22) a
14 sufficient number of spaces thereon for the insertion by the
15 commission, but not by the applicant, of the city of the second
16 class, city of the second class A, city of the third class,
17 borough, town, township, ward and election district, if any, in
18 which the applicant resided on the date of leaving home
19 residence and to which he may from time to time remove after
20 returning to his home residence, together with his street
21 address in each city of the second class, city of the second
22 class A, city of the third class, borough, town or township and
23 the other data required to be given upon such removal, (23) the
24 date of each election and primary at which the applicant votes
25 after registration, the number and letter, if any, of the stub
26 of the ballot issued to him, or his number in the order of
27 admission to the voting machines, and (24) the signature or
28 initials of the election officer, commissioner, register or
29 clerk, who enters the record of voting on the card. Immediately
30 following the spaces for inserting the information as provided
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1 in this subsection, the applicant shall affix his signature
2 exactly as it appears in (1) and (2) of this subsection.
3 Section 18.2. Manner of Mail Registration by Electors Other
4 Than Those Enumerated in Section 18.1 of This Act.--Any elector
5 may, in addition to any other method herein provided, also be
6 registered by mail in the manner set forth in this section:
7 * * *
8 (b) The official registration application card shall require
9 the statement of, and shall provide sufficient space for the
10 following information: (1) The surname of the applicant, (2) his
11 Christian, first or given name or names, (4) the street or road
12 and number of his residence and the date of leaving same,
13 providing that, in the event there is no street address, the
14 registrant must list the nearest cross street or road, (5) if
15 his residence is a portion only of a house, the location or
16 number of the room or rooms, apartment, flat or floor which he
17 occupies, (6) the date his residence began at the place at which
18 he resides, (7) his residence address when he last registered
19 and the year of such registration, including any former
20 registration under any other surname, (8) the sex of the
21 applicant, (9) the color of the applicant: Provided, however,
22 That an application shall not be rejected because the color of
23 the applicant is not indicated thereon, (10) the state or
24 territory of the United States or the foreign country where he
25 was born, (13) whether he is unable by reason of illiteracy to
26 read the names on the ballot or on voting machines labels, (14)
27 whether he has a physical disability which will render him
28 unable to see or mark the ballot or operate the voting machine
29 or to enter the voting compartment or voting machine booth
30 without assistance and, if so, his declaration of that fact and
19950H1610B1911 - 6 -
1 his statement of the exact nature of such disability, (15) the
2 designation of the political party of the elector for the
3 purpose of voting at primaries, (16) the declaration of
4 registration as hereinafter prescribed which shall be signed by
5 the elector, (17) the height of the applicant in feet and
6 inches, (18) the color of his hair, (19) the color of his eyes,
7 (20) the date of his birth, (21) the designation by the elector
8 that the official registration application card is intended by
9 such elector for use as (check one):
10 / / New Registration
11 / / Change of Address
12 / / Change of Name
13 Each official registration application card for electors
14 registering in the manner prescribed by this section shall also
15 have a sufficient number of spaces thereon for the insertion of
16 (22) the city of the second class, city of the second class A,
17 city of the third class, borough, town, township, ward and
18 election district, if any, in which the applicant resides and to
19 which he may, from time to time, remove together with his street
20 address in each city of the second class, city of the second
21 class A, city of the third class, borough, town or township, and
22 the other data required to be given upon such removal, (23) the
23 date of each election and primary at which the applicant votes
24 after registration, the number and letter, if any, of the stub
25 of the ballot issued to him or his number in the order of
26 admission to the voting machines, and (24) the signature or
27 initials of the election officer, commissioner, registrar or
28 clerk, who enters the record of voting on the card. Immediately
29 following the spaces for inserting the information as provided
30 in this subsection, the applicant shall affix his signature
19950H1610B1911 - 7 -
1 exactly as it appears in (1) and (2) of this subsection.
2 Section 2. Section 22 of the act, amended July 1, 1976
3 (P.L.504, No.123), is amended to read:
4 Section 22. Incomplete or Rejected Applications to Be
5 Recorded.--The registrar, commissioner, or clerk shall record on
6 registration cards the surname, Christian, first or given name
7 or names, and street and number of residence of each person who
8 applies for registration, whether or not the application is
9 accepted. Whenever the applicant is rejected after a portion of
10 the record has been filled in, the registration card or cards
11 shall be marked "Applicant Rejected," and the registrar,
12 commissioner or clerk shall note thereon the reason for the
13 rejection and shall sign his name thereto. The registrar,
14 commissioner or clerk shall forthwith personally notify the
15 applicant if his application for registration is rejected:
16 Provided, however, That if the registration card was received by
17 mail notice of rejection shall be by mail. All such cards shall
18 be returned to the commission and shall be preserved for a
19 period of two years.
20 Section 3. Section 37(d) of the act is amended to read:
21 Section 37. Examination of District Registers; Report of
22 Indications of Fraud to District Attorney.--* * *
23 (d) Whenever the registration card of any registered elector
24 shall have been entirely filled up so that the entries required
25 to be made thereon, by this act can no longer be made, the
26 commission shall have prepared and attached to such registration
27 cards in each register a supplemental card. Each supplemental
28 card shall be printed in a color different from the registration
29 cards. It shall have the same serial number as the registration
30 card, followed by the letter "A," "B," et cetera, according to
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1 the number of supplemental cards attached to each registration
2 card. Each supplemental card shall have space thereon for the
3 entry of the surname of the registered elector, his Christian,
4 first or given name or names, the street and number of his
5 residence, the ward and election district in which he resides
6 and to which he may from time to time remove; together with his
7 street address in each such district, and the other data
8 required to be given upon such removal, the date of each
9 election and primary at which the elector votes, and the
10 signature or initials of the election officer who enters the
11 record of voting on the card. Each supplemental card shall be
12 attached to the registration card to which it relates, by
13 permanent fasteners, in such a manner that the contents of the
14 registration card may be examined and the entries required by
15 this act may be made on the supplemental card. Whenever
16 supplemental cards are attached to the registration card of any
17 elector, the registration card shall be stamped with the words
18 "Supplemental cards attached," together with the date thereof.
19 Section 4. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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