PRINTER'S NO. 2884
No. 2188 Session of 1998
INTRODUCED BY ROBERTS, HORSEY, JAMES, WOJNAROSKI, DEMPSEY,
MELIO, LAUGHLIN, YOUNGBLOOD, BOSCOLA, RAMOS AND C. WILLIAMS,
FEBRUARY 4, 1998
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 4, 1998
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 equipment and arrangement
12 of polling places.
13 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
14 hereby enacts as follows:
15 Section 1. Section 530(a) of the act of June 3, 1937
16 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, is
17 amended to read:
18 Section 530. Equipment and Arrangement of Polling Places;
19 Guard Rail; Number of Voting Compartments or Voting Machines.--
20 (a) (1) The county board of elections shall cause all rooms
21 used as polling places to be suitably provided with heat and
22 light, and, in districts in which ballots are used, with a
1 sufficient number of voting compartments or booths with proper
2 supplies, in which electors may conveniently mark their ballots,
3 with a curtain, screen or door in the upper part of the front of
4 each compartment or booth so that in the marking thereof they
5 may be screened from the observation of others.
6 (2) Every polling place shall consist of a single room,
7 every part of which is within the unobstructed view of those
8 present therein, and shall be furnished with a guard rail or
9 barrier enclosing the inner portion of the said room, which
10 guard rail or barrier shall be so constructed and placed that
11 only such persons as are inside said rail or barrier can
12 approach within six feet of the ballot box and voting
13 compartments, or booths, or voting machines, as the case may be.
14 (3) No ballot item on a voting machine may be placed at a
15 height greater than five feet six inches from the surface on
16 which an elector stands. Every polling place shall be equipped
17 with at least one stepstool or similar device to assist electors
18 in easily reaching and reading all ballot items.
19 (4) The ballot box and voting compartments or booths shall
20 be so arranged in the voting room within the enclosed space as
21 to be in full view of those persons in the room outside the said
22 guard rail or barrier. The voting machine or machines shall be
23 so placed in the voting room within the enclosed space that,
24 unless its construction shall otherwise require, the ballot
25 labels on the face of the machine can be plainly seen by the
26 election officers, overseers and watchers when the machine is
27 not occupied by an elector.
28 * * *
29 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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