AN ACT

 

1Amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), entitled 
2"An act concerning elections, including general, municipal, 
3special and primary elections, the nomination of candidates, 
4primary and election expenses and election contests; creating 
5and defining membership of county boards of elections; 
6imposing duties upon the Secretary of the Commonwealth, 
7courts, county boards of elections, county commissioners; 
8imposing penalties for violation of the act, and codifying, 
9revising and consolidating the laws relating thereto; and 
10repealing certain acts and parts of acts relating to 
11elections," further providing for Voting Standards 
12Development Board.

13The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
14hereby enacts as follows:

15Section 1. Section 204(h) of the act of June 3, 1937
16(P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code,
17amended May 13, 2011 (P.L.13, No.3), is amended to read:

18Section 204. Voting Standards Development Board.--* * *

19(h) (1) The board shall have the power and duty to develop
20uniform and nondiscriminatory standards that define what
21constitutes a valid vote cast through a paper ballot and what
22constitutes a valid vote through each type of electronic voting

1system used in the Commonwealth. On or before July 1, 2003, the
2board shall adopt standards for paper ballots and each type of
3electronic voting system. The department shall cause these
4standards to be published as a notice in the Pennsylvania
5Bulletin.

6(2) The standards adopted by the board and published by the
7Department of State in the Pennsylvania Bulletin Volume 33
8Number 31 on August 2, 2003, shall[, for the general election in
92004 and any primary, municipal, special and general election in
102006, 2007, 2009 and, 2010, 2011 and 2012,] have the force and
11effect of law[.<-] until such time as a category of voting system, 
12other than the paper ballot or electronic voting system as 
13defined in section 1101-A, is approved by the secretary for use 
14in this Commonwealth under section 201(b). The secretary shall 
15publish the approval as a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

16Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.