PRINTER'S NO. 867
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
738
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY PHILLIPS-HILL, ARGALL, BAKER, MARTIN, PITTMAN AND
STEFANO, JUNE 7, 2021
REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, JUNE 7, 2021
AN ACT
Amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), entitled
"An act concerning elections, including general, municipal,
special and primary elections, the nomination of candidates,
primary and election expenses and election contests; creating
and defining membership of county boards of elections;
imposing duties upon the Secretary of the Commonwealth,
courts, county boards of elections, county commissioners;
imposing penalties for violation of the act, and codifying,
revising and consolidating the laws relating thereto; and
repealing certain acts and parts of acts relating to
elections," in the Secretary of the Commonwealth, further
providing for explanation of ballot question.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 201.1 of the act of June 3, 1937
(P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, is
amended to read:
Section 201.1. Explanation of Ballot Question and Posting on
Internet.--(a) Whenever a proposed constitutional amendment or
other State-wide ballot question shall be submitted to the
electors of the Commonwealth in referendum, the Attorney General
shall prepare a statement in plain English which indicates the
purpose, limitations and effects of the ballot question on the
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people of the Commonwealth.
(b) The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall include such
statement in [his] the publication of a proposed constitutional
amendment as required by Article XI of the Constitution of
Pennsylvania. The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall also post
on the Department of State's publicly accessible Internet
website a detailed account of each action taken to publish the
proposed constitutional amendment, including a copy of the
notice and constitutionally required deadline, a listing of the
newspapers in which the notice was published and the date of
publication and the earliest election date on which the proposed
constitutional amendment may be voted on by the electors.
(c) The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall certify such
statement to the county boards of elections who shall publish
such statement as a part of the notice of elections required by
section 1201 or any other provision of this act. The county
board of elections shall also require that at least three copies
of such statement be posted in or about the voting room outside
the enclosed space with the specimen ballots and other
instructions and notices of penalties. In election questions
which affect only one county or portion thereof, the county
board of elections shall fulfill these requirements in the place
of the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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