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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 6, 2015 01:15 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Mary Jo Daley |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Election Day Civic Holiday |
| In the near future I plan to introduce legislation that will ensure everyone in Pennsylvania has a better opportunity to vote. The democratic process works best when all eligible citizens participate. This legislation would provide opportunities to increase voter participation by giving voters more time and flexibility to get to the polls. First, my legislation will make Primary and General Election day a state holiday. Schools would have the option to close and most state workers would be given the day off. Second, my legislation would require employers to give up to 2 (two) hours of unpaid time off in order for their employees to vote. It is a fact of life that thousands of Pennsylvanians work in jobs with rigid schedules, long commutes, and lengthy workdays. If they are parents with young children, mornings are busy as they drop their children off to school and evenings as they pick up their children from day-care. For many eligible voters, polling places may open after they have left for work and close before they return home, leaving them little opportunity to exercise their basic right to vote. It's wrong that thousands of people are deprived of one of their most fundamental rights as American citizens to vote, and it's time to take action. I hope you will join me in support of this important piece of legislation. |
Memo Updated: August 6, 2015 01:16 PM