PRINTER'S NO. 3364
No. 2472 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY ZUG, DeWEESE, BROWNE, ARGALL, BASTIAN, CLARK, M. COHEN, FORCIER, FRANKEL, GEIST, GRUCELA, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, LAUGHLIN, LUCYK, MANDERINO, MARSICO, MELIO, R. MILLER, NICKOL, RAMOS, ROBERTS, ROEBUCK, SANTONI, SAYLOR, SCHULER, SCRIMENTI, SEYFERT, B. SMITH, STERN, E. Z. TAYLOR, THOMAS, TRELLO, TRUE, TULLI, WILT, WOJNAROSKI AND YOUNGBLOOD, APRIL 17, 2000
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, APRIL 17, 2000
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 applications for official 12 absentee ballots. 13 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 14 hereby enacts as follows: 15 Section 1. Section 1302(e.1) of the act of June 3, 1937 16 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, 17 amended February 13, 1998 (P.L.72, No.18), is amended to read: 18 Section 1302. Applications for Official Absentee Ballots.--* 19 * * 20 (e.1) Any qualified registered elector, including any
1 qualified bedridden or hospitalized veteran, who is unable 2 because of illness or physical disability to attend his polling 3 place on the day of any primary or election or operate a voting 4 machine and state distinctly and audibly that he is unable to do 5 so as required by section 1218 of this act may, with the 6 certification by his attending physician that he is permanently 7 disabled, and physically unable to attend the polls or operate a 8 voting machine and make the distinct and audible statement 9 required by section 1218 appended to the application 10 hereinbefore required, be placed on a permanently disabled 11 absentee ballot list file. An absentee ballot application shall 12 be mailed to every such person for each primary or election so 13 long as he does not lose his voting rights by failure to vote as 14 otherwise required by this act. Such person shall not be 15 required to file a physician's certificate of disability with 16 each application as required in subsection (e) of this section 17 [but such person must submit a written statement asserting 18 continuing disability every four years in order to maintain his 19 eligibility to vote under the provisions of this subsection]. 20 Should any such person lose his disability he shall inform the 21 county board of elections of the county of his residence. 22 * * * 23 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately. B7L25MRD/20000H2472B3364 - 2 -