PRINTER'S NO. 1383
No. 1132 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY MELIO, BARRAR, BELFANTI, BRENNAN, CASORIO, CLYMER, DePASQUALE, FABRIZIO, FAIRCHILD, GALLOWAY, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, JAMES, KIRKLAND, KORTZ, KOTIK, MAHONEY, MOUL, MUNDY, MYERS, REICHLEY, SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY, WALKO AND WOJNAROSKI, APRIL 23, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, APRIL 23, 2007
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 absentee electors files and 12 lists. 13 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 14 hereby enacts as follows: 15 Section 1. Section 1302.3 of the act of June 3, 1937 16 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, 17 amended December 11, 1968 (P.L.1183, No.375), is amended to 18 read: 19 Section 1302.3. Absentee Electors Files and Lists.--(a) The 20 county board of elections shall maintain at its office a file 21 containing the duplicate absentee voter's temporary registration
1 cards of every registered elector to whom an absentee ballot has
2 been sent. Such duplicate absentee voter's temporary
3 registration cards shall be filed by election districts and
4 within each election district in exact alphabetical order and
5 indexed. The registration cards so filed shall constitute the
6 Registered Absentee Voters File for the Primary or Election of
7 (date of primary or election) and shall be kept on file for a
8 period commencing the Tuesday prior to the day of the primary or
9 election until the day following the primary or election or the
10 day the county board of elections certifies the returns of the
11 primary or election, whichever date is later. Such file shall be
12 open to public inspection at all times subject to reasonable
13 safeguards, rules and regulations.
14 (b) The county board of elections shall [post in a
15 conspicuous public place] maintain at its office a master list
16 arranged in alphabetical order by election districts setting
17 forth the name and residence, and at primaries, the party
18 enrollment, of (1) every military elector to whom an absentee
19 ballot is being sent, each such name to be prefixed with an "M";
20 (2) every bedridden or hospitalized veteran outside the county
21 of his residence who is not registered and to whom an absentee
22 ballot is being sent, each such name to be prefixed with a "V";
23 and (3) every registered elector who has filed his application
24 for an absentee ballot too late for the extraction of his
25 original registration card and to whom a ballot is being sent
26 and every qualified elector who has filed his application for an
27 absentee ballot and is entitled, under provisions of the
28 Permanent Registration Law as now or hereinafter enacted by the
29 General Assembly, to absentee registration prior to or
30 concurrently with the time of voting, each such name to be
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1 prefixed with a "C." This list shall be known as the Military, 2 Veterans and Emergency Civilians Absentee Voters File for the 3 Primary or Election of (date of primary or election). [and shall 4 be posted for a period commencing the Tuesday prior to the day 5 of the primary or election until the day following the primary 6 or election or the day on which the county board of elections 7 certifies the returns of the primary or election, whichever date 8 is later. Such file] Such list shall be open to public 9 inspection at all times subject to reasonable safeguards, rules 10 and regulations[. This posted], including requiring any 11 individual who asks to inspect the list to identify himself by 12 signing his name and printing his name and address on a form 13 prepared by the county board. The county board of elections 14 shall post in a conspicuous public place at its office a sign 15 stating that the list is open to public inspection upon 16 completion of the form. This list shall not contain any military 17 address or references to any military organization. Upon written 18 request, the county board shall furnish a copy of such list to 19 any candidate or party county chairman. 20 (c) Not less than five days preceding the election, the chief 21 clerk shall prepare a list for each election district showing 22 the names and post office addresses of all voting residents 23 thereof to whom official absentee ballots shall have been 24 issued. Each such list shall be prepared in duplicate, shall be 25 headed "Persons in (give identity of election district) to whom 26 absentee ballots have been issued for the election of (date of 27 election)," and shall be signed by him not less than four days 28 preceding the election. He shall [post the original of each such 29 list in a conspicuous place in the office of the county election 30 board and see that it is kept so posted until the close of the 20070H1132B1383 - 3 -
1 polls on election day.] maintain the original of each list in 2 the office of the county election board. Each list shall be open 3 to public inspection subject to reasonable safeguards, rules and 4 regulations, including requiring any individual who asks to 5 inspect the list to identify himself by signing his name and 6 printing his name and address on a form prepared by the county 7 board. The county board of elections shall post in a conspicuous 8 public place at its office a sign stating that the list is open 9 to public inspection upon completion of the form. Upon written 10 request, the chief clerk shall furnish a copy of such list to 11 any candidate or party county chairperson. He shall cause the 12 duplicate of each such list to be delivered to the judge of 13 election in the election district in the same manner and at the 14 same time as are provided in this act for the delivery of other 15 election supplies, and it shall be the duty of such judge of 16 election to [post such duplicate list in a conspicuous place 17 within the polling place of his district and see that it is kept 18 so posted throughout the time that the polls are open. Upon 19 written request, he shall furnish a copy of such list to any 20 candidate or party county chairman.] maintain such duplicate 21 list within the polling place of his district. The judge of 22 election shall make the duplicate list available for public 23 inspection on the day of the election or primary subject to 24 reasonable safeguards, rules and regulations, including 25 requiring any individual who asks to inspect the list to 26 identify himself by signing his name and printing his name and 27 address on a form prepared by the county board. The judge of 28 election shall post in a conspicuous public place within the 29 polling place of his district a sign stating that the list is 30 open to public inspection upon completion of the form. 20070H1132B1383 - 4 -
1 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days. C20L25AJM/20070H1132B1383 - 5 -