PRINTER'S NO. 3974
No. 802 Session of 2008
INTRODUCED BY WATERS, BISHOP, MYERS, COHEN, DONATUCCI,
BIANCUCCI, BRENNAN, CALTAGIRONE, CASORIO, DePASQUALE,
FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GRUCELA, HARKINS, KOTIK, LEACH, MAHONEY,
MELIO, MILLARD, PALLONE, READSHAW, SIPTROTH, K. SMITH,
STURLA, THOMAS, J. WHITE, MARSICO AND CONKLIN, JUNE 18, 2008
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JUNE 18, 2008
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the House of Representatives to hold public hearings on
2 the Help America Vote Act to further prevent voting
3 difficulties in the 2008 general election due to the high
4 turnout of new voters.
5 WHEREAS, The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was passed by the
6 Congress of the United States in 2002 to prevent a recurrence of
7 difficulties experienced during the 2000 presidential election;
8 and
9 WHEREAS, In this Commonwealth, HAVA is responsible for
10 providing funding for updating voting systems, voter education,
11 polling place accessibility and language accessibility; and
12 WHEREAS, Before the April 22, 2008, primary election, the
13 Department of State issued news releases and provided interviews
14 with media to explain the qualifications and process to register
15 to vote, as well as the requirements of a closed primary; and
16 WHEREAS, A special message and a news release were issued to
17 members of the armed forces of the Commonwealth explaining the
1 process for military and overseas voters; and
2 WHEREAS, In addition, the Department of State also reached
3 out to university presidents to communicate guidelines for
4 college voters, as many of the students may be voting for the
5 first time; and
6 WHEREAS, The Department of State launched Ready.Set.Vote, an
7 interactive voter education campaign that features multimedia
8 advertising, outreach efforts and a revised version of the
9 interactive Internet website, VotesPa.com; and
10 WHEREAS, The campaign's goal is to ensure that Commonwealth
11 voters are familiar with voting processes, rights and
12 technology; and
13 WHEREAS, Counties were reminded to be prepared to handle
14 unexpected polling place emergencies, such as power outages,
15 inclement weather, fires, water damage and flooding and the
16 large volume of voters also magnified the importance of poll
17 worker training; and
18 WHEREAS, Department of State staff members who are dedicated
19 to specific topics were ready and available during election day
20 to provide assistance to the counties and to the public on
21 issues ranging from basic questions to complex legal issues, and
22 the Department of State took additional steps to make available
23 communication liaisons to serve the counties on the day of the
24 primary, if needed; therefore be it
25 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives work to prevent
26 voter difficulties and problems by holding public hearings to
27 ensure the Commonwealth can handle the predicted unprecedented
28 voter turnout for the general election on November 4, 2008.
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