PRINTER'S NO. 680
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
667
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY KAUFER, BRIGGS, BERNSTINE, McNEILL, KINSEY, KULIK,
SCHLOSSBERG, BARRAR, JAMES, QUINN, T. DAVIS, NEILSON, MURT,
FREEMAN, MILLARD, DeLUCA, WHEELAND, FRANKEL, SCHWEYER, HILL-
EVANS, CIRESI, DAVIDSON, EVERETT, IRVIN, ZABEL, RADER,
BOBACK, TOOHIL AND FRITZ, MARCH 1, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, MARCH 1, 2019
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 voting by qualified absentee electors, further
providing for canvassing of official absentee ballots.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1308(g)(1) and (4) of the act of June 3,
1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election
Code, are amended to read:
Section 1308. Canvassing of Official Absentee Ballots.--* *
*
(g) (1) (i) An absentee ballot cast by [any] an absentee
elector as defined in section 1301(a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f),
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(g) and (h) which is received in the office of the county board
of elections after five o'clock P.M. on the Friday immediately
preceding the election and no later than five o'clock P.M. on
the seventh day following an election shall be canvassed in
accordance with this subsection if the absentee ballot is
postmarked no later than the day immediately preceding the
election.
(ii) An absentee ballot cast by an absentee elector, other
than an elector described in subparagraph (i), which is
postmarked no later than the Monday immediately preceding the
election and received in the office of the county board of
elections after five o'clock P.M . on the Friday immediately
preceding the election and before five o'clock P.M . on the
Tuesday following the election shall be canvassed in accordance
with this subsection.
* * *
(4) All absentee ballots [not], except for ballots
challenged for any of the reasons provided in paragraph (3) and
ballots cast by electors who appear in person at the polling
place on election day pursuant to section 1306(b), shall be
counted and included with the returns of the applicable election
district as follows[.]:
(i) The county board shall open the envelope of every
unchallenged absentee elector in such manner as not to destroy
the declaration executed thereon.
(ii) If any of the envelopes on which are printed, stamped
or endorsed the words "Official Absentee Ballot" contain any
extraneous marks or identifying symbols, the envelopes and the
ballots contained therein shall be set aside and declared void.
(iii) The county board shall then break the seals of such
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envelopes, remove the ballots and record the votes.
* * *
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 120 days.
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