PRINTER'S NO. 1977

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

No.

1558

Session of

2019

INTRODUCED BY O'MARA, DERMODY, A. DAVIS, McCLINTON, T. DAVIS,

WARREN, HILL-EVANS, MURT, SCHLOSSBERG, SOLOMON, GOODMAN,

MATZIE, BRIGGS, ISAACSON, FRANKEL, McNEILL, MULLINS, FREEMAN,

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

Section 1201-A. Conduct of early voting.

(a) Authority to conduct.--Notwithstanding law or regulation

to the contrary, each county board shall provide for a period of

early voting in elections as provided for in this article.

(b) Issuance of ballots and voting booths.--The following

apply:

(1) If a request is made to vote early by a registered

elector, the county board shall issue a ballot to the

(2) On the dates for early voting prescribed in section

1203-A, each county board shall provide voting booths with

voting machines and other suitable equipment for voting on

the premises of the county board and at any other early

voting polling place designated by the county board for the

conduct of early voting in accordance with this article.

(c) Maintenance of list.--The county board shall maintain a

list of all registered electors in each election district who

vote during the early voting period. The list must be maintained

for each election district in the county. Before the opening of

places for in-person early voting at locations throughout the

county in which the county board has jurisdiction, including

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but not limited to any school, county building or any other

office or building owned or maintained by the county. A

registered elector entitled to early voting may do so at any

polling place established by the county board for early

voting.

(2) During each election, the county board, in a county

permanent polling places within the municipality. All

population figures shall be determined by the most recent

Federal decennial census.

(3) During each election, the county board in a county

with a municipality with a population of over 100,000, shall

establish at least three permanent polling places for in-

person early voting.

(4) During each election, the county board in a county

with a population of over 100,000 but under 250,000, shall

establish at least one permanent polling place for in-person

(6) No permanent polling place designated for early

voting in accordance with this section shall be located

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within 1.5 miles of another permanent polling place required

under this section, unless the permanent polling place is

within a municipality with a population of 500,000 or more.

(7) All population figures enumerated in this section

shall be determined by the most recent Federal decennial

census.

subsection (c), the following apply:

(1) Except as provided under paragraphs (2) and (3), a

permanent polling place for early voting must remain open

beginning the 30th day before an election through the end of

the day before election day as follows:

(i) during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays; and

(ii) during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on

Saturdays and holidays and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on

Sundays.

least eight hours on any holiday during the early voting

period and a total of at least 14 hours on the final weekend

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during the early voting period.

(c) Emergency closure of polling place.--Notwithstanding

subsection (b), a county board may close an early voting polling

place if the building in which the polling place is located has

been closed by a State, county or local agency in response to a

severe weather emergency or other emergency. The county board

board may establish temporary polling places for early voting.

(b) Applicability of schedule.--The following apply:

(1) The schedules for the conduct of early voting under

section 1203-A(b) shall not apply to temporary polling

places. Early voting at temporary polling places may be

conducted on any one or more days and during any hours within

the early voting period established for in-person early

voting under section 1203-A(b), as determined by the county

board.

(2) The schedules for the conduct of early voting at a

of a municipality shall make public buildings within the

county available as permanent or temporary early voting

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polling places without charge. Any request to use a public

building shall include reasonably necessary time before and

after the period that early voting will be conducted at the

public building.

(2) A municipality making a public building available as

a permanent or temporary early voting polling place shall

the period of early voting, the county board shall publish in a

newspaper of general circulation in the county a schedule

stating:

(1) the location of each permanent and temporary early

voting polling place and the election districts served by

each such polling place; and

(2) the dates and hours that early voting will be

conducted at each temporary early voting polling place.

(b) Posting requirements.--Each county board shall post a

copy of the schedule at an office or other location that is to

without charge during the period of posting.

(d) Electronic posting.--If the county board maintains a

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publicly accessible Internet website, the county board shall

make the schedule available on the website.

(e) Prohibition and exception after schedule publication.--

The following apply:

(1) No additional permanent early voting polling places

may be established after the schedule is published under this

reported to the Secretary of the Commonwealth and posted on

the county board's publicly accessible Internet website.

Section 1207-A. List of polling places.

At least 10 days before the commencement of early voting,

each county board shall provide the Secretary of the

Commonwealth with a list of all permanent and temporary early

voting polling places and the hours each polling place will be

open for early voting.

Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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