PRINTER'S NO. 506
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
515
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY STEFANO, AUMENT, MASTRIANO, J. WARD, SCAVELLO,
MARTIN, PITTMAN AND MENSCH, APRIL 1, 2021
REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, APRIL 1, 2021
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 mail-in electors, further
providing for applications for official mail-in ballots.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1302-D(g) of the act of June 3, 1937
(P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code,
amended March 27, 2020 (P.L.41, No.12), is amended and the
section is amended by adding a subsection to read:
Section 1302-D. Applications for official mail-in ballots.
* * *
(a.1) Application restriction.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, only the Department of State or a county board
of election of a county in which a qualified elector's voting
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residence is located may send an application to a qualified
elector for an official mail-in ballot under this article.
* * *
[(g) Permanent mail-in voting list.--
(1) Any qualified registered elector may request to be
placed on a permanent mail-in ballot list file at any time
during the calendar year. A mail-in ballot application shall
be mailed to every person otherwise eligible to receive a
mail-in ballot application by the first Monday in February
each year or within 48 hours of receipt of the request,
whichever is later, so long as the person does not lose the
person's voting rights by failure to vote as otherwise
required by this act. A mail-in ballot application mailed to
an elector under this section, which is completed and timely
returned by the elector, shall serve as an application for
any and all primary, general or special elections to be held
in the remainder of that calendar year and for all special
elections to be held before the third Monday in February of
the succeeding year.
(2) The Secretary of the Commonwealth may develop an
electronic system through which all qualified electors may
apply for a mail-in ballot and request permanent mail-in
voter status under this section, provided the system is able
to capture a digitized or electronic signature of the
applicant. A county board of elections shall treat an
application or request received through the electronic system
as if the application or request had been submitted on a
paper form or any other format used by the county.
(3) The transfer of a qualified registered elector on a
permanent mail-in voting list from one county to another
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county shall only be permitted upon the request of the
qualified registered elector.]
Section 2. All regulations and parts of regulations are
abrogated to the extent of any inconsistency with the provisions
of this act.
Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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