Test Drive Our New Site! We have some improvements in the works that we're excited for you to experience. Click here to try our new, faster, mobile friendly beta site. We will be maintaining our current version of the site thru the end of 2024, so you can switch back as our improvements continue.
Legislation Quick Search
Advanced Search
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
04/24/2024 09:25 PM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20150&cosponId=16445
Share:
Home / House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

Subscribe to PaLegis Notifications
NEW!

Subscribe to receive notifications of new Co-Sponsorship Memos circulated

By Member | By Date | Keyword Search


House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: January 8, 2015 11:58 AM
From: Representative Mark B. Cohen
To: All House members
Subject: Absentee Voting for Senior Citizens
 
In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that would amend Article VII (Elections) of the Pennsylvania Constitution to provide for absentee voting for senior citizens, individuals age 60 or older, without excuse.

Senior citizens deserve to have the flexibility in choosing how to vote. Several states, including Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, allow seniors to apply for an absentee ballot without the necessity of providing an excuse. Expanding voting options for senior citizens should lead to greater voter participation. Michigan, whose election laws allow seniors age 60 and above to apply for an absentee ballot without excuse, have a voting participation rate by absentee ballot of 15.4% versus Pennsylvania at 3.1%.

The Patriot-News published an editorial on Sunday, January 4, 2015, calling on Pennsylvania to change its antiquated voting system, including expanding options for absentee voting, which I have attached for your review.

If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Seidl of my office at kseidl@pahouse.net or 787-4117.

Thank you.

Previous co-sponsors of HB 783: COHEN, BIZZARRO, V. BROWN, BROWNLEE, D. COSTA, P. DALEY, FABRIZIO, FREEMAN, KINSEY, KORTZ, MATZIE, McGEEHAN, MUNDY, O'BRIEN, PASHINSKI, ROEBUCK, ROZZI, SCHLOSSBERG, SNYDER, YOUNGBLOOD, BISHOP AND GIBBONS.
View Attachment

Introduced as HB302