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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 18, 2024 11:07 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Joanna E. McClinton |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Increasing voting options for eligible PA voters |
| Soon I will introduce legislation to make voting in Pennsylvania more accessible and more convenient for all lawfully registered Pennsylvania voters. My bill will allow lawfully registered Pennsylvania voters to vote early in person during the two weeks leading up to Election Day and make it easier for all eligible Pennsylvanians to register to vote by allowing in person voter registration at polling locations on Election Day. These two critical modernizations will make it more convenient for busy people who want to vote in person to cast their ballot, increasing voter participation, and strengthening our democracy. This is about ensuring all eligible Pennsylvanians have the opportunity to exercise their voting rights. These election improvements are widely popular among Pennsylvania voters across party lines, with nearly two thirds of all Pennsylvania voters in favor of instituting these commonsense solutions to make voting more convenient. Still, our Election Code modernizations remain behind our neighbors like New Jersey, Virginia, and, believe it or not, even behind previous Voting Rights Act pre-clearance states with egregious records of voter suppression. In Florida today, voters may cast their ballot in-person at least 10 days prior to Election Day. And in Georgia, a state where it is illegal to give water to a voter waiting in line, early in-person voting begins a full 3 weeks prior to Election Day. Many Pennsylvanians take pride in voting on a machine in person, and those voters should be able to cast their ballot at a time that is convenient for them to do so. Allowing two weeks of early in-person voting on machines will give our Pennsylvanians with challenging work schedules or dynamic family responsibilities the chance to make a choice that works best for them, and it will relieve congestion at our busiest of polling locations. Early in-person voting helps seniors, especially those who use wheelchairs or walkers, by allowing more time to accommodate their needs. Voters should not be forced to choose between their many competing or conflicting responsibilities and needs in order to vote. Roughly two-thirds of all the states already have some form of early voting; it’s time Pennsylvania joined them and allowed its lawfully registered voters to cast their vote early and in person. Same-day voter registration allows eligible Pennsylvanians to register when it’s most relevant and convenient - on Election Day. Same-day voter registration also enables real-time corrections to inaccurate voter rolls, adding to the safety and security of our election system. Once again here, Pennsylvania lags behind other states as some two dozen states and the District of Columbia already permit any qualified resident to register to vote on Election Day and then cast their ballot. As the birthplace of American democracy, it’s time to offer our residents and our communities across the Commonwealth more options to vote safely and conveniently, reduce the time voters wait in line to vote, and guarantee that every community member has enough time to cast their ballot for the candidates of their choice. I hope you will join me in sponsoring this legislation. |