PRIOR PASSAGE - NONE
PRINTER'S NO. 2705
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1778
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY MARSHALL, V. BROWN, COHEN, D. COSTA, GALLOWAY,
GIBBONS, HELM, PHILLIPS-HILL, KIM, KINSEY, O'BRIEN, READSHAW,
SCHLOSSBERG, THOMAS, VITALI, WARD AND ZIMMERMAN,
JANUARY 6, 2016
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JANUARY 6, 2016
A JOINT RESOLUTION
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania, further providing for absentee voting.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby resolves as follows:
Section 1. The following amendment to the Constitution of
Pennsylvania is proposed in accordance with Article XI:
That section 14 of Article VII be amended to read:
ยง 14. Absentee voting.
(a) The Legislature shall, by general law, provide a manner
in which, and the time and place at which, [qualified electors
who may, on the occurrence of any election, be absent from the
municipality of their residence, because their duties,
occupation or business require them to be elsewhere or who, on
the occurrence of any election, are unable to attend at their
proper polling places because of illness or physical disability
or who will not attend a polling place because of the observance
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of a religious holiday or who cannot vote because of election
day duties, in the case of a county employee,] any qualified
elector may vote by absentee ballot, and for the return and
canvass of their votes in the election district in which they
respectively reside.
[(b) For purposes of this section, "municipality" means a
city, borough, incorporated town, township or any similar
general purpose unit of government which may be created by the
General Assembly.]
Section 2. (a) Upon the first passage by the General
Assembly of this proposed constitutional amendment, the
Secretary of the Commonwealth shall proceed immediately to
comply with the advertising requirements of section 1 of Article
XI of the Constitution of Pennsylvania and shall transmit the
required advertisements to two newspapers in every county in
which such newspapers are published in sufficient time after
passage of this proposed constitutional amendment.
(b) Upon the second passage by the General Assembly of this
proposed constitutional amendment, the Secretary of the
Commonwealth shall proceed immediately to comply with the
advertising requirements of section 1 of Article XI of the
Constitution of Pennsylvania and shall transmit the required
advertisements to two newspapers in every county in which such
newspapers are published in sufficient time after passage of
this proposed constitutional amendment. The Secretary of the
Commonwealth shall submit this proposed constitutional amendment
to the qualified electors of this Commonwealth at the first
primary, general or municipal election which meets the
requirements of and is in conformance with section 1 of Article
XI of the Constitution of Pennsylvania and which occurs at least
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three months after the proposed constitutional amendment is
passed by the General Assembly.
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