PRINTER'S NO. 1872
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
34
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY DAY, R. BROWN, HAMM AND MOUL, JUNE 22, 2021
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JUNE 22, 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 preparation for and conduct of primaries and
elections, providing for cargo securement.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known
as the Pennsylvania Election Code, is amended by adding a
section to read:
Section 1234. Cargo Securement.--(a) Each county board
shall use a cargo securement procedure, in accordance with this
section, to ensure that ballots cast in an election are not
tampered with or counted erroneously.
(b) Ballots cast in an election shall be secured in a
transportation container with a numbered security tag that seals
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the transportation container and includes an individually
identifiable number.
(c) The following apply to a bill of lading:
(1) The cargo securement procedures under this section shall
include a bill of lading sealed within each transportation
container described in subsection (b), which shall accompany the
ballots cast in the election:
(i) at the location that the ballots are initially
collected;
(ii) while the ballots are in transit; and
(iii) at any storage location for the ballots.
(2) The bill of lading shall include the location, date and
time that the ballots cast in the election were collected, along
with the numbered security tag number.
(3) The bill of lading shall remain with the ballots cast in
the election, with or without the accompanying security
envelopes for the ballots, through the final ballot storage
location.
(d) If the numbered security tag is broken, the bill of
lading shall be marked with the:
(1) location, date and time regarding the incident;
(2) reason for the incident;
(3) broken numbered security tag number; and
(4) newly affixed numbered security tag number.
(e) If a ballot storage location is monitored by staff, the
staff shall record the location, date, time and numbered
security tag number regarding the ballots cast in the election.
(f) A poll watcher shall be entitled to know the numbered
security tag numbers and location of the stored ballots cast in
the election, which are waiting to be counted or stored after
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counting.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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