After the worst-case scenario that was the 2020 Presidential election for election staffers in the commonwealth, there were a lot of calls to fix it.
But nearly two years later, despite all the talk, there’s been little of any meaningful action as both bipartisan and partisan solutions for the voting and ballot counting process have largely gone nowhere.
Most prominently, Republicans’ plans to audit the 2020 election received hearings, but have been caught in a court quagmire over how to handle voter’s social security and driver’s license information.
Efforts to change or remove no-excuse mail-in voting rules under Act 77 were thwarted last month when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the law.
Broader provisions like allowing pre-canvassing of mail-in votes were marred in politics as Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a broad election reform bill that included pre-canvassing, but also included things he wouldn’t approve of like tougher voter ID laws and tightening election deadlines.
Ultimately, the future may come down to who will be handling the signing or veto pen in the governor’s office come January as voters will be deciding between Republican State Sen. Doug Mastriano, who has openly questioned President Joe Biden’s legitimacy and led the fight for the election audit, and Democrat Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who says Pennsylvania’s elections have been free and fair and has called the audit a “sham.”