As the mid term primary in Pennsylvania draws near efforts to try and reform election laws are hitting roadblocks.
Crispin Havener joins us now to explain.
There’s been a lot of discussion about things that need to be changed ranging from audits and ballot security to mail-in voting and enacting voter id. But 18 months since the Presidential election, it’s been a lot of conversation and very little action.
Since Pennsylvania entered the eye of the political storm in 2020, with Democrats Joe Biden being declared the winner of the state and the Presidency days after polls closed and Republicans crying foul.
Legislators on both sides of the aisle have been working to solve issues with Pennsylvania’s handling of elections, in very different ways.
Democrats have sought to ensure to boost mail-in voting reforms under act 77 including allowing county election offices to pre-canvass those votes.
But Republicans have sought to close what they say are loopholes.
Last week in a party-line vote, a bill authored by Jefferson County Sen. Cris Dush that would eliminate ballot drop box locations over concerns it makes it too easy for people to illegally drop off other people’s votes, passed on a party-line vote.
“Drop boxes were spawned by claimed ambiguity in the statute and the governor’s emergency declaration due to the pandemic. The emergency has expired and so has the need fr drop boxes.”
Democrats denounced it.
“County council members say they need money and in a vote just before this we said no. They’ve lost faith!”
The Republican-led legislature says it’s a continuation of their fight after they passed a bill that would allow for pre canvassing of mail-in votes and more funding…but it was vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf because it also created a voter id requirement, required more time to register to vote and limited mail-in voting therefore restricting access in the Governor’s mind.
And there’s that audit of the 2020 election that Corman has supported through a committee led by Dush. It’s future is stuck in the courts over efforts to obtain private voter information like driver’s licenses and social security numbers.
