PRINTER'S NO. 1638
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1501
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY MOUL, SILVIS, PICKETT, MILLARD, RYAN, HAMM,
METCALFE, ROTHMAN, KAUFFMAN, JAMES, RADER, COOK, PENNYCUICK,
STAMBAUGH, ECKER, WARNER, MENTZER, ZIMMERMAN AND BERNSTINE,
JUNE 1, 2021
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JUNE 1, 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 voting by qualified absentee electors, further
providing for official absentee voters ballots, for
delivering or mailing ballots and for canvassing of official
absentee ballots and mail-in ballots; and, in voting by
qualified mail-in electors, further providing for official
mail-in elector ballots and for delivering or mailing
ballots.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1303 of the act of June 3, 1937
(P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, is
amended by adding a subsection to read:
Section 1303. Official Absentee Voters Ballots.--* * *
(f) The official absentee voter ballot shall contain a
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
scannable identification number unique to each individual
ballot.
Section 2. Section 1305(b) of the act is amended by adding a
paragraph to read:
Section 1305. Delivering or Mailing Ballots.--
* * *
(b) * * *
(3) A county board of elections shall scan and retain record
of each unique ballot number prior to the issuance or
association of the ballot with an individual voter's application
or mailing envelope.
* * *
Section 3. Section 1308(g)(4)(iii) of the act, amended March
27, 2020 (P.L.41, No.12), is amended to read:
Section 1308. Canvassing of Official Absentee Ballots and
Mail-in Ballots.--* * *
(g) * * *
(4) All absentee ballots which have not been challenged
under section 1302.2(c) and all mail-in ballots which have not
been challenged under section 1302.2-D(a)(2) and that have been
verified under paragraph (3) shall be counted and included with
the returns of the applicable election district as follows:
* * *
(iii) The county board shall then break the seals of such
envelopes, remove the ballots and scan each ballot's unique
identification number. Any ballot with an identification number
that has already been scanned, with an identification number not
recorded as having been issued by the county or with an invalid
identification number shall be set aside and declared void. The
county board shall then count, compute and tally the votes.
20210HB1501PN1638 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
* * *
Section 4. Section 1303-D of the act is amended by adding a
subsection to read:
Section 1303-D. Official mail-in elector ballots.
* * *
(f) Unique identification number.--The official mail-in
ballot shall contain a scannable identification number unique to
each individual ballot.
Section 5. Section 1305-D of the act, amended March 27, 2020
(P.L.41, No.12), is amended to read:
Section 1305-D. Delivering or mailing ballots.
(a) General rule.--The county board of elections, upon
receipt and approval of an application filed by a qualified
elector under section 1301-D, shall commence to deliver or mail
official mail-in ballots as soon as a ballot is certified and
the ballots are available. While any proceeding is pending in a
Federal or State court which would affect the contents of any
ballot, the county board of elections may await a resolution of
that proceeding but in any event, shall commence to deliver or
mail official mail-in ballots not later than the second Tuesday
prior to the primary or election. For applicants whose proof of
identification was not provided with the application or could
not be verified by the board, the board shall send the notice
required under section 1302.2-D(c) with the mail-in ballot. As
additional applications are received and approved, the board
shall deliver or mail official mail-in ballots to the additional
electors within 48 hours.
(b) Unique ballot number.--A county board of elections shall
scan and retain record of each unique ballot number prior to the
issuance or association of the mail-in ballot with an individual
20210HB1501PN1638 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
voter's application or mailing envelope.
Section 6. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
20210HB1501PN1638 - 4 -
1
2