PRINTER'S NO. 718
No. 676 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY CORMAN, ROBBINS, THOMPSON, STOUT AND AFFLERBACH, MARCH 12, 1997
REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, MARCH 12, 1997
AN ACT 1 Amending the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), entitled 2 "An act concerning elections, including general, municipal, 3 special and primary elections, the nomination of candidates, 4 primary and election expenses and election contests; creating 5 and defining membership of county boards of elections; 6 imposing duties upon the Secretary of the Commonwealth, 7 courts, county boards of elections, county commissioners; 8 imposing penalties for violation of the act, and codifying, 9 revising and consolidating the laws relating thereto; and 10 repealing certain acts and parts of acts relating to 11 elections," further providing for the information to be 12 provided by signers of nomination petitions and papers and by 13 certain affiants. 14 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 15 hereby enacts as follows: 16 Section 1. Section 908 of the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, 17 No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, amended August 18 13, 1963 (P.L.707, No.379), is amended to read: 19 Section 908. Manner of Signing Nomination Petitions; Time of 20 Circulating.--Each signer of a nomination petition shall sign 21 but one such petition for each office to be filled, and shall 22 declare therein that he is a registered and enrolled member of 23 the party designated in such petition: Provided, however, That
1 where there are to be elected two or more persons to the same 2 office, each signer may sign petitions for as many candidates 3 for such office as, and no more than, he could vote for at the 4 succeeding election. He shall also declare therein that he is a 5 qualified elector of the county therein named, and in case the 6 nomination is not to be made or candidates are not to be elected 7 by the electors of the State at large, or the political district 8 therein named, in which the nomination is to be made or the 9 election is to be held. He shall add his [occupation and 10 residence, giving city, borough or township, with street and 11 number, if any,] precise mailing address and municipality in 12 which he resides and shall add the date of signing, expressed in 13 words or numbers[: Provided, however, That if the said political 14 district named in the petition lies wholly within any city, 15 borough or township, or is coextensive with same, it shall not 16 be necessary for any signer of a nomination petition to state 17 therein the city, borough or township of his residence]. No 18 nomination petition shall be circulated prior to the thirteenth 19 Tuesday before the primary, and no signature shall be counted 20 unless it bears a date affixed not earlier than the thirteenth 21 Tuesday nor later than the tenth Tuesday prior to the primary. 22 Section 2. Section 951(c) and (d) of the act are amended to 23 read: 24 Section 951. Nominations by Political Bodies.--* * * 25 (c) Each person signing a nomination paper shall declare 26 therein that he is a qualified elector of the State or district, 27 as the case may be, and shall add to his signature his 28 [occupation and residence, giving city, borough or township, 29 with street and number, if any,] precise mailing address and 30 municipality in which he resides and shall also add the date of 19970S0676B0718 - 2 -
1 signing, expressed in words or numbers[: Provided, however, That
2 if said political district named in the papers lies wholly
3 within any city, borough or township, or is coextensive with
4 same, it shall not be necessary for any signer of a paper to
5 state therein the city, borough or township of his residence].
6 No elector shall sign more than one nomination paper for each
7 office to be filled, unless there are two or more persons to be
8 elected to the same office, in which case he may sign nomination
9 papers for as many candidates for such office as, and no more
10 than, he could vote for at the succeeding election. More than
11 one candidate may be nominated by one nomination paper and
12 candidates for more than one office may be nominated by one
13 nomination paper: Provided, That each political body nominating
14 does not nominate more candidates than there are offices to be
15 voted for at the ensuing election: And provided, That all the
16 signers on each nomination paper are qualified to vote for all
17 the candidates nominated therein.
18 (d) Nomination papers may be on one or more sheets and
19 different sheets must be used for signers resident in different
20 counties. If more than one sheet is used, they shall be bound
21 together when offered for filing if they are intended to
22 constitute one nomination paper, and each sheet shall be
23 numbered consecutively, beginning with number one (1) at the
24 foot of each page. Each sheet shall have appended thereto the
25 affidavit of some person, not necessarily a signer, and not
26 necessarily the same person on each sheet, setting forth--(1)
27 that the affiant is a qualified elector of the State, or of the
28 electoral district, as the case may be, referred to in the
29 nomination paper; (2) [his residence, giving city, borough or
30 township with street and number, if any] precise mailing address
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1 and municipality in which he resides; (3) that the signers
2 signed with full knowledge of the contents of the nomination
3 paper; (4) that their respective residences are correctly stated
4 therein; (5) that they all reside in the county named in the
5 affidavit; (6) that each signed on the date set opposite his
6 name; and (7) that, to the best of affiant's knowledge and
7 belief, the signers are qualified electors of the State, or of
8 the electoral district, as the case may be.
9 * * *
10 Section 3. This act shall take effect January 1, 1998.
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