PRINTER'S NO. 1411
No. 1131 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, LEMMOND, THOMPSON, COSTA, EARLL,
GERLACH, KITCHEN, KUKOVICH, LOGAN, MOWERY AND M. WHITE,
OCTOBER 11, 2001
REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, OCTOBER 11, 2001
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 appointment of election
12 watchers.
13 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
14 hereby enacts as follows:
15 Section 1. Section 417 of the act of June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333,
16 No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election Code, amended August
17 1, 1963 (P.L.434, No.227), August 14, 1963 (P.L.1048, No.453)
18 and July 12, 1980 (P.L.649, No.134), is amended to read:
19 Section 417. Appointment of Watchers.--
20 (a) Each candidate for nomination or election at any
21 election shall be entitled to appoint two watchers in each
22 election district in which such candidate is voted for. Each
1 political party and each political body which has nominated
2 candidates in accordance with the provisions of this act, shall
3 be entitled to appoint three watchers at any general, municipal
4 or special election in each election district in which the
5 candidates of such party or political body are to be voted for.
6 Such watchers shall serve without expense to the county.
7 (b) All watchers so appointed shall serve in only one
8 district and must be qualified registered electors of the
9 [municipality or township] county in which the district where
10 they are authorized to act is located. Only one watcher for each
11 candidate at primaries, or for each party or political body at
12 general, municipal or special elections, shall be allowed to
13 remain in the polling place at any one time prior to the close
14 of the polls, and all watchers in the room shall remain outside
15 the enclosed space. After the close of the polls and while the
16 ballots are being counted or voting machine canvassed, all the
17 watchers shall be permitted to be in the polling place outside
18 the enclosed space. Each watcher shall be provided with a
19 certificate from the county board of elections, stating his name
20 and the name of the candidate, party or political body he
21 represents. Watchers shall be required to show their
22 certificates when requested to do so. Watchers allowed in the
23 polling place under the provisions of this act, shall be
24 permitted to keep a list of voters and shall be entitled to
25 challenge any person making application to vote and to require
26 proof of his qualifications, as provided by this act. All
27 watchers so appointed as set forth above, who are to serve in a
28 [district] municipality other than the one from which they are
29 registered electors, are to be appointed on petition to the
30 court of common pleas. Said petition shall set forth that the
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1 watcher is a qualified voter of the [municipality or township]
2 county in which the district is located and that said watcher is
3 a law abiding citizen and of good repute, and the court shall
4 consider all factors relevant to said petition before granting
5 or refusing same.
6 (c) No candidate or committee of a political party or of a
7 political body, nor any other person or persons shall pay to any
8 watcher compensation in excess of twenty ($20.00) dollars per
9 diem.
10 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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