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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 16, 2024 12:34 PM |
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| From: | Representative Aaron Bernstine |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Making Improvements to Pennsylvania's Election Process |
With the Presidential Election quickly approaching in November, the world is once again watching Pennsylvania as the nation’s most crucial swing state. Even four years after the embarrassing administrative messes of the 2020 Election, Pennsylvania has failed to comprehensively reform or improve our elections laws. I will soon be introducing a new legislative package to provide a foundation of minimum needed improvements to transparency and security so that Pennsylvanians and voters across the nation can have greater confidence in the accuracy and integrity of Pennsylvania’s election process.
Please join me in cosponsoring the following pieces of legislation: |
Document #1
| Description: | Changes to DOS’ Public Information Lists. Currently, the PA Department of State is required to make available a Full Voter Export List to requestors, which is updated on a weekly basis. My legislation would require the list to be updated daily. My legislation would also include in the list a breakout of instances where an individual makes changes to their voter registration information. The date and time of such changes would be included in the list. The posting of this information will provide for greater transparency, as suspicious or unusual trends could be spotted and investigated. |
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Document #2
| Description: | Require Boards of Election to Ascertain Whether a Voter Registration Applicant is a Qualified Elector. My legislation would require a county board of election, upon receipt of a voter registration application, to determine whether the applicant is a qualified elector within 96 hours. This would include verification of the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number and the applicant's Department of Transportation driver's license number or Department of Transportation identification card number, if available. The purpose of this legislation is to ensure that only qualified electors, as determined by State law and our Commonwealth’s Constitution, participate in our elections. |
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Document #3
| Description: | Punish Fraudulent Voting Activities by $50,000 fine and Mandatory Minimum 30 Days in Jail, per Occurrence. While our Commonwealth’s Elections Code provides penalties for certain election-related offenses, it is my desire to send a clear message to bad actors: Jeopardize or cast doubt on our elections, and you will face justice. My legislation would establish a significant fine and jail sentence for individuals convicted of fraudulent voting activities. |
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Document #4
| Description: | Award 50% of any Fine Collected for Election-Related Offenses to the Individual who Reported the Offense. While deterring bad behavior and bad actors, it is my desire to conversely reward citizens who respect and cherish our democratic elections by reporting instances of voter fraud. While many safeguards are in place to prevent and spot voter fraud, nothing beats another set of watchful eyes, and this legislation will incentivize Pennsylvanians to do just that. My legislation would award an individual who reports an instance of an election-related offense half of any fine issued to an individual convicted of an election-related offense. |
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Memo Updated: October 10, 2024 11:40 AM