PRINTER'S NO. 829
No. 597 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, CORMAN, WOZNIAK, WAUGH, BOSCOLA AND
C. WILLIAMS, MAY 9, 2003
REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, MAY 9, 2003
AN ACT
1 Directing the Department of State to develop and implement
2 uniform voting procedures.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Uniform
7 Voting Procedures Act.
8 Section 2. Definitions.
9 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
10 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
11 context clearly indicates otherwise:
12 "County." A county of this Commonwealth.
13 "County board." A county board of elections of a county.
14 "Department." The Department of State of the Commonwealth.
15 "District election board." The election officers conducting
16 elections in an election district in accordance with the act of
17 June 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania
1 Election Code.
2 "Election." A general, municipal, special or primary
3 election.
4 "Election district." A district, division or precinct,
5 established in accordance with the provisions of the act of June
6 3, 1937 (P.L.1333, No.320), known as the Pennsylvania Election
7 Code, within which all qualified electors vote at one polling
8 place.
9 "Qualified elector." A person who possesses all of the
10 qualifications for voting now or hereafter prescribed by the
11 Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or who, being
12 otherwise qualified by continued residence in that person's
13 election district, obtains such qualifications before the next
14 ensuing election.
15 "Uniform voting procedures." A standardized process for
16 qualified electors to cast their votes and have their votes
17 accurately and securely recorded and transmitted to a county
18 board. The term also includes a standardized procedure for
19 voting by absentee ballot.
20 Section 3. Uniform voting procedures.
21 (a) Development and implementation.--
22 (1) The department shall develop and implement uniform
23 voting procedures that shall be used at all elections held in
24 this Commonwealth. In developing and implementing uniform
25 voting procedures, the department may use any available
26 research and reports issued by Federal or State agencies
27 relevant to developing and implementing uniform voting
28 procedures.
29 (2) Prior to implementing uniform voting procedures, the
30 department shall receive input from counties, including
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1 comments and recommendations from members of county boards
2 and district election boards.
3 (b) Criteria for uniform voting procedures.--In developing
4 and implementing uniform voting procedures, the department shall
5 use, but is not limited to, the following criteria:
6 (1) The procedures shall be easy for qualified electors
7 to understand and use. In order to assist the district
8 election board in confirming a qualified elector's
9 registration and in resolving registration problems, the
10 procedures may include the use by qualified electors of an
11 identification card that may be read at the polling place by
12 a computer linking the district election board directly to
13 the county board.
14 (2) The procedures shall protect the privacy of
15 qualified electors and the security of their voters and shall
16 prevent voter fraud.
17 (3) The procedures shall provide prompt and accurate
18 election results from the district election board to the
19 county board, media and public. The procedures may include a
20 computer network that directly links the district election
21 board at the polling place to the county board for prompt and
22 secure transmission of election results.
23 (4) The procedures shall be standardized for use at all
24 elections held in this Commonwealth. The procedures may not
25 include punch cards and other voting methods that could
26 potentially result in incorrect voting such as double voting.
27 (5) The procedures shall use technological advances
28 including systems that utilize touch-screen computers and the
29 Internet.
30 Section 4. Repeals.
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1 All acts and parts of acts are repealed insofar as they are
2 inconsistent with the provisions of this act.
3 Section 5. Applicability.
4 The uniform voting procedures developed pursuant to this act
5 shall be implemented and applied to all elections held in this
6 Commonwealth on or after January 1, 2005.
7 Section 6. Effective date.
8 This act shall take effect immediately.
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