Sep. 02, 2020
HARRISBURG – Continuing to build on efforts to ensure the fall 2020 election is the most accessible, accurate and secure election in Pennsylvania’s history, today the state House of Representatives passed
House Bill 2626 with bipartisan support.
“Whether voting in person, or by mail, every Pennsylvanian expects his or her vote to be counted accurately and securely, and they expect to know results in a timely manner. I am once again proud to stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to take further steps to protect and promote one of our most sacred freedoms,” Speaker Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) said.
A House bill signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf required the department of state to produce a comprehensive report on the 2020 primary election. Those findings resulted in more than a dozen proposals found in House Bill 2626 including:
• Allowing county boards of election to do the verification, opening, scanning and processing of absentee and mail-in ballots as early as 8 a.m. on the Saturday before the election.
• Moving the deadline to apply for absentee and mail-in ballots from seven days prior to an election to 15 days prior to an election.
• Moving the final deadline for county boards of election to begin to send absentee and mail-in ballots to voters from 14 days before an election to 28 days before an election.
“This is the third time in the past year the House has acted to improve our election process,” Cutler added. “Last fall our bill provided necessary funding for new voting machines, expanded mail-in voting options and removed straight-party ticket voting. In the spring, our bill made necessary changes to hold a primary election in a pandemic. Today’s vote is a continuation of those efforts. The House acted once again in the best interest of all voters.”
The bill now advances to the Senate for further consideration.
Speaker Bryan Cutler
100th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives