Four updates to Pennsylvania’s election code were passed by strongly bipartisan votes in the Senate State Government Committee, according to Senator David G. Argall (R-Berks/Schuylkill), who chairs the committee.
“I’m proud to continue working in a bipartisan manner with my Democratic co-chair, Senator Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia), to improve how our elections are administered here in Pennsylvania,” said Argall. “These bills are part of our efforts to restore the faith of all Pennsylvanians in our elections.”
The bills passed include Senate Bill 428, which moves up the date of the Presidential Primary Election; Senate Bill 140, which requires the electronic filing of campaign finance reports; Senate Bill 56, which changes the number of write-in votes to qualify as a winner of an election; and Senate Bill 551, which would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to remove the requirement for a separate ballot for judicial elections. These bills now move to the full Senate for their consideration.
The Senate State Government Committee will meet again on Thursday, September 23 for a public hearing on Senate Bill 878, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senators Argall and Street that would implement many of the recommendations made by the Special Committee on Election Integrity and Reform earlier this year.
