July 9, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Thornburgh
Committee of Seventy, President and CEO
dthornburgh@seventy.org; 215-439-0879 c
Seventy Supports Wolf Administration Financing of New Voting Systems
HARRISBURG, PA – The Committee of Seventy applauds the Wolf administration’s order to issue a bond to cover the long-term investment in safe, secure voting systems. Counties around the state have taken responsible steps over the past year to procure new voting machines with voter-verified paper trails. Such equipment is essential to protect the integrity of our elections, and our local governments deserve this financial support for doing their part.
But we must also stress urgency around other critical and unfinished work to modernize Pennsylvania’s 1937 Election Code. Numerous prospective reforms to state law should be brought back up for consideration in the fall, including in particular, optional vote by mail and streamlining cumbersome absentee voting deadlines and procedures.
The Senate State Government Committee led by Senators Mike Folmer (R) and Tony Williams (D) has been working in earnest on a slate of proposals, several of which already boast clear bipartisan support. Others will warrant further discussion and debate. Meanwhile the House State Government Committee, chaired by Reps. Garth Everett (R) and Kevin Boyle (D), is preparing similar efforts.
Broad acknowledgement in recent years of the antiquity of state election law has been promising. Now we look forward to consensus building around the solutions and good results for Pennsylvanian voters.
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The Committee of Seventy is an independent nonprofit advocate for better politics and better government in Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For more information, see www.seventy.org.