After the 2020 election, our commonwealth was ground zero for baseless conspiracy theories and threats. While this election was secure, some groups used administrative difficulties of conducting an election during a worldwide pandemic as proof of their unfounded claims of irregularities. The right to vote was enshrined in our Constitution and has become synonymous with our great country. This right should be protected at all costs. Part of this protection includes adapting the way we conduct elections with the times, to ensure voting remains accessible to all, easy, and secure. While many states have adopted reforms like in-person early voting and standardized ballot procedures, Pennsylvania has lagged behind—leading to long lines, delayed results, and inconsistent rules across counties.
The Voting Rights Protection Act (House Bill 1396) would make several changes to the Pennsylvania Election Code and aims to improve voter turnout, boost confidence in the electoral system, with results being reported more quickly, with uniform, easily understood standards for every county to follow in administering our elections. Key provisions include:
Allowing pre-canvassing of returned mail-in ballots for faster reporting.
Establishing uniform statewide standards for secure ballot drop boxes.
Permitting ballot curing to prevent disenfranchisement from minor errors.
Implementing true in-person early voting.
Increasing poll worker pay to improve recruitment and retention.
These changes address challenges voiced by both Republican and Democratic election officials, reducing administrative burdens.
Impact or how it will be measured:
In the past few election cycles Pennsylvania has seen adverse impacts of not having uniform interpretations and inconsistent implementation of our state’s voting laws.
Long lines and wait times, declines in voter participation, the emergence of conspiracy theories when vote tallies are delayed. And because Pennsylvania doesn’t have early in-person voting, people are using the mail-in voting system as an early voting alternative which is cumbersome when election sites are equipped to administer true early voting.
Their belief is that by passing and implementing the Voting Rights Protection Act, Pennsylvania will see reductions in wait times, less frustration from election officials, more people able to vote early, less time to officially call elections limiting the time for conspiracy theories to take hold, and ultimately, increase voter participation.